A Very Pretty Quinoa

Quinoa with Fresh Mango & Pomegranate Arils
Red Onion, Jalapeño, Basil, Cilantro, Lime

We tried a new dish for Passover this year. Quinoa. Anyone who’s cooked Passover dinner knows the challenge of serving the crowd (33 in ours) immediately after the Seder which lasts about 1 1/2 hours. How to get the food to the table, timely and hot? This year we were short one chef (we sure missed you Allison) so we simplified our menu to make prep and service easier.

2012 Passover Menu

Geri’s Gefilte Fish
Kristy’s Haroset & Matzohs
Vicki’s Beet Salad & Fresh Horseradish
Hard Boiled Eggs

Chicken Soup with Herbed Matzoh Balls

Grilled Chicken, Apricot, Orange Ginger Glaze
Slow-Cooked Tomato Onion Beef Brisket
Asparagus over Spinach & Arugula, Sauce Gribiche
A Very Pretty Quinoa

Flourless Chocolate Cake
Almond Cake
Chocolate Covered Matzohs
Vicki’s Homemade Macarons
Fresh Fruit

First, we left out Davida’s Pistachio Crusted Chopped Liver to save on prep time. Boy, did we hear about that. OK folks, it’ll be back next year. Secondly, we changed our main side dishes to ones that could be served at room temperature, so we did not have to worry about heating them along with the chicken and brisket. Now these two room temperature sides were quite pretty, bright and colorful. Both the asparagus dish and quinoa received rave reviews.

A Very Pretty Quinoa Recipe

• 1 c. dry quinoa
• 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
• 1/2 c. red onion, small dice
• 1 firm but ripe mango, diced
• 5 oz. pomegranate arils
• 10 basil leaves, shredded
• big handful of cilantro leaves, de-stemmed, rough chopped
• juice from 1 lime
• 3 T. olive oil
• salt to taste

Toast quinoa and cook according to package instructions. Meanwhile combine jalapeño, onion, mango, pomegranate arils, olive oil, lime juice, and salt. Let fruit mixture sit to meld flavors while quinoa comes to room temperature. Combine quinoa with the fruit mixture. Taste and adjust salt, olive oil, or lime juice as needed. Lastly toss in the basil and cilantro. (This dish was inspired by Susie Fishbein’s “Quinoa with Thai Flavors” from Passover By Design).

We hope your Passover was bright with tradition,
full of love, warm hearts, and all the blessings of celebrating together.

My nephews Jett (7) & Stone (9) feeding cousins Preston & Ethan (6 months) at Passover.