Your guide to a vegan passover

M ore and more people are on the hunt for alternatives to eggs over Pesach. Whether you are steering clear because of an allergy, intolerance or ethics – mass cruelty is endemic in modern production, here are our Director Lara’s top tips for a delicious and hassle-free, egg-free Pesach… Seder solution: When it comes to the Seder plate, a common replacement for the egg is a decorative wooden egg. You can go further and use a flower – a symbol of spring and new life. I like to use edible flowers; visit the Royal Horticultural website for information about the various flavours and how to grow your own. Instead of a shank bone, how about a Pascal yam? Search online for vegan haggadot, alternatively you can make your own at www.haggadot.com. Passover picks: Let veggies take centre stage. I would highly recommend downloading a seasonal vegetable chart for inspiration, and flicking through Ottolenghi’s books ‘Plenty’ and ‘Plenty More’. I love baking chunks of sweet potato with cinnamon, paprika, a drizzle of oil and sprinkling of salt. Whole baked cauliflower makes a great centrepiece, see the JVS website for a fantastic Gobi Musallam recipe with using coconut, cashew nuts and spices to transfer the humble cauliflower. Around the world: My other go-to dishes are: Asian curries with lots of fresh ginger, garlic, lemongrass and fresh coriander, soups (pea, coconut and mint is a particular favourite), spicy shakshuka with baked portobello mushrooms, chopped fresh sweetcorn (see JVS website for recipe), or roasted aubergines instead of eggs, crunchy salads with exciting dressings. Keep ‘em quinoa (keen-wa): Quinoa is a fantastic source of protein, and you can buy packets that have been processed with Passover supervision. Did you know it can be used in desserts too? There are many recipes online that use popped quinoa (which you can make at home) to add crunch. A few years ago JVS hosted a vegan seder at JW3. The most popular dish was the chocolate mousse, Sheryl Crowe’s recipe , which uses avocado among just a handful of other healthy ingredients. Five top tips for an egg-free Pesach: 1. Stock up on fresh herbs, and your favourite spices. 2. Make homemade pesto and keep it in a sealed jar in the fridge, ready to drizzle over roasted veggies, soups, warm potato salad and even on matzah. 3. Stock up on nuts – they add texture and are full of goodness — and taste even better once toasted or roasted. Cashew nuts can be quickly transformed into a delicious savoury sauce. 4. When baking, use ¼ cup (65 g) of pureed cooked apple or mashed banana to replace each egg. 5. Recipe swap with friends.