With Passover coming, everyone I know is scrambling for recipes and ideas. I don’t know about you, but when I think Passover, I think potatoes. And when I think of the day after Passover, I think about being intensely sick and tired of potatoes. And that’s why I think everyone celebrating passover can appreciate The No Potato Passover
by Aviva Kanoff. Read what I thought of it, then enter below for one of two chances to win a copy!
At a First Glance:
First I was all, “no way I want to go through an entire Passover without a potato.” But as I read through the cookbook, I was impressed with the idea. Sure I’m going to eat potatoes. But this book has some refreshing ideas of recipes that can supplement all those potatoes!
When you first open the book the first thing you notice is how colorful and fun looking this book is. Every page has a colorful border and a picture (or two!) in addition to the recipe!
This book has the full range of recipes, from salads, soups and sides, to mains including meat and poultry, and even dairy dishes. And of course dessert! All kosher for passover, and not a potato in sight!
Some Features I Liked:
This book is colorful and fun looking, and features a picture for every recipe.
What I liked about the recipes in this book is that they are simple, approachable and doable. This isn’t a book full of fancy recipes to look at and admire, but practical recipes to cook this Passover.
In addition to the food photos in this book, there are a bunch of breathtakingly beautiful travel photos from around the world, taken by the author herself. They serve not only to visually enhance this book, but to take you with the author on a journey to new flavors, regions and cuisines.
The lack of potatoes (and obviously grains) means that the book features lighter fare than your average Passover food, which is always a big bonus in my book.
Some Recipes I Can’t Wait To Try:
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup: I love butternut squash, and I love it in soup, but now I need to try it roasted in soup!
Salt and Pepper “Noodle” Kugel: made with spaghetti squash, so it’s lighter and healthier than regular noodle kugel!
Cajun Carrot Fries: These look like sweet potato fries, but they are actually a veggie!
Parsnip Mash: think mashed potatoes, but again – made with a vegetable! Add some sauteed onions and I am *in*!
Who This Cookbook is For:
This is a fun cookbook and a great alternative for people who are making passover, and who’s customs allow for processed ingredients.
Additionally, as this is a passover, the majority of the recipes in it are gluten free (with the exceptions of a couple of recipes which use matzah meal) so this is a great year round option for people who are gluten free.
Who This Cookbook Isn’t For:
If your Passover customs don’t allow for processed ingredients from the stores, you will find that most of the recipes in this book won’t work for you. The book also relies on quinoa for many recipes, so if your customs don’t allow for that, many recipes in this book won’t be right for you.
What I Didn’t Like About This Cookbook:
Firstly, as mentioned above, the book relies on a lot of ingredients that are processed and due to my family’s customs, off limits to me.
I also found that a lot of recipes relied on store bought ingredients such as “imitation soy sauce” and “imitation mustard” or manischewitz boxed cake mix as a short cut instead of developing the flavors organically.
Lastly, because I always discuss the photography in the books I review, I found the food photos in this book disappointing. While the travel photos are beautiful, the food pictures have a more amateur look to them, lending the book a less professional look than some others I have reviewed.
In Conclusion:
This is a fun and colorful cookbook with great (and light!) alternatives to the standard heavy passover fare, and it’s a good option for people who are either gluten free or cooking for passover and have less restrictive customs.
Want to win a copy? Scroll past the recipe for your chance to win one of TWO copies!
Garlic Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Basil
Adapted from The No Potato Passover
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, sliced into half rings
3-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups spaghetti squash, cooked, peeled and shredded*
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
10 basil leaves or 5 frozen basil cubes
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion slices and sautee on a medium flame until translucent. Add the minced garlic and sautee for an additional couple of minutes.
Add the spaghetti squash, tomatoes and basil. Sautee for about 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
*To cook spaghetti squash: poke holes in it with a large knife, then place whole in a pan and bake at 350 for an hour to an hour and a half, until it’s tender when you pierce it with a fork. Allow to cool, then cut in half, scrape out the seeds, and shred.
Giveaway Details!
For your chance to win one of two copies of The No Potato Passover:
Please note: Each entry requires its own comment! Multiple entries in one comment will only be counted once!
You can enter as many of the following as you wish:
Entry #1 – Leave a comment on this post telling me what you like to eat on passover that doesn’t include any potatoes!
Entry #2 – Follow @OvertimeCook on twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.
Entry # 3- Like Tales of an Overtime Cook on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.
Entry # 4 – Follow @OvertimeCook on Pinterest and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.
Entry # 5 – Subscribe to OvertimeCook via email (link is on the right sidebar of the blog). and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.
Entry #6 – Follow Overtime Cook on Instagram and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.
Note: if you already like/follow etc, that’s fine. Just leave a comment letting me know that!
Giveaway Details:
Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Wednesday, March 20th. A valid email address or twitter profile must be provided.
Prize can be shipped within the USA.
Giveaway is sponsored by the author.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a review copy of this book, but all opinions are my own. There are affiliate links within this post.
Good luck!
Thanks everyone for stopping by! Come back soon, I have some really amazing recipes coming up, including a sweet treat for passover! -Miriam
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-Miriam
