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Roasted Butternut Squash Salad and a Review and Giveaway of Passover Made Easy

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butternut squash salad onOvertimeCook

I know that nobody really wants to think about the imminent arrival of the Passover holiday, but face it, friends. Passover is coming. The good news is that today I am reviewing a cookbook that aims to make Passover cooking easy. I know, it sounds too good to be true. But this book proves that it can be done!

Passover Made Easy is a brand new book, written by the fabulous duo of Leah Schapira (or Fresh & Easy fame) and Victoria Dweck, food editor of a number of top kosher magazines, including the one I write for. The book is a project of CookKosher.Com, and actually features about a third of the recipes by a number of the members, myself included! Leah and Victoria took the recipes, tweaked them and triple tested them, then compiled them into one gorgeous book at a very affordable price! So read what I thought about the book, then scroll down for details on how to win a copy…oh, and a recipe for one of my favorite salad recipes ever!

At a first glance:

The book is visually gorgeous. The pictures are bright and modern, and beautifully styled, the graphics are amazing, and the whole layout is fun and inviting and makes you want to just dig in!

Once I flipped through the book a bit, I was amazed at how none of the recipes screamed Passover. This sure isn’t your bubby’s passover cookbook! There’s a really wide variety of recipes in this book- it even features a brunch and dairy section. (I always thought of that category with regard to passover as scrambled eggs. But no, this book features recipes like Banana French Toast and Matzahroni and Cheese!

Some Features I Liked:

You all know how much photography in cookbooks is important to me, and this book fulfills my expectations in a *big* way. Not only does every recipe have a beautifully photographed picture to go with it, but there are step by step pictures to guide you through the process of things like plating the Potato and Flanken Kugel, a delicious dish that doesn’t usually look very nice on the plate.

Another thing I loved about the book were the cute little anecdotes and stories that come with each recipe. I have to admit that both of the authors are good friends, so I felt like I could hear them talking to me as I read these little stories. But that’s how this cookbook is – it invites you into their kitchens to make Passover together with them.

I’m not a big wine gal (I know!) but for those who are, there are wine pairings alongside many of these recipes.

Due to the vastly varied customs within the Jewish community regarding which ingredients are acceptable for Passover, some of the recipes feature ingredients that some may not use. However, the book features a Replacement Index of substitutions you can make if your customs don’t allow for all of the ingredients. As someone with rather restrictive customs for Passover, I found this feature especially useful!

The beginning features a very useful section of Passover building block recipes, including crepes, passover crumbs and homemade mayo. (They even made a fabulous video demonstrating the process!)

Most importantly, I loved the variety of ideas and flavors in this book. The biggest challenge for me, every year, on Passover, is to make foods that don’t all taste and look the same. With this book at my disposal, I know I won’t face that challenge this year!

Some Recipes I Can’t Wait to Try:

Brisket Eggrolls: Do I really need to say anything else?? I had (non-passover) at Abigails a while back, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. But the idea of making a Passover version of such a delicious dish is mind-bogglingly awesome. This is so going on my menu this year.

Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Soup: We’ve all established how much I love soup, but this one sounds totally different. I might not be able to wait for passover to make this one!

Sweet Potato Pepper Steak: my family doesn’t love the traditional pepper steak, but this looks like a recipe they could really get behind!

Pecan Pie with Cookie Crust: everyone loves pecan pie during the year. I am so excited to try this passover version!

Who This Cookbook is For:

Anyone who is cooking for passover this year and needs a fresh batch of ideas will find this cookbook ultra useful!

Who This Cookbook isn’t For:

Obviously this book is for passover recipes, so if you either aren’t celebrating passover, or are going away (or not cooking for any other reason) this book isn’t for you.

On a smaller scale, people with certain dietary restrictions such as no sugar, nuts or eggs will find a lot of recipes in this book are problematic for them. (But then again, most passover recipes will be a problem for you, so that’s not so much about this book as it is about passover cookbooks in general.)

What I Didn’t Like About This Cookbook:

My main complaint about this book is that there are a number of recipes that I can’t make due to my restrictive Passover customs. As I mentioned, there’s an index of helpful substitutions, but there will still be some recipes I can’t make.

My other issue with this book is that a bunch of the recipes do require an extra step or two, but again, I think that’s more of a complaint about Passover cookbooks and recipes than this book specifically, because there are so many things you can’t buy, so they require extra steps to make them.

Conclusion:

This is an innovative, exciting, fun and totally beautiful book that everyone who is cooking for passover should own. Not cooking for passover this year? Consider this as a gift for your hosts – that way everyone reaps the benefits!

butternut squash salad 2

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Sugar ‘n Spice Nuts:

Adapted from Passover Made Easy

Ingredients:

for the roasted butternut squash

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes

2 Tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

for the sugar ‘n spice nuts:

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 teaspoons sugar or sugar substitute

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon oil

for the shallot dressing:

1 medium shallot

1/4 cup oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

to assemble salad:

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

1 green apple, diced

Instructions:

for roasted butternut squash:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Toss the butternut squash cubes with the oil, salt, pepper and sugar.

Bake at 475 for about 30 minutes, until the cubes are tender and cooked through.

for sugar ‘n spice nuts:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Combine nuts, sugar, spices and oil on tray.

Bake at 300 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

for shallot dressing:

combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Alternatively, place all ingredients in a tall container and blend with a hand blender until smooth.

to assemble salad:

Combine lettuce, diced apple and butternut squash in a bowl. Toss with the dressing and top with nuts.

Enjoy!

butternut squash salad 3

Giveaway now over!

Giveaway Details!

For your chance to win a copy of Passover Made Easy:

Please note: Each entry requires its own comment! Multiple entries in one comment will only be counted once!

Entry #1 – Leave a comment on this post telling me what is your favorite passover dish!

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.

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 Monday, March 11th. A valid email address or twitter profile must be provided.

Prize can be shipped within the US and Canada.

Giveaway is sponsored by the publisher.

Disclaimer: I was sent a review copy of this book, and one of my recipes is featured in it. All opinions are my own. There are affiliate links within this post.

Good Luck!

Thanks for stopping by folks! Come back soon, I have some more great recipes up my sleeve! -Miriam


Comments

  1. Faigie says

    Thank you so much for the chance to win this cookbook! I’ve been drooling over it every time I see it! My favorite thing to make for Pesach has got to be my Bubby’s brownie cake. It’s quick, easy, lasts the whole holiday, and everyone loves it.

    Reply

  17. Moshe Statman says

    Still now idea what Pinterest is but if I did I would pin you hahaha that sounds funny 🙂
    Ps: I just saw this cookbook and it looked fun !!

    Reply

  22. Elisheva says

    My favorite pesach dish is matzah brei! Its so good but for some reason it only gets made on pesach 🙂

    Reply

  39. Michelle says

    My mom’s pesach crepes….they can be filled in so many ways or just used to make a wrap or sandwich.

    Reply

  64. Faigy R says

    My favorite pesach dish is chremsels!! Sooo good! Mashed potatoes fried like a latka … It seriously good and fattening 🙂 btw, I follow u on fb 🙂

    Reply

  65. dkny says

    I love to make my mother’s recipe for cold borscht. It is the most refreshing drink and when served in a beautiful goblet, it has the most luxurious fuschia color. It makes me feel connected to my mother and to my grandmother, whose recipe it is. Of course it doesn’t only have to be made on Pesach. It makes a great summer cold soup.

    Reply

  75. RLS says

    another charoset fan- but the sephardic type, from medjul dates. my mother makes huge containers of it. wont touch the ashkenazi sort.

    Reply

  76. Nancy Hess says

    Matzo balls made with whole matzahs (not matzah meal) and fried onions and a dash of ginger…like my grandmother used to make. Also my niece makes a killer chocolate mousse pie using those nasty canned macaroons, but in this case they taste great.

    Reply

  107. rebecca weiss says

    i subscribed via email, facebook, twitter, and pinterest!! i love my aunt’s recipe for mandel bread, we usually need to make a batch daily, and my grandma’s recipe for eggrolls…. mmm! thanks for the opportunity. i have been making so many of ur recipes lately!

    Reply

  108. bakingbeardy says

    My favourite passover food is one that isn’t a real traditional food, but I love it because it reminds me of the passovers I attended back in school: my best friend’s mum (who held it) loved deviled eggs and so she always served deviled eggs. It’s a nice memory for me!

    Reply

  116. Devora says

    My favorite Pesach dish is definitely a sweet matzo brie with cottage cheese, cinnamon, and sugar – YUMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

  121. Esther says

    I love sitting down to Passover Seder even after all the work it entailed love ur salad recipe hope to use it at the holiday

    Reply

  122. cookie baker says

    my favorite pasover food is the pesachdiga lukshen my mother always always used to make. It’s like a blintz cut up into pieces! This recepe looks amaizing!!!!

    Reply

  123. cookie baker says

    i like you on facebook!!!! My favorite pesach recepe would have to be lukshen. This book looks amaizing!!!

    Reply

  125. robee61 says

    Liked you on FB, subscribe to your emails. My favorite recipe is potato knishes. They are easy and look like they took you forever.

    Reply

  127. Mystery Woman says

    I am already subscribed :). I saw the cookbook, but my customs are probably even more restrictive than yours, so I didn’t think it would be worth buying it. But if I’d win it, it would be worth it even if I could only pick out a few recipes!

    Reply

  139. themondaybox says

    Thanks for bringing this cookbook to my attention. Passover brisket eggrolls?! I must get that recipe! My favorite passover foods are kugels; sweet matzah kugel and savory potato kugel. My family waits all year for my passover mandel bread.

    Reply

  140. abrooke65 says

    I think my favorite Pesach dish is matzoh brie, with cinnamon and sugar. Pesach is normally about dietary restrictions, but I just remember it being such a special morning when my mom would teach us how to cook it. It was a really cool change from cold cereal. It became about family and dietary additions.

    Reply

  151. Aidel says

    We rarely make schnitzel during the year, but always on Pesach. Funny, I know. But we all really look forward to that pesachdik schnitzel! I really like that even though you were given this cookbook, you included your dislikes about it! It allows me to believe in your honesty about all the positive comments.

    Reply

  167. deb says

    I really love just about everything I make for Pesach- Everything is just so fresh & so simple & good. If I must name a fav it’s probably the nut brittle I started making one year when my nieces came by in the afternoon & I had no nosh (We are really restricted in what we buy) Toasted some nuts ifn a non-stick pan then melted some sugar over it, poured it out on foil & let it cool. Now everyone waits for my Pesach Candy.

    Reply

  202. Ava says

    my favorite Pesach dish is homemade rolls. absolutely delicious, especially when theyre still hot and u put on butter, and it melts.. yummm ….. and of course chocolate chip cookies and jelly thumbprint cookies!

    Reply

  204. goldy Guttman says

    Hi there! I follow you on instagram, read your column in ami religiously… you are awesome!!

    Reply

  207. goldy Guttman says

    Following you on Pinterest now!! (is that supposed to be capitalized?) Thanks for the opportunity!

    Reply

  211. Maya says

    My favorite Passover dish is my mom’s Passover buns! She makes enough for the whole week, and they are a great substitute for Matzah 🙂

    Reply

  221. chavie says

    favorite nostalgic recipe? fried chicken coated in potato chips. sooooo good and only thank g-d my mom makes it only once a year 😉

    Reply

  226. Karen says

    I get your emails & follow you on Facebook, I love cooking different foods for the Seders and for Pesach.

    Reply

  246. Stephanie says

    My favorite Pesach dish is the savory matzoh Brie with salt and pepper and sometimes I will fold in sauteed mushrooms and onions.

    I also love the plain ol matzoh, butter and salt.

    Reply

  256. Tova Bukingolts says

    Favorite Passover dish has to be Charoses hands down. Can eat it plain or on top of matzah all week long! Im weird i know

    Reply

  264. tzivi jakubovic says

    favorite dish?? your unbreaded cauliflower now get to work and make a pesach one! 🙂 then i can comment that its my favorite pesach dish!

    Reply

  271. Rachel says

    Love your blog, always enjoy reading and making your recipes! I liked, followed and subscribed. It’s my first year making pesach, and my parents are coming, I could really use and would really love to win this cookbook!

    Reply

  272. Rachel says

    …and my favorite Passover dish-I know the suspense is killing you- is matza pizza- better than real pizza I reckon!

    Reply

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