Picture the scene: Yom Kippur is about to end, and you’ve spent the last 24 food-free hours dreaming of your post-fast meal. You may be fantasizing about a bagel piled high with cream cheese, smoked salmon, whitefish salad and all the fixings—an emotionally resonant Jewish food tradition that satisfies body and soul. 

But what if that “smoked salmon” was in fact made with carrots, and what if the “whitefish” was actually hearts of palm? For vegetarian cookbook author Micah Siva, they always are.

“People have so many beautiful Jewish holiday food memories,” said Siva, the author of Nosh: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine. “I’m not here to take away those memories, only to help people create new ones with a plant-based twist.” Indeed, Siva’s holiday-friendly recipes for Kasha and Mushroom Cabbage Rolls as well as Savory Pulled Mushroom and Tofu “Brisket” are inspired additions to your holiday table, rather than deletions.

The idea of a vegetarian diet in Judaism traces back to the creation story. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve ate only plants. Now, many new cookbooks, like Siva’s, as well as organizations such as the Philadelphia-based Jewish Veg, which makes an ethical, environmental and religious argument for Jews to live a plant-based lifestyle, promote the connection between being Jewish and eschewing meat. And while environmental, ethical and health considerations around eating animals have popularized plant-based diets, home cooks are increasingly looking for vegetarian and vegan options for every day and holidays. 

In her new book, Matzah and Flour: Recipes from the History of Sephardic Jews, author Hélène Jawhara Piñer bases much of her research on records of trials of Jews in Spain and Mexico during the Inquisition that reference the foods they ate as evidence—or defense—in cases brought against them. “It’s how we know how central vegetables were to their holiday cooking,” Piñer said.

In many cases, instead of exposing their Jewish heritage by purchasing kosher meat, Jews in Spain would stick to vegetarian dishes. Piñer, who splits her time between France and Spain, also discovered that later, to avoid drinking nonkosher wine, conversos would use drinking chocolate—a relatively new delicacy thanks to the exploration of Christopher Columbus—for kiddush.

Although meat is still a central part of Jewish cooking for many, vegetables are increasingly taking center stage, allowing veggie lovers (and their families and friends) to have holiday harmony at the table.

In the case of Siva’s whitefish salad, she replaces regular mayo with a vegan version, adds liquid smoke flavoring and seaweed for “fishiness,” folds in white beans for protein and finishes off with dill. “It hits all the nostalgia points, and it’s a dish I can feel good about serving,” she said.

Sentimentality around food is something that Siva, who lives in San Francisco, understands. “No one knew what to do with me,” she said about becoming a vegetarian at age 12. Her grandmother was so heartbroken by the development that she slipped Siva some actual chopped liver under the guise of a vegetarian version.

“It took me—and them—a while to get over it, but my family came around,” she said.

For Jewish Food Society founder Naama Shefi, growing up on a kibbutz outside of Tel Aviv informed an early appreciation of the agrarian nature of Jewish and Israeli foodways.

“Late summer and early fall, when the Jewish holidays occur, are seasons that overflow with great abundance,” said Shefi, who is the co-author, with Devra Ferst, of the recently released Jewish Holiday Table: A World of Recipes, Traditions & Stories to Celebrate All Year Long. “There is so much room for culinary creativity.”

That creativity extends to the plant-based side dishes and main courses in the book, which features recipes for Jewish occasions curated by Jewish food-world luminaries. In the menu created by Ron and Leetal Arazi, the founders of spice company New York Shuk, there’s a creamy fava bean soup as well as a cilantro carrot salad recipe that speak to their Moroccan and Lebanese heritage.

“The carrot salad is ideal for a holiday buffet,” said Shefi, who now lives in New York, “because it tastes great served room temperature and is even better after a night in the refrigerator.”    

Shefi said she was ultimately surprised at the number of plant-based dishes in the final edit of the new book, noting recipes for Festive Rice With Nuts, Herbs and Onions as well as Fried Eggplant With Mint Dressing and Spinach Rissoles (fritters). “When we pulled back,” she said, “we realized that vegetables have been integral to Jewish food traditions for a long, long time.”

It’s a point Michael Solomonov—chef and owner of Israeli restaurants in Philadelphia, New York and, soon, Miami—made when offering up his new Eggplant T’bit recipe. “Jews in Iraq have been eating eggplant since before the birth of Islam,” he said. “It speaks to the importance of eggplant in our cooking traditions.”

This t’bit comes from Solomonov’s new book, Zahav Home: Cooking for Friends & Family, written with his business partner, Steve Cook. Classic t’bit is a one-pot meal typically perfumed with clove- and cinnamon-laced Baharat and usually made by stuffing a chicken with rice before baking. Solomonov and Cook invented a vegetarian version by layering tender, meaty eggplant and cauliflower under a mound of turmeric- and cinnamon-scented rice. At the table, the dish gets inverted onto a platter for dramatic effect, with the vegetables taking their rightful place at the top of the dish.

“Festive platters that aren’t meat-based are becoming more and more important as we begin to see more vegetarians at our family tables,” Solomonov said. “And this way, your relatives can expect something other than Tofurky.” 

Heart of Palm ‘Whitefish’ Salad — Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 14-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 14-ounce can whole hearts of palm, drained
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
• 3 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon dulse flakes
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh dill, divided
• Salt & black pepper

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, roughly mash the beans with a fork. Using a fork, shred the hearts of palm into the bowl with the beans. 

2. Add the celery, red onion, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, liquid smoke, lemon zest, dulse flakes, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the dill and mix until well combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of dill and serve immediately.

Eggplant T’bit – Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 teaspoons salt, plus more for the eggplant
• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 cup jasmine or basmati rice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
• 2 large carrots, cut into rounds
• 1/2 head cauliflower, florets separated
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 3/4 cups hot water
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon amba
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Directions

1. Generously salt the eggplant slices on top and let sit for about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, soak the rice for 30 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl.

3. Rinse the eggplant well. Squeeze by hand to remove as much water as possible.

4. Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on a sheet pan and brush the tops with olive oil. Set the oven to the low broiler setting. Cook until the eggplant is tender and reaches a deeply roasted color, 30 to 35 minutes.

5. In another bowl, stir together the garlic, carrots, cauliflower, 2 teaspoons of the salt and the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. 

6. Transfer to a sheet pan and arrange in a single layer. Broil until tender and golden, about
20 minutes. Transfer to the bowl containing the drained rice, stirring together until evenly mixed.

7. Using olive oil, generously coat the sides and bottom of a medium (3- to 4-quart) enameled cast-iron pot. Line the bottom with the broiled eggplant and cover the sides as much as possible.

8. Spoon the vegetable-rice mixture on top of the eggplant, pressing it down to compress. Tuck the cinnamon stick into the rice like a buried treasure.

9. In another bowl, whisk together the hot water, tomato paste, amba, turmeric and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of salt.

10. Pour the spiced liquid on top of the rice. Cover and place the pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cook for 25 minutes.

11. Remove the pot from the heat and let the t’bit rest, covered, for an hour.

12. Carefully(!) invert onto a large platter.

Carrot Salad With Cilantro — Serves 6 to 8 

Ingredients

• 6 large carrots (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and trimmed
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons harissa
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.

2. Put the carrots on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and toss to coat. Cover the baking sheet with foil and bake until the carrots are very tender when pierced with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes.

3. Remove from the oven and let the carrots cool until you’re able to handle them, then slice them into 1/4-inch rounds.

4. Put the carrot slices in a bowl and add about 1 tablespoon of the harissa, the lemon juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss well, taste and adjust the seasoning with more harissa, lemon juice, olive oil and salt.

5. Add the cilantro and toss once again. Serve right away, at room temperature, or refrigerate the salad and serve chilled.

Toledan Biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 10 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 plus 1/3 cups icing sugar
• 4 tablespoons ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon honey (to brush)

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix together the softened butter, flour and starch until the mixture is homogeneous. Add the icing sugar, the cinnamon and the ground almonds. Stir until mixed, but don’t over stir.

2. Add the egg yolks, mix everything with a rubber spatula and put the dough in a plastic bag. Put it in the fridge for about 1 hour.

3. Roll out the dough and shape it as a log with a 1.6 inch/4 cm diameter. Heat the oven to 400° and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

4. With a knife, cut slices about 1/2-inch thick and put them on the parchment paper (leave some space between them). Brush them with honey and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

5. Let them cool out of the oven without moving them for about 10 minutes.

6. Enjoy these biscuits at room temperature. You can store them in an airtight container.

Creamy Hot Chocolate— Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Whipped cream, for topping (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and cream over medium heat until it starts to steam. Add the chopped chocolate and sugar to the saucepan and stir until the chocolate is melted and the sugar is dissolved.

2. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Continue to cook the hot chocolate, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the hot chocolate from heat and let it cool slightly before serving.

3. If you want a foamy chocolate, wait until it is lukewarm (not hot!) and pour the liquid into a glass bottle. Shake for 30 seconds. Pour into a glass and serve topped with whipped cream, if desired.

---

Adeena Sussman lives in Tel Aviv. She is the author of Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from My Kitchen to Yours and Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors from My Israeli Kitchen. Sign up for her newsletter.