Miriam Szokovski, New York
Photos by Chabad.org/Food

With all the noshing that goes on over Purim, I like to keep the meal on the healthier side. Here are some fresh and light ideas for your Purim meal, as well as a delicious hamantaschen recipe.

Light and Healthy Zucchini Soup

This soup makes a lovely appetizer for the Purim meal. It’s quick and easy to cook up even when you’re short on time.

Ingredients

• 3 large Spanish onions
• 6 medium zucchinis
• 2 Tbsp. salt
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked in 2 cups water (optional)

Directions

1. Roughly chop onions. Place them in the bottom of the pot with 2 cups water and 2 tbsp. salt. Cover and cook on a low flame for approximately 45 minutes, until translucent.
2. Add in chunks of zucchini (unpeeled) and 3 more cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Then simmer for approximately 30 minutes, until the zucchini is tender but not mushy.
3. Blend and serve.
4. Optional: Add in 1 cup cooked quinoa for a more filling soup.

Yield: 6 servings

Purim Winter Salad

The dressing on this salad is really the hero. It’s thick and creamy without any mayonnaise! Every time I make it, it gets people talking. The salad itself is very forgiving; you can definitely substitute some of the ingredients.

Salad Ingredients:

• 2 bags spring mix salad
• 1 orange pepper, diced
• 10 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Asian pear, diced
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• ½ cup candied pecans, chopped

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 small raw onion
• ⅓ cup vinegar
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¾ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp. mustard
• ½ tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Mix salad ingredients together.
2. Using a blender, food processor, or even a good immersion blender, blend dressing ingredients.
3. Dress immediately before serving.

Note: This dressing is quite potent. I recommend starting with just a little, and adding more to taste. Refrigerate the rest of the dressing—it lasts for more than a week in my experience, and can be used on other salad combinations as well.

Yield: 10 servings

Broiled Lemon Garlic Side of Salmon

Using a side of salmon is a great way to feed a crowd, especially when you’re not sure exactly how many people you’re expecting, or how hungry everyone will (or won’t!) be.

Ingredients

• 1 side of salmon, deboned, with skin on
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 20 large cloves of garlic, chopped
• 6-8 scallions

Directions

1. Place salmon skin side down on a baking tray.
2. Combine the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper and pour over salmon.
3. Sprinkle the garlic and scallions over the salmon.
4. Broil on high for approximately 30 minutes. (Slightly less if you prefer it less charred.)

Serves 15-20

Chocolate-Dipped Cream Cheese Hamantaschen

It’s just not Purim without hamantaschen, the traditional triangular cookies said to resemble the evil Haman’s hat. If you’ve never made them before, my step-by-step photo tutorial will probably be helpful.

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 2 tbsp. apple or orange juice
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 5 tbsp. cream cheese
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1½ cup flour
• Pinch of salt

Filling:

• Strawberry preserves
• Apricot preserves

Optional:

• A few squares of chocolate
• Colorful sprinkles
• Nut crunch

Directions:

1. Cream sugar, oil, juice, egg and vanilla.
2. Add cream cheese, and mix until combined.
3. Add baking powder, salt and flour. Mix until the dough forms a ball which is not sticky.
4. Roll the dough out, about ⅛″ thick. Using a circle cookie cutter, or the mouth of a glass, cut as many circles as possible.
5. Remove remaining dough, roll and repeat.
6. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle, and fold according to the diagram above. Make sure to pinch the corners tightly.
7. Bake at 350° F for 15–20 minutes.
8. Allow to cool before eating or decorating.

To decorate: Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Dip one corner of each hamantasch into chocolate, then into sprinkles or chopped nuts. Place on a piece of parchment or wax paper to dry.

Yield: Approximately 20 hamantaschen