Apple Nachos for Tu BiShvat

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This super easy plate of Apple Nachos is perfect for Tu BiShvat! You can add many of The Seven Sacred Foods (Shivat HaMinim) mentioned in Deuteronomy / Devarim chapter 8 in the Torah. It also makes a great snack any other time of year.

These muffins are a great not-too-sweet treat for your Tu BiShvat celebration as they contain all seven species mentioned in the Torah: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates.

And no, there are no olives actually in the muffins. (The muffins do include olive oil. If you do not eat oil, you may substitute unsweetened applesauce and if you still want to have the seven species, you can blend a single olive into the fig and date mixture!).

This vegan braided challah is filled with dried fruit like dates, figs, apricots, toasted walnut and orange zest. It is perfect for Tu BiShvat, the new year of the trees in the Jewish tradition, when people eat from the fruit of Israel to remember the country’s abundance.

This super fresh herb and bulgur Mediterranean salad is the perfect snack, side, or even meal when paired with hummus and pita bread! It can be made gluten-free by swapping the bulgur grain for a gluten-free option like quinoa.

Sweet noodle kugel, the Jewish classic, is made dairy free, but it’s just as luscious as the original. Noodle kugel, a staple Eastern European comfort food, is a cross between a side dish and a dessert — a rich, substantial one at that.

Noodle kugel is often served at holidays and is especially appropriate for the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), when sweet foods are favored.

What’s a kugel? Basically defined, a kugel is simply a casserole. In the Jewish tradition, one that’s built around a specific food, like this one featuring noodles. Another famous one is potato kugel, and we’ve got a recipe for that one, too.

The traditional recipe for noodle kugel features egg noodles bathed in lots of dairy (in the form of cottage cheese, cream cheese, farmer’s cheese, or a combination). Often, eggs and lots of butter are part of the mix, adding up to a crescendo of cholesterol.

This vegan version proves that it doesn’t have to be that way. It tastes just as decadent, with less fat and no cholesterol. Your bubbe might think it’s weird to make lokschen kugel with silken tofu, but once she tastes it, she’ll kvell. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky, Bittersweet Blog.