My dinner table is always full for Jewish holidays. Friends, family, visitors from afar, and strays and strangers from many backgrounds all cram into the dining room for Rosh Hashanah, Passover or other Jewish celebratory meals.

I like the food I serve to be diverse so all feel welcome no matter what food restrictions or preferences they may have so this Vegan Moussaka is also gluten free (see notes on how to adapt to make it nut free as well).

The Vegan Moussaka plays on flavors reminiscent to Jews in Turkey and Greece and features a white sauce made from almond milk. This recipe has four components, and all but making the white sauce can be done in advance. I recommend assembling and baking the moussaka the day before serving and reheating. To add oomph, I baked mine in a large, round springform pan. I’ve given alternative directions for an equally tasty if less dramatic version baked in a traditional pan.

Garlic sauce (see recipe) and pomegranate molasses are versatile kitchen staples with Middle Eastern backgrounds. Purchase pomegranate molasses (which is not true molasses, it is pomegranate juice simmered with lemon juice and sugar until thick and syrupy) online or in some grocery, specialty, kosher and Middle Eastern stores.

Faith