Vegan Shavuot Recipes

Shavuot, to celebrate on May 15, was originally an ancient harvest festival celebrating the grain crop. In Hebrew, Shavuot means "weeks" and the holiday is celebrated seven weeks after Passover begins. But Shavuot is also recognized as the anniversary of the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai and most Shavuot celebrations are centered on Torah study and other Jewish learning. On the first night of the holiday many people stay up all night studying Jewish texts.

There is a custom of eating dairy foods--especially cheesecakes and blintzes--on Shavuot. The reason for this tradition is not entirely clear, but one popular explanation is that immediately after the Israelites received the Torah and learned about the laws of keeping kosher, it was too complicated for them to begin butchering and preparing fresh kosher meat. So they stuck with eating dairy.

But upset by the suffering of cows, angry with milk producers who celebrate on their behalf, more and more Israelis do not join the so-called "white products" celebration over the Shavuot (Festival of Weeks) holiday. So instead, you can celebrate Shavuot vegan style:

Basic Vegan Blintzes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
mix well.
add 4 tbsp canola oil
2 cups soy milk
1 cup water

Mix well. It should be pourable, but medium thick. Don't worry about over mixing this as there is no baking soda or powder to deflate.

You can a ladle to pour into a cast iron frying pan on medium heat and then the bottom of the ladle to help spread the mix a little thinner. No oil is needed if the pan is well seasoned. A few minutes on the first side until the gloss on top turns dull and bubbles don't pop. A minute on the other side.

Fill with fresh fruit and soy yogurt for sweet. Soy cream cheese or tofu and veggies for savory.

Here is another recipe:
 
Vegan Cheese Blinzes with Blueberry Sauce




 


Vegan Lemon Cheesecake

Crust

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
zest of one lemon
6 Tablespoons vegan butter, melted

Filling

1 14-oz package silken tofu
1 8-oz package vegan cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Combine graham cracker crumbs, lemon zest, and margarine and stir to evenly coat the crumbs. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan and refrigerate while making the filling.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place silken tofu and vegan cream cheese in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add sugar and process until well combined, approximately 3 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine lemon juice, vanilla, and ginger. Whisk in cornstarch, then pour mixture into food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into crust and bake for 45 minutes until set (the center will still be slightly wobbly). Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or ideally over night.