Yesterday we got together with some friends and celebrated Easter and Passover. Everyone was supposed to bring something traditional for the holiday from their childhood. Lindsay, whose family is Jewish, made matzoh ball soup, haroset with matzoh, boiled eggs, and stewed fruit. Shara, whose family has a Polish background, brought egg bread (isn’t it beautiful?) rum bread, and mimosas, because, hey! Why not?!
I thought hard about this, trying to remember what our Easter tradition was. All I could think of was boiled eggs and chocolate. So I called my mom and asked her what kinds of things we ate to celebrate Easter. Her answer? Boiled eggs and chocolate.
So I improvised, and brought Agua de Sandia (which we labeled “watermelon juice” to make it easier on the non-Spanish speakers) and a veggie frittata. Super-yum.
After we loaded up on food, we took a short walk (short because it was HOT outside, and I’m such a wimp in hot weather, and I had started to whine), then jumped in the pool at Chad and Lindsay’s condo. I somehow managed to fall asleep on a towel on the CEMENT. I must have been pooped! We played Trivial Pursuit, then piled into the car for a dinner at Billy’s, this little hole-in-the wall place that actually has a good vegetarian menu. Our Peaster “brunch” turned into an all-day affair, and we had a blast.
I’d love to share the recipes for what I made, but the amounts are a bit sketchy because, well, I just sort of winged it. But here’s an attempt.
Agua de Sandia
- 1 small watermelon (seedless is easier)
- Water as needed
- Sugar to taste
Remove seeds from the watermelon and place chunks in a blender (you’ll have to do this in several batches). Add a bit of water (maybe 1/2 cup), and puree until liquidy. Taste for sweetness; if the watermelon wasn’t very sweet, you may need to add sugar at this point…a few tablespoons, 1/4 cup, who knows? Blend it up and taste it again, then pour into a pitcher and continue with the rest of the watermelon. Refrigerate, stir before serving, and maybe add a few ice cubes to your glass…this is best when it’s really cold.
Our medium-sized watermelon made about 2 pitchers full. (1 1/2 gallons?)
Source: poco-cocoa.
Vegetable Frittata
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves, chopped
- Pinch of salt
- 3 cups egg substitute (or 12 eggs)
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Lots of freshly cracked black pepper
Preheat oven to 375ËšF. Spray two 12-cup muffin tins or one 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic, zucchini, basil, and oregano, and saute 4 to 5 minutes, or until zucchini is just tender. Add tomatoes and spinach, and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Mix together remaining ingredients, then stir in cooled vegetable mixture. Spoon into muffin cups or pour into baking dish, and bake (10 to 15 minutes for muffins, 20 to 30 minutes for baking dish) until eggs are set.
Makes 24 mini-frittatas or 12 to 15 slices.
Source: poco-cocoa.
