This all-day event on Sunday, April 29 at the University of Colorado at Boulder will bring new people in to Jewish life, strengthen and support existing Jewish institutions and leaders, and enable the Jewish community to contribute to creating healthier and more sustainable local communities.

We are looking for organizational partners, speakers and presenters, and Planning Team members interested in being a part of this event. Contact Hazon to get involved: 303-886-5865 and Becky@Hazon.org.

JOIN THE PLANNING TEAM:
We invite you to be a leader in the local Jewish Food Movement and join the Planning Team for this event to help make it extraordinary! Planning Team members will attend monthly meetings on Mondays at 7:00 p.m., alternating (2:1) between Denver and Boulder (next meeting on November 14 at the Denver JCC), and sit on one of the committees described below. If you have questions or want to sign up, contact Becky at Becky@Hazon.org or 303-886-5865.

Community Wide Involvement
Purpose: To create a large and diverse network of partner organizations (a.k.a. sponsors or hosts) from throughout the Jewish and secular food/environmental communities, leading to a truly community wide event with high and diverse participation throughout the planning stages and at the event itself.

“Green Team”/Food/Logistics
Purpose: To organize the major and minor conference logistics to ensure that participants have an enriching and engaging experience at the conference. It is a top priority that this event “walks the talk” and is a model of sustainability itself, especially in relation to food; this team will ensure that happens.

Jewish Life
Purpose: To create inclusive, diverse and spirited ritual aspects for the event, including prayer before and after meals, a “kavanah”-infused welcome and conclusion, joyous song and other activies; and to ensure the entire conference is infused with elements of Jewish learning and programming.

Marketing & Outreach
Purpose: To effectively spread the word about the event to target participants and partner organizations, with the goal of having 200-300 event participants.

Programming
Purpose: To create a high quality, compelling, innovative program that brings together a diverse group of participants and gets them fired up and inspired around the issues of food and Jewish life.

Here are two recipes from Marilyn Pinsker.

Vegetarian Chopped Liver

(From Marilyn Pinsker’s Mom’s, Judy Herbet)

• 2 cups water (add any type of bouillon or just chicken broth)
• 1 cup lentils
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 cup walnuts
• salt, pepper, onion powder to taste

Boil lentils in broth, keep covered, about 10 minutes.  Brown onion in olive oil.  In a food processor, finely grind walnuts.  Grind lentils and onions, mix with walnuts, season, add additional olive oil to moisten to your liking.

Rugelach “Cream Cheese Cookies”

(A recipe Marilyn Pinsker’s Mom Judy Herbert gave her from her Dad’s Mom)

• 2 cups flour
• ½ pound cream cheese
• ½ pound margarine

Mix well, refrigerate overnight.  Bring dough to room temperature and split into quarters. Roll thin on a floured surface. Spread with damson plum jam, sprinkle with chopped walnuts, cinnamon and sugar. Roll, then cut. Bake on a cookie sheet for 30 + minutes at 375°.

You can join the thinkers and doers of the New Jewish Food Movement for four days of learning and celebration at the Hazon Food Conference, August 18-21, UC Davis, CA. And, there is one half-scholarship left for an interested Coloradan; contact us (see below) for more info.

Already 30 Coloradans are attending the Food Conference, including 10 from Boulder.

It is inspiring, but not that surprising, how much passionate activism around issues of food and sustainability come from our Jewish community in Boulder and Denver,” says Rabbi Marc Soloway of Congregation Bonai Shalom and co-chair of the Conference. “So much of Hazon’s wonderful work is about tapping into a creative energy and environmental concern that is already there. The Food Conference is a wonderful opportunity to deepen this relationship and to connect with an incredible community—a whole new movement devoted to learning, sharing and playing together to help us deepen our relationships to food, Judaism and the environment.”

Join this varied and diverse community of all ages, backgrounds, and Jewish observance and practice, for four days of inspiration, innovation, and change. The Hazon Food Conference will feature consciously-prepared kosher food, learning, and countless connections as we gather to feed our minds and bodies. Here’s a taste of what’s on the menu:

• Hazon’s Food Conference Beit Midrash, with community-wide Jewish learning accessible to people of all backgrounds.
• DIY Extravaganza: An Endurance Event for Do-It-Yourself Enthusiasts with hands-on container gardening, cooking with seaweed, ginger beer brewing and more!
• Engaging and thought-provoking workshops, panels and keynotes with knowledgeable presenters, who are doing innovative work nationally, including: Oran Hesterman, Fair Food Network and author of Fair Food; Joan Nathan, Jewish food author, historian and chef; Gary Oppenheimer, AmpleHarvest.Org; Aaron Gross, Farm Forward; Brahm Amadi, People’s Grocery; Evonne Marzouk, Canfei Nesharim; Laura Silver, International Knish Society; Judith Bell, PolicyLink; and many more.
• And a joyous Shabbat!

Get more details and register here. For questions or more information, contact Becky O’Brien at Becky@Hazon.org or 303-886-5865.

Co-chaired by Rabbi Marc Soloway of Boulder’s Congregation Bonai Shalom, the Food Conference has many local ties. Rabbi Soloway is joined on the national planning team by Juliet Glaser and Marlene Rezvani of Denver and Aaron Bandler of Colorado Springs.

Rezvani signed on to help plan this year’s Conference after attending in 2010. “In addition to meeting folks as passionate about food and Judaism as I am at the Conference, I enjoyed being introduced to new ideas.” Among her favorite experiences was the dynamic beit midrash (study hall) on Shabbat, “On a rainy day, groups of 10 or so were huddled at tables thinking about and growing around issues linking food and our spirituality in meaningful ways.”

Through the generous support of Rose Community Foundation, Oreg Foundation, and 18 Pomegranates, Hazon is pleased to offer scholarships to the Food Conference for people living in the Denver and Boulder areas. Get more information and apply here; application deadline is June 1.

Juliet Glaser is serving on the 2011 Food Conference planning team and she can’t wait to return to the Conference this year.

Being surrounded by other Jews who cared about food issues was so inspiring and energizing. This year I am looking forward to attending with my whole family, so that we can all share in the experience of learning about, playing with and enjoying all things food!”

Confirmed keynote speakers include Dr. Oran B. Hesterman and Joan Nathan. Hesterman is the President and CEO of Fair Food Network, a national non-profit organization working at the intersection of food systems, sustainability and social equity to guarantee access to healthy, fresh and sustainably grown food, especially in underserved communities. His forthcoming book, “Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All,” will be published on May 31, 2011. Oran is committed to weaving together his professional work in sustainable food systems, caring for others and the earth in keeping with the traditions and ethics of justice rooted in his Jewish heritage.

Nathan is the author of ten cookbooks including the recently published “Quiches, Kugels and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France” (Knopf, November 2010). She is a regular contributor to The New York Times, Food Arts Magazine and Tablet Magazine, among other publications.

Fun with Carrots

Where can you massage kale, learn about the Farm Bill, tour a brewery, celebrate Shabbat, and connect and collaborate with farmers, rabbis and foodies all in an intentional Jewish community? At the Hazon Food Conference—the epicenter of the Jewish Food Movement!

This annual inspiration and educational 4-day gathering is unfolding again, this time on the UC Davis campus in northern California, August 18-21, 2011.

Through the generous support of Rose Community Foundation, Oreg Foundation, and 18 Pomegranates, Hazon is pleased to offer scholarships to the Food Conference for people in the Denver and Boulder areas. Get more information and apply today; application deadline is June 1.

Josh Dinar of Boulder attended the 2009 Food Conference with his family as part of a large and diverse group from Denver and Boulder in 2009. “We were just blown away,” Josh said.

The combination of setting, programming and people that Hazon brings together at the Conference is nothing short of inspirational. In that week I was introduced to a staggering wealth of ideas, people and organizations–and able to truly immerse myself in the subject. It was enriching beyond words.”

The Hazon Food Conference is a great place to share your passions about food and Jewish life and get inspired. In 2010, Dave Tencer of Denver attended. “I returned to Colorado with new friends and invaluable experiences,” he shared. “I’ve never celebrated Shabbat like we did in the conference and it was amazing. All the singing and dancing and positive energy from table to table was wonderful. I was inspired!”

Gefilte Fish

OK team, here we are in the middle of Passover. We’ve been through 1 or 2 seder dinners and at least 1 dinner of leftovers, so the soup/brisket/chicken routine is about done (at least in our house).

What are you having for dinner tonight? Please tell all by leaving a comment below (and simple instructions or a link to a recipe too!). Always looking for inspiration, we figured we would open this one up to the community.

Do tell! Looking for fresh ideas!

Editor’s Note: Lisa is taking a well-deserved break. We are re-posting this article originally posted on March 2, 2010.

Passover takes place on the 15th day of Nissan and is one of the three major Festivals of the year, the other two being Shavu’ot and Sukkot. Passover is a Jewish celebration lasting eight days that marks the freedom of the Jews from enslavement by the Egyptians. According to the Old Testament, the Jews, led by Moses, had requested freedom from the Pharaoh of Egypt, but were denied. God sent the 10 plagues to Egypt to punish the Egyptians and convince Pharaoh to release the Jews. The last of these plagues was to kill the firstborn male in each Egyptian household. The name Passover comes from when the Angel of Death passed over the homes of the Jews, because they had been forewarned, and had put lamb’s blood on their doors, so that death would spare their first born child.

I have two rituals I follow during Passover. I clean out all the chametz (bread, grains and leavened products not eaten during Passover) in the house, and for me that means wheat, rye, spelt, barely and oats…oh, Done! These are the five grains we avoid on a gluten free diet. But also, I eliminate bread from our diet, no matter what it is made out of. More importantly, I spend time reflecting on the chametz in my life, things that make ME puffy, unclear, fuzzy, full of myself, dishonest.

Passover has always been a special time of year for me. It was 5 years ago this Passover season when I reflected on what I needed to be saved from. The Jews were freed from slavery. I could relate to that slavery because five years ago, I was a slave to chocolate. It got to a point where that is all I wanted and all I ate. On February 9, 2005 I decided to go ‘chocolate-free’. This was a big step for me. It was the first of many foods I would remove from my diet, but it was by far the hardest! Through reflection during this season, I realized that chocolate was the chametz that I needed to clear out of my life; it made my life unfocused, blurry, and unmanageable. Now, as I have tackled 5 years without chocolate (and if you think it is easy, try it for 5 days women!), I feel blessed that I am Jewish, that there is a holiday every year that allows us to get rid of the puffiness in our lives and to clear our heads for the new year.

It is a tradition at our Passover Seder to eat Matzah Ball soup as the first course. Since Matzah balls are not on the Gluten Free Living plan I decided to research another alternative. I discovered these gluten free potato dumplings to put in the soup. They are delicious! This recipe is derived from “The Passover Gourmet” by Nira Rousso.

Passover Dumpling Soup

Ingredients:
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled
2 T olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup potato starch
½ t salt
¼ tsp pepper
8 cups Organic Gluten Free Chicken Broth
1 cup pulled-apart chicken
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions
2 tsp garlic
2 tsp fresh basil

Directions:
Cut potatoes into large chunks and boil in water until soft.
Drain potatoes and allow them to cool.
Once cooled, mash the potatoes with oil, eggs, salt, pepper and basil using a hand mixer.
Stir in potato starch until thoroughly combined, and refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour.
In a large pot, simmer carrots, onions, garlic and chicken in the chicken stock. Bring soup to a boil after one hour.
Take out potato mixture and using your hands, gently form 2” ball shapes of batter and submerge dumplings in the soup.
Boil for approximately 15 minutes with the dumplings. Makes about 18 dumplings.
The dumplings will float up to the surface quickly but will need several additional minutes to cook all the way through.
Serve immediately before your GF Passover meal!

Passover is celebrated in many Jewish homes by having a Seder. Seder means order, and we read the Passover story in a special order from the book called a Haggadah. Haggadah means “to tell” and we tell the story of our ancestors, and remind ourselves that we are now a free people.

One of the underlying themes of Passover is order. This order comes natural to us as spring is in the air and we prepare to do our Spring Cleaning. As we clean our garage, our shed and the back of the crawl space in the basement, we should also consider cleaning up our insides as well. Think about what you are eating that is not doing your body any good and get rid of it. You will feel clean and clear for spring. As I mentioned last week, this may take a bit of effort, but it will be worth it.

There are different parts of the Seder. During the Seder, we eat traditional and symbolic foods that remind us of the Jewish people and their adversity. One of the things that we do is to dip a spring vegetable into salt water. The vegetable is a sign of spring, or rebirth, and the salt water represent the tears of the slaves. We eat bitter herbs, to remind us of the bitterness of slavery. We eat a special mixture, called Charoset, which is made of apples, nuts, wine, and cinnamon that reminds us of the mortar from which the slaves made their bricks. We also eat Matzah. Matzah is unleavened bread, made simply from flour and water and cooked very quickly. The Matzah reminds us of when the Jews were fleeing from Pharaoh and they had to gather their belongings quickly and did not have time for their bread to rise. However, as the Jews were fleeing, Pharaoh changed his mind, and sent his army after the people to bring them back. G-d parted the Red Sea for the Jews to cross, and as soon as they were safely to the other side, the waters closed on the soldiers, drowning them all. The Jewish people were saved.

Again, the symbolism from slavery to freedom is uncanny in our journey through a gluten-free lifestyle. We were slaves to bread, to pain, to medicating and now we are free. Unfortunately, a diet of Matzah, which is made of wheat flour and water that has been cooked in under 18 minutes under the observation of a Rabbi, is not something that we can do at any cost.  To purchase gluten-free Oat Matzah, it will run you about $25 per box (here’s a link). So, I decided to make my own. And although the gluten-free Oat Matzah that I make is not ‘kosher for Passover,’ I feel that it is the best we can do without having to buy it (it’s hard to find Kosher for Passover oat flour, but potato starch and Kosher for Passover almond flour are both available). Make it in less than 18 minutes! This recipe is adopted from About.com gluten-free cooking.

Gluten Free Oat Flour Matzah

Ingredients:
2/3 cup finely ground, certified gluten free oat bran
2/3 cup potato starch
2 T almond flour
¾ t salt
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place ½ of your oat bran in a coffee grinder and pulverize to a powder, repeat with other half.
In a large bowl whisk to combined oat bran, potato starch, almond meal and salt. Transfer to standing mixer.
Add olive oil and add water and beat for 1 minute.
Use a spatula to scrape the dough onto a cutting board sprinkled lined with an 8 inch piece of parchment paper. Knead dough to form a ball. Divide dough into 5 equal portions.
Place a dough ball in the center of the parchment paper on a cutting board and form into a disc.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough in a circle of about 6 inches in diameter.
Use a fork or meat tenderizer to prick holes in the dough and sprinkle with more oat bran.
Cut excess parchment paper from around the dough and carefully lift the dough with the bottom sheet onto cake pan.
Bake for 8 minutes. Matzah will be lightly browned on the edges and crispy.
Repeat with each dough portion.