By Taylor Gale, VRG Intern

Hamantaschen was on the menu at the Baltimore Congregation Beit Tikvah, located at the Corner Community Center. My task was to prep the hamantaschen for the attendees to make themselves after chef and nutritionist, Marcy Schveibinz, demonstrated how to prepare the delicious Purim treat vegan-style. Purim is a Jewish holiday that is celebrated every year to commemorate the saving of the Jewish people from Haman’s plot to kill all of the Jews.

The eclectic demographic consisted of individuals by themselves, families, young adults, and elderly men and women. Although none of the participants indicated they were there to learn how to cook vegan, the crowd took interest once Marcy started discussing the reasoning why veganism is a healthy lifestyle to adopt.

The group was a bit chatty, but it only showed the fun people were having! Marcy taught the class the fundamentals of how to prepare the hamantaschen, as well as the nutritional facts behind each item. After about ten minutes of Marcy’s demonstration, the participants were ready to prepare their own. The fillings that were offered, included, poppy seed, apricot, and prune. I personally adored the apricot filling! With half a teaspoon of the filling of their choice, each person began to fold their pastries into a triangle. Wetting the edges helped to seal the shape in. I and fellow VRG intern, Shun, gathered together everyone’s hamantaschen with delicate care and set them in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. To tell if the pastry is done, you will know when the edges get lightly brown; otherwise keep cooking the pastry for a few more minutes. After the 20 minutes were over, each participant got to eat their personal vegan creations. Everyone was very eager to receive their masterpieces and seemed to enjoy every bite!

Afterwards, Marcy talked about vegan ideas for Passover. Debra Wasserman, blog editor and co-director for VRG, gave details of new upcoming vegan restaurants in downtown Baltimore City and more information about veganism and its relativity to a Jewish Passover. Each participant left with a copy of the recipe on how to make the dough, fillings, and information about veganism, so that they may be able to create their own hamantaschen inside the comfort of their homes. The course really brought together a community of people and created a platform for sharing information with each other. Many of the participants noted that they were inspired to adopt healthier eating habits, which is always a great outcome. All and all the event went off as a smashing success!!

For more recipes and ideas for creating Vegan Passover meals go to:
https://jewishtimes.com/91454/on-this-night-we-eat-vegetables/arts_life/food-feature/
OR https://www.vrg.org/recipes/passover.htm

To purchase VRG’s book about more Passover meals visit: https://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=3
and
https://www.vrg.org/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=14&zenid=4b1011d740813fd0dce6c3eeb9b232e3

For more information on Beit Tikvah, visit: https://beittikvah.org/
For Vegan Nutrition Information, visit: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm

For information about Vegetarian Resource Group internships, visit: https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group outreach, donate at www.vrg.org/donate