KosherEye.com

Welcome to the first ever Jewish Holiday Blog Party, hosted by Jessie of Taste and Miriam of Overtime Cook, and sponsored by Kitchen Aid! As you may know, Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year is coming up, and Jewish bloggers from all over the world are celebrating with all kinds of twists on traditional Rosh Hashanah foods. Links to their recipes are listed below.

To kick off the celebration, Levana Kirschenbaum is giving away a copy of her fabulous new book, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen to three lucky winners. To enter, leave a comment on this post (located at the bottom of the page). Limit one entry per reader per blog so click over to the other participating blogs below for your chance at additional entries! Giveaway ends 5 am eastern time on September 11th, 2012.

Prize is sponsored by Levana and available to readers from all blogs participating in the Rosh Hashanah Blog Party. Prize can only be shipped within the US.

This is the first of hopefully many exciting Holiday Blog Parties, so if you would like to join in the fun, please email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

KosherEye invites you to try our wonderful Simanim (Good Omen) Salad. It is a tradition in our homes to serve this symbolic salad. We wish everyone a Healthy, Happy and Peaceful New Year – L'Shanah Tova.  While you are visiting with us, enjoy our large selection of Yom Tov recipes.

Simanim (Good Omen) Salad
A KosherEye Heirloom Recipe

There are symbolic, "Simanim,"  foods that we eat on Rosh Hashanah. We eat that food as if to make their symbolic meaning part of us and hope to experience these good omens in the new year. This is a colorful salad incorporating many of the significant symbols to which we refer on Rosh Hashanah.

Some of the foods are:
Apple dipped in honey... that you renew us for a good and sweet year!
Gourds (e.g., pumpkin or squash) (Aramaic: kara, meaning 'to proclaim' or 'tear')... that our merits be proclaimed before You, and our sentences be torn up!
Leeks (Aramaic: karasai sounding like kares, meaning 'to cut off' or 'destroy')... may our enemies be destroyed!
Beets (Aramaic: silka sounding like siluk, meaning 'to remove')... may our adversaries be removed!
Dates (Aramaic: tamrai sounding like sheyitamu, meaning 'that they be consumed')... may our enemies be consumed!
Carrots (Yiddish: mehren meaning 'increase'. Hebrew: gezer, meaning 'decree')... may our merits increase before You!... may the evil decree be removed.
Pomegranates... that our merits be as numerous as [the seeds of] a pomegranate!

Ingredients:

Salad:
A combination of bags of fancy lettuces and spinach (romaine, butter etc. and spinach)  - enough for 10
1/2 cup raw peeled pumpkin seeds
4 red and golden apples, peeled and cut into small chunks
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup of pomegranate juice
1/2 cup grated carrots
1 cup sliced beets, freshly roasted or from can (drain juice)

Dressing:
1/2  cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons minced leek- white part only
1/4-cup honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Optional: add a new fruit too!
Top with fresh pomegranate arils (seeds)

Directions:

One or two days ahead: Combine all dressing ingredients; refrigerate. Roast carrots and beets and refrigerate.

On serving day, gently toss spinach and lettuces together. Just before serving combine lettuce mixture with dressing, toss again. Then top with beets, apples, carrots, dates and pumpkin seeds.

Notes:

Yield:  Serves 10

Participating Jewish Holiday Blog Party Blogs:
Stop by and check out some of these amazing Rosh Hashanah themed recipes on the following blogs:

Challah and Bread:
Marlene of The Jewish Hostess made Apple Challah
Amanda of The Challah Blog made Pomegranate Challah
Shelly of The Kosher Home made Apple, Honey and Pomegranate Challah!

Sides, Salads and Starters:
Sarah of Food, Words, Photos made Tzimmes (Rosh Hashanah Carrots)
Tali of More Quiche, Please made Roasted Beets and Butternut Squash
Roberta and Lois of KosherEye made Simanim Salad
Chanie of Busy In Brooklyn made Pomegranate Coleslaw
Rivki of Life in the Married Lane made Super Salad
Hannah of Cooking Manager made Beets Marinated with Ginger and Garlic
Sina of The Kosher Spoon made Pomegranate, Almond and Raisin Couscous
Shulie of Food Wanderings made Rosh Hashanah Salad
Hindy of Confident Cook-Hesitant Baker made Warm Roasted Beets with Farro
Sarah of Kosher Street made Sweet Potato Apple Tzimmes