Purim

Celebrated on March 15, 2014 ( 14th of Adar II, 5774 )

Purim celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people from Haman’s plan to kill all the Jewish people in ancient Persia. The story is told in the book of Esther ( Megillat Esther )

Healthier Hamentashen

This recipe, created by Maida Waldner Genser, has no eggs and no trans fats.

Dough (more may be needed, depending on how thick you like the hamentashen dough):

2 cups unbleached flour
3/ 4 tsp sea salt
1 Tbs soy lecithin flakes*
1 Tbs Sucanat or other raw sugar
2/3 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (Spectrum brand is available in health food stores)
1/ 2 cup chilled almond milk

Filling:
1 cup poppyseeds
1/ 2 cup almond milk
1/ 4 cup agave syrup (low glycemic sweetener from cactus)
1/4 cup Sucanat
pinch of salt
1 Tbs ground flax seeds
3 Tbs water
2 tsp lemon juice
grated peel of 1 lemon

Other ingredients:
About a 1/3 cup of almond milk for brushing the cookies and sealing the edges.
Flour for the surface where you roll out dough and for on the rolling pin. Spray oil or more shortening to grease the cookie sheets.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two cookie sheets with oil spray or a little of the shortening.

Put all filling ingredients in a food processor and blend. Pour into a sauce pan. Heat and stir until thick. Set aside.

In a small bowl mix flour, salt, Sucanat, and lecithin until evenly distributed. Add shortening and cut into flour mix with 2 knives. Add and mix in almond milk little by into the flour/shortening mix and combine thoroughly until all the dry mix is pulled into the ball of dough.

Roll out the dough on a floured board or on waxed paper. Cut circles of dough, eg. with the tops of coffee mugs. Cut out the circles and place on a the cookie sheets. Put about a tablespoon of the filling on each circle. (Here is where you have to decide whether to make more dough. If you made the dough circles thick, you will probably need more. The hamentashen can be made thick or thin.) Moisten your finger with some almond milk and pinch three corners of a circle around the filling to make a hamentashen triangle. Repeat for each cookie. Brush each cookie with almond milk.

Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes cookie is hardened and slightly browned.

Source: http://www.aish.com/h/pur/p/48969971.html

Emuna Braverman