If the thought of planning a meal for your Rosh Hashanah family gathering is overwhelming, then take a look at these recipes. They’ll cover all your bases.

Starter
Of course you can start with gefilte fish or soup, the traditional meal-beginners, or you might consider a cranberry apple relish. An even simpler idea is a tray of fruits or vegetables and homemade hummus. There are many excellent recipes to be found online.

Challah
The more often you bake challah, the easier it becomes. Store bought challah may make your meal preparation easier , but homemade challah always becomes the center of the meal.

This is an adapted version of my friend Lisa’s challah recipe:
4 ½ cups warm water
3 T yeast
dash of sugar
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1 ½ cups sugar
5 lb bag of flour
2 T salt

In a small bowl, put the warm water, the yeast and the dash of sugar. Let it proof for 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, oil and 1 ½ cups sugar.
In a large bowl, mix the flour and the salt. Add the egg mixture. After proofing, add the yeast mixture. Mix. Knead until a nice dough forms.
After kneading, pinch off an olive sized portion of the dough and recite the following blessing: Baruch atah A-do…. Nai Elo….. Heinu Melech HaOlam asher kiddishanu b’mitzsvotav v’tzivanu l’hafrish challah Blessed are You, Hashem, King of the universe who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to separate challah.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with saran wrap and a kitchen towel for two hours while it rises.
After two hours, punch (literally) the dough down and divide into 12 equal balls. Braid into four three-stranded challot. Don't forget to form the challot into a circle! Bake on 350 for approximately 25-30 minutes. After the first ten minutes, brush the challah with an egg wash (1 egg yolk and 1 T water). The challot are done baking when the underside sounds hollow when tapped.

Main Dish
This recipe is adapted from a recipe found on Recipe Zaar by a woman named Rita. I’ve swapped some of the main ingredients with “easier to find” ingredients.

Livened Up Duck Sauce Chicken

¾ cup duck sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp toasted sesame seed oil
pepper
1 cut up chicken

Mix all of the ingredients in a plastic bag. Add the chicken and marinate for several hours. Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 30 minutes – more or less depending on your oven.

Side Dish
Vegan Sweet Potato
Mashed sweet potatoes soar to elevated heights. I would highly recommend this recipe from the Recipe Zaar website – recipe #196714 – and kudos to Sinarei, the submitter.

5-6 medium sweet potatoes, baked, peeled and mashed
8 oz firm silken tofu
8 oz. tofutti brand “cream cheese”
1 cup brown sugar
2 T pareve margarine, melted
1 T cornstarch
2 T pumpkin pie spice
1 T vanilla extract

Combine sweet potatoes and tofu in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Pour into a greased soufflé dish or 9x13 baking dish.

Topping
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup brown sugar
6 T pareve margarine
1 cup chopped candied pecans

Combine the flour and brown sugar in a small bowl. Cut in the margarine with a fork until it is nice and crumbly. Add the pecans. Sprinkle the topping over the filling.
Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Keep your eye on the top – if it gets too dark, cover with foil to finish baking.

Salad
The most simply prepared salad becomes quite elegant when you make your own dressing.
Start with a bag of pre-packed organic greens. Add some dried cranberries or craisins, chopped candied pecans, diced apples, diced red onion, grated carrots and a diced avocado.

I like to use Nava Atlas’ vinaigrette recipe from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook, which you can find online at The Vegetarian Kitchen.

Vegetable
The simplest (and still yummy) vegetable dish is a bowl of steamed broccoli and cauliflower, but if you need something with a little more pizzazz – try this mixed vegetable kugel. This can be prepared ahead and frozen until you are ready to serve it.

2 boxes frozen chopped spinach
½ lb chopped mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
4 grated carrots
1 zucchini, chopped
½ cup matzah meal (or ¼ cup fine bread crumbs and ¼ cup flour)
3 eggs
1 crushed vegetable bouillon cube
salt/pepper to taste

Heat oven to 325 and grease a 9x9 baking dish.
In a small frying pan, sauté the onion and mushrooms in 1 T oil.
In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Add the onions and mushrooms and mix.
Pour into the baking dish and bake for 45 minutes.

Dessert
Honey Brownies
My friend and I get together every year to plan our Rosh Hashanah meals. I love to try new things, but these brownies are so good – we repeat them every year. The recipe originally came from the Southeast Texas Honey Company.

2/3 cups pareve margarine
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup honey
4 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp salt
chocolate chips - optional

Preheat oven to 350. Cream the margarine and sugar together. Blend in the honey and the vanilla. Add one egg at a time, beating after each one.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cocoa and salt. Gradually mix the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Add chocolate chips and mix. Pour batter into greased 9x13 baking dish or aluminum tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until brownies pull away from side of pan.