Vegan Lemongrass, Ginger and Coriander Infused Matzo Ball Soup

Passover tends to be a less-than-thrilling holiday for a Vegan Jew. I suppose I wouldn't really use the adjective "thrilling" to describe any Shagrin family religious-oriented gathering. Well, at my Bat Mitzvah, my Grandma and Aunt J drank way too much wine and danced the Macarena on top of a table. That was pretty thrilling. It was also mildly embarrassing because I realized Grandma Shagrin could kick my ass in a dance competition. 

I can only hope that Shagrin women, like a fine wine, have a sense of rhythm that ripens with age. At the very least, I hope a sense of rhthym develops after unbridled consumption of wine.  

Sorry. I derailed for a minute. I really need to make a doctors appointment to find out if I have ADHD. Back on track... 

Passover can be a difficult holiday for Vegans because many of the recipes are egg/meat laden. The absence of yeast in food products forces many recipes and packaged Passover goods to rely on eggs for their rising and binding effects. Great for Jews, bad for Vegans. While my Grandma could shake a mean tail-feather on the dance floor (table?), she could shimmy and shake her way in the kitchen like no one else in the family. 

I would eat so much of her Matzo Ball Soup that I barely had room for the rest of the meal. Don't worry, though. I'd sit for five minutes until I let out a burp large enough to rattle the fine china and everyone's nerves, then get back to business with Grandma Fanny's bangin' noodle kugel*. So, why couldn't I not fix what wasn't broken and veganize a basic Matzo Ball Soup recipe? As any good Jewish Granddaughter knows, NEVER try to beat Grandma at her game. 

Even though she doesn't grace this physical realm with her presence anymore, I'm sure my Grandma Shagrin will find some way to let me know she was displeased. The first zit I've had in months surfaced on my left temple as I was writing the initial recipe the other day, so I took it as a sign to detour a create a fusion East-Meets-Jew soup.

*To all of my tribe members reading this: I know noodle kugel doesn't belong at a Seder table. I was the oldest of 6 kids at our Pesach dinners (more if extended family was invited), and we were a savage bunch. The adults had to satiate us in to submission with "real" carbs.

[Recipe removed to protect the guilty. Just kidding. Find it in my Cookbook on Amazon or shoot me a persuasive email.]