Vegan Rosh Hashanah Recipe: Pomegranate-Glazed Tofu & Quinoa

Author Notes

With Rosh Hashanah and a new year upon us, I set out to create a tasty, vegan-friendly dish that I could make to honor the Jewish holiday. Voila, pomegranates! These red beauties are traditionally eaten on the second night of Rosh Hashanah and serve as the “new fruit” that hasn’t been eaten yet that season.

The pomegranate symbolizes a beginning to the new season and the new year, and eating them signifies a hope that good deeds will be as plentiful as the many seeds of the fruit.

Besides the pomegranate’s traditional Jewish symbolism, these powerful little seeds are jam-packed with compounds called punicalagins, which are shown to benefit the heart and blood vessels, lower cholesterol and blood pressure and speed up the disintegration of artery blockages to the heart, also known as atherosclerosis.

The potent antioxidants in pomegranates have also been shown to reduce platelet stickiness and as mentioned, lower blood pressure naturally, two factors that are implicated in heart attacks and strokes.

In lab animal studies, pomegranates have also proven to inhibit cancers of the breast, prostate and colon, as well as leukemia and vascular changes that contribute to tumor growth. The benefits don’t stop there. Pomegranates also stimulate serotonin and estrogen receptors, improving depression as well as increasing bone mass. Phew! That’s a lot of action for such small seeds.

Now that we know how good it is for us, let’s get to the good part—the eating. I know you’re going to love this one! —lynne