Spiced Pear Kugel with Oat Crumble (dairy-free)

Posted on by llbalanced
Spiced Pear Kugel with Oat Crumble (dairy free)
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    [post_title] => Spiced Pear Kugel with Oat Crumble (dairy-free)
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12.15

One of the best parts about being Jewish is the FOOD. Judaism and I go together like peas and carrots, literally. There is always food at Jewish gatherings (with the exception of Yom Kippur, which does eventually end in a meal), and I love this for several reasons: 1) food is awesome 2) Jewish food, while less known than other cultural cuisines, is absolutely delectable. and...

3) Most importantly, the eats provided at such gatherings is a vehicle for shared expressions of love or mourning or celebration or whatever the sentiment may be! These dishes catalyze memories, as well as a sense comfort and abundance, which hasn't always been a give for the Jewish people.

One of the dishes I've been introduced to, since meeting my husband's family, is NOODLE KUGEL.

Y'all. Noodle Kugel may be one of the most addictive dishes in the history of food: carby, creamy, fatty and sweet...it's definitely a "once you pop you can't stop" situation. *Note: there is savory kugel as well; that's just not the way we do it.

While I will never, NEVER try to crowd out my husband's grandmother's recipe, I am proud to serve this next to her version (you better believe I'll enjoy both).

I went the dairy-free route for my healthier kugel, because as much as a love dairy, it can be difficult to digest. It can also lead to skin breakouts, especially during the holidays, when it is particularly abundant. By subbing the dairy for tofu, cashew butter, pureed pears and Kite Hill (or another brand) vegan cream cheese but still using (pasture-raised) eggs, I've maintained the protein factor. Instead of copious white sugar, I use a more moderate amount of maple syrup—but enough to be decadent and treat-like.

Lastly, I couldn't help but top mine with a lovely crumble topping, which adds extra bursts of flavor and texture in each bite!

As a result, my kugel is luscious and creamy, but it is satisfying, and it will be less likely to spark carb and sugar cravings.  I decided to keep the traditional use of extra-wide egg noodles, but feel free to use whatever noodles you like!

Lastly, if you'd rather just use dairy, that's totally cool! Just look for the highest quality dairy you can find (plain, full fat and from pasture-raised cows).

If you love kugel but dread how you feel after indulging, I hope you'll give my version a try! If you do, please tag me with pictures on Instagram so I can see your creations! @lauraleabalanced #llbalanced!

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TOTAL TIME :40minutes25minutes
12-16servings
INGREDIENTS
  • KUGEL INGREDIENTS
  • avocado or coconut oil for greasing and coating pasta
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 8 oz extra wide egg noodles
  • 2 ripe medium sized pears, chopped into 1" pcs (apprx 2 cups. I use Bartlett*)
  • 14 ounces extra firm tofu, rinsed and patted dry (sub plain full fat cottage cheese)
  • 8 ounces (1/2 lb) plain Kite Hill Cream Cheese (sub full fat dairy cream cheese)
  • 6 large room temp eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup unsalted cashew butter
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (omit if using dairy options)
  • 1/2 cup raisins (can use purple or golden)
  • CRUMBLE INGREDIENTS
  • 1 cup instant oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup avocado or melted coconut oil
  • 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
DIRECTIONS
  1. *Your pears should give easily when pressed gently with your thumb and the skin should break. This means they’re ready for the recipe! Feel free to peel if you want to make sure your kugel doesn’t have any tiny bits of skin. I like them, personally! **Golden raisins are more tradition. You can also omit, but I would suggest subbing 2 tablespoons maple syrup if so
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9x13x2 casserole dish with a thin layer of avocado or coconut oil. Bring a large pot of water to boil and season with 1 tablespoon sea salt. Add egg noodles, stir and boil 4 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside. If noodles are ready more than 15 minutes before casserole assembly, drizzle with a little bit of avocado or melted coconut oil and toss to present sticking.
  3. To a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, or to a food processor, add pears and tofu. Blend/process until mostly pureed (it’s ok if it’s still a little chunky). Add remaining ingredients and blend/process again until completely smooth. *This will be a very full blender, so be sure to use a tamper and start on the lowest setting. I also recommending holding a towel over the top while you blend.
  4. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Stir in raisins, then stir in noodles, making sure to distribute all ingredients evenly. Combine all crumble ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Sprinkle evenly over kugel. I actually like to swirl the crumble into the kugel mixture a little bit, using a knife.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and the top is set. If you want to be able to slice clean wedges of the kugel, allow to cool at least 1 hour. Otherwise, feel free to start scooping asap! Store leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator up to 5 days. You can also freeze up to 1 month.
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