Mock Chopped Liver and Last Minute Recipes for Easter and Passover
Today marks only a few days before the start of Passover, and Easter is right around the next corner–it’s time to cook for the holidays! Since the HH and I are invited to a friend’s house for a seder this year (and since her niece is a vegetarian), I decided to bring a dish that normally makes an appearance on Passover tables: chopped liver. My version, of course, is “mock.”
So you might be wondering, “what is a self-professed meat-refusenik doing posting yet another faux meat recipe on this blog? Like, the sixth one I’ve posted so far?”
Well, believe it or not, this time I’m not creating a vegan version of a meat I ate as a kid; this spread is the very same one that my mother made for us countless times when I was young, despite her having an unlimited supply of meat available via My Dad the Butcher (I told you she was a closet vegetarian).
I seem to remember this Mock Chopped Liver recipe originating from a cookbook Mom had called Second Helpings, Please!, but when I leafed through my old copy, I couldn’t find it. I did find a remarkably similar version to the one I remember on Nava Atlas’s Veg Kitchen site, however. Nava’s version seems to be almost identical to my mom’s, with two important differences: my mother’s used canned green beans instead of fresh (in particular, a type called “French Cut,” which was specified in her recipe); and whereas Nava uses cashews, my mom used walnuts. I decided to split the difference and use half of each type of nut (and walnuts result in a deeper brown color than cashews, more like the authentic spread).
Whether
Whether or not you like (or have even ever tasted) chopped liver, this spread is a perfect topping for crackers, celery sticks or collard leaves–but, unfortunately, not matzo. You see, my good intentions were dashed when I realized that beans are not allowed at Passover–and the main ingredient in this spread is beans! (If you observe Passover, you can try this other mock chopped liver on Nava’s site, which uses mushrooms instead).
To the HH, who grew up on liverwurst, this spread tastes “nothing like real liver.” And yet, it looks eerily like the “real thing,” with the same rich, smooth flavor imparted by onions, fried until caramelized (the hallmark of chopped liver).
And since it is the holidays with both Passover and Easter falling within days of each other, I’m also including a quick reference list of some holiday-themed recipes for those of you still thinking about what to cook (see bottom of this post).
And don’t forget, you can still find dishes for a full holiday menu in the Anti Candida Feast ebook (the nutroast is perfect for Easter) as well as many grain-free, Passover-friendly desserts in Desserts without Compromise.
I thought this spread would be a perfect submission for Diane’s Real Food Weekly event–all real ingredients, of course!
Mock Chopped Liver (suitable for ACD Stage 1 and beyond)
adapted from Nava Atlas
Whether or not you like the “real thing,” this is a great spread for sandwiches, crackers, or veggies. I’ve added paprika and walnuts to the original recipe and decided to stick with the canned beans for a more authentic hue, but feel free to use freshly steamed if you prefer.
2 Tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil, preferably organic
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1 can (19 ounces or 400 ml) cooked green beans, well drained
2/3 cup (160 ml) lightly toasted cashews, walnuts or combination (I used 1/3 cup/80 ml of each)
1 tsp (5 ml) Bragg’s liquid aminos or soy sauce (for ACD, use Bragg’s)
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
sliced green onion for garnish, if desired
Heat the oil in a nonstick frypan and add the onions; fry over medium-low heat, stirring frequenty, until they are well browned and beginning to caramelize, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, place all the remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.
Once the onions are done, add them to the processor and blend until everything is smooth. Scrape into a bowl or container and allow to cool to room temperature before servings. Garnish with green onions, if desired. Makes about 2 cups (480 ml). Store, covered, in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
LAST MINUTE HOLIDAY RECIPE SUGGESTIONS:
I’ve designated each recipe with B (either Passover or Easter) or E (Easter only). 
Appetizers and H’ors D’oeuvres:
- (E) Carrot Pâté ( Pâté is GF; for ACD version, use apple cider vinegar)
- (E) Country Pâté
- (B) Roasted Red Pepper and Apple Dip
- (E) Arame and Edamame Salad (not ACD friendly)
- (B) Potato Bruschetta
Soups/Salads/Side Dishes:
- (B) Crimson Salad with Pecans and Pumpkin Seeds
- (E) Asparagus, Pea Shoot and Pea Salad
- (B) Greens with Hearts of Palm and Pine Nuts
- (B) Quinoa and Wild Rice Salad (wild rice is actually a seed, not a grain, so should be fine for Passover; but omit the corn)
- (B) Sweet Potato and Ginger Salad (for ACD, use lemon instead of orange juice)
- (B) Spiced Cauliflower Soup (for Passover, use unsweetened almond milk instead of soymilk)
- (E) Fresh Corn Soup
- (E) Caramelized Baby Bok Choy with Cashews and Sesame Seeds (for ACD, use coconut sugar instead of Sucanat)
- (B) Creamy Coconut Collards
- (E) Rutabaga Gratin
- (B) Twice-Baked Potatoes with “Sour Cream” and Herbs (for Passover, use sunflower seed butter instead of tahini)
Main Courses:
- (E) Corn Crêpes with Quick Tomato Tracklement (not ACD friendly; not GF)
- (B) “Linguine” Bolognese with Marinara Sauce (for Passover: omit miso and Bragg’s and use almond butter instead)
- (B) Portobello “Steaks” (not ACD friendly)
- (E) Tempeh “Bourguignon”
- (E) Zucchini Pie
Desserts:
- (E) Butter Berry Cake Bars
- (B) Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream (no ice cream maker required)
- (E) Chocolate Pumpkin Pots de Creme
- (E) Coco-Nut Shortbread Buttons
- (B) Coconut Macaroons (nice dipped in chocolate)
- (B) Decadent Chocolate Pâté (not ACD friendly)
- (E) Marble Cake (not ACD friendly; not GF)
- (E) Raspberry Coconut Coffee Cake (not ACD friendly; not GF)
- (E) Lemon Cheesecake (not ACD friendly; not GF)
Breakfast/Brunch:
- (B) Baked Sweet Potato Rounds with Sweet Almond Sauce
- (E) Carob and Date Pancakes (not ACD friendly; not GF)
- Earth Bowl Breakfast (for ACD, use unsweetened cranberry juice instead of orange juice)
- (E) French Toast Soufflé with Summer Berries (not ACD friendly; for GF, use GF bread)
- (B) Groovy Green Smoothie (for Passover, use hemp protein powder in place of rice)
- (E) Pan-Seared Oatmeal Wedges with Warm Plum Sauce
- (E) Two-Toned Potato Pancakes (latkes) (not ACD friendly; not GF)
I loooove chopped liver. I used to hate it but I tried it once during passover and now I’m addicted. Great recipe for vegans!
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Ricki Reply:
April 16th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
I couldn’t try the Passover-friendly vegan version as I can’t eat mushrooms, but I bet it’s fantastic as well! I just gobbled this up.
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Your Mock Chopped Liver looks amazing – and I’m a liver hater! *WANT*
These pictures are definitely magazine-ready!
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Ricki Reply:
April 16th, 2011 at 10:48 pm
Aw, thanks, River! Now, if only we could find a willing magazine. . . !!
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And the fact that your mom was a closet vegetarian always amuses me!
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Ricki Reply:
April 16th, 2011 at 10:48 pm
Ha, ha! Me, too (though I’m not sure she even knew it!!)
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Love your mock meats – though I notice you left your tortiere out of the list of links that you have posted – surely that is a great mock meat product!!! I am sure I would love this as I have a favourite Finnish green bean pate that has beans, walnuts and lots of tofu.
By the way looked down your list and noticed you don’t have hot cross buns of any sort (I know they are yeasted but there are muffin versions with crosses that I have seen that are unyeasted). This is what I love eating at easter and wonder if it was part of your easters at all.
Enjoy the seder
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Ricki Reply:
April 16th, 2011 at 10:52 pm
Thanks for the tortiere mention! Actually, the “meat” in it is the same one I used in the lasagna, so I just linked to the first recipe. But I actually prefer the tortiere! Your Finnish pate sounds yummy, too.
Re: Easter, my mom did buy ready-made hot cross buns most years, but since we didn’t actually celebrate Easter, they were never homemade in our house. It’s something I’d love to try as my ex mother-in-law used to make them from scratch and they were just lovely. I’d never thought of trying something without yeast–maybe next year!
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Johanna GGG Reply:
April 21st, 2011 at 6:54 pm
I think the tortiere has stuck in my mind because it looked amazing.
After I made the comment I did wonder if it wasn’t part of your family tradition – I guess I think doing the crosses are fun
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I’m a liver lover for the most part. There have been a few bad experiencies, but give me pate, rumaki, etc. and I’m very happy.
Your version looks good, Ricki! You never cease to amaze me with your creations; that’s for sure! And look at that line-up of recipes! Fantastic!
Shirley
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Ricki Reply:
April 16th, 2011 at 10:53 pm
Thanks, Shirley! I know if I hadn’t been invited to somone else’s house for the holidays, I’d probably be scrambling at the last minute–hope this gives others some good ideas.
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That’s just like the version I always make, except with fresh green beans. Using canned would be a lot quicker, though, and I’ll give it a try.
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Ricki Reply:
April 16th, 2011 at 10:54 pm
Nava’s version uses fresh, too, but my mom always used the canned. . . and I felt that the fresh (which I tried first) had too much of a green tone, while the canned mimicked the “real thing” a little better. Both taste great!
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I’m glad it doesn’t taste like the real thing, I never liked that kind of stuff. Glad you are recreating the things you did like as a kid, it’s OK to admit we liked certain aspects of it even if now we respect animals too much to eat those dishes.
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Ricki Reply:
April 16th, 2011 at 10:55 pm
The funny thing is, I am not really a fan of faux meats (as in “hot dogs,” “burgers,” or any of the faux cold cuts you can now buy), but I seem to like the versions made from real, whole foods. I guess calling this “liver” or the tortiere “meat” pie is a way of re-creating a sense of familiarity, when really I could just as easily say “bean pate” or “veggie pie.”
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Fascinating! I actually have never known what chopped liver actually is (apart from, well, chopped liver, but surely there’s more involved?), but I must say I’m far more inclined to make your version
Thanks for the links, too!
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Ricki Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 9:03 am
I think you’d like this one. My mom’s “other” chopped liver (the real one) had fried onions, too, plus hard boiled egg.
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[...] over at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs has a recipe up for mocked chopped liver. (No, that’s not the point of this blog post. Hold yer horses.) At the end of her post is a [...]
I made this tonight and oh my, yummy. I actually liked chopped liver as a kid, but discovered the vegetarian version at Whole Foods 12 years ago and loved it so, I immediately stopped eating regular chopped liver. I was actually looking for the WF version to see the ingredients the day I saw this on your blog, so of course went with your recipe. It is so so so good. Congrats on another great recipe.
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Ricki Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 10:48 pm
Yay! So glad you liked it! I found myself going back to the bowl a few times too many. . . ! Now that you’ve mentioned Whole Foods, though, of course I feel as if I must go try it out just to see what their version is like.
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If I try this I will have to call it something else. Just reading or saying the words chopped liver makes me feel sick. Ignoring the title though, it sounds lovely and a great list of links for me to have a browse through.
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Ricki Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 7:52 am
Oh, sorry, Jacqueline–that was the last thing I wanted to do to you! But the name does give people a quick reference for what this will be like. . . according to my friends who tried it last night, it was delicious, and “evocative” of the “real thing.” But it most definitely does not taste like liver!!
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[...] Ricki from Diet Dessert and Dogs’ Mock Chopped Liver Pate [...]