(CNN) — If you’re looking for something to sweeten your dinner table this Passover, Jewish dietitian and chef Micah Siva has a few ideas for you.
Growing up in Calgary, Alberta, Siva’s love for cooking came from shadowing her “quintessential Jewish grandmother” in the kitchen, said Siva, author of “NOSH: Plant-forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine.”
“Passover has always been the favorite food-based holiday in our family because it’s always been a time of experimentation and thinking outside of the box,” Siva said. “We always were the family who invited everyone and anyone to our Passover Seder.”
Now based in Northern California with her husband and baby, Siva doesn’t have extended family in the area but continues the tradition by welcoming as many people as she can — and by serving desserts that are plant forward and Passover-friendly. Passover excludes grains, which means no wheat, spelt, barley, oats and rye or products derived from them, such as beer. Ashkenazi Jews …