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3 vibrant new salad recipes to brighten up your Passover menu

If your Passover menu could use some freshening up but you don't want to switch out the centerpiece, consider adding one of these bright salads from "The New Jewish Table" by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray.
/ Source: TODAY

If your Passover menu could use some freshening up but you don't want to switch out the centerpiece, consider adding one of these bright salads from "The New Jewish Table" by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray, of the restaurant Equinox in Washington, D.C. The quinoa with figs and mint and the roasted beets with capers and pistachios are both gorgeous additions to the main meal, while the mango, pineapple and pomegranate salad makes a perfect light dessert. Take chef Todd Gray's advice and add a scoop of coconut sorbet to make it really special. All three recipes are parve, so you can serve them with a meat or dairy meal.

Simplify your Seder by doing as much prep ahead of time as you can: For example, Todd says you can cook the quinoa a day ahead (wait to add the stock and other ingredients until 30 minutes before serving). The beets can be baked and the nuts toasted the day before serving, as well. You can also cut up all the fruit the day before serving (wait to add the liquid ingredients until 30 minutes before serving so the fruit doesn't become mushy). Do what you can in advance, says the chef, so you can experience the evening alongside your family instead of cooking at the last minute — that's particularly important for a participatory event like a Passover Seder.

Quinoa Salad with Figs and Mint

All recipes reprinted with permission from "The New Jewish Table: Modern Seasonal Recipes for Traditional Dishes" by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray with David Hagedorn; Photographs by Renee Comet. Published by St. Martin's Press.