Passover is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays and like most holiday times, it's centered around food. If you're not familiar with the story of Passover, here are the nuts and bolts....

During the week of Passover, observant folks avoid chametz, or in English, leavened products. Avoiding these foods commemorates the fact that the Jews had to leave Egypt in a hurry and did not have time to let their bread rise....some also suggest that this is a week to symbolically remove the "puffiness" from our lives.

For people on a gluten-free diet, it's a wonderful time of year when our friends and family follow an almost entire gluten-free diet without even having to try very hard...this is because Chametz includes avoiding anything made from the five major grains including wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt that has not been completely cooked within 18 minutes of coming into contact with water. Thus, bring on the gluten-free goodness!

It's important to note that many kosher for Passover products do contact gluten (ie matzo meal), however today many mainstream companies have launched gluten-free alternatives to the most popular Passover products. Manischewitz, for example, recently launched a huge gluten-free line of products that includes noodles, cake mixes, cookies, truffles, marshmallows, jelly bars, macaroons and much, much more! And, Yehuda launched a very popular gluten-free matzo cracker.

To make your week of Passover a little more delicious, we've put together some of our favorite Passover-inspired recipes! We hope you enjoy them!

Gluten-Free Matzo Ball Soup

Sauteed Green Beans

Braised Beef Brisket

Gluten-Free Gefilte Fish

Apple Walnut Charoset