Must post a retraction--
DH says I got the explanation wrong about the peanut oil. He says there is controversy over whether peanuts are or aren't kitniyos. Therefore, peanut OIL, which is a step removed from peanuts, which might or might not be kitniyos in the first place, is permissible. This provides me no insight whatsoever into why those Passover marshmallows have corn syrup in them, though. Also makes me a little less sanguine about being told that soy sauce or TVP is o.k. Ah, well...

I could try asking my OWN rabbi, I suppose...reform rabbis are actually excellent at helping you understand the WHYs of things, so that you can figure out the principle behind them and apply as you see fit.

Dina,

You're right. It's funny because I really like those imitation bacon bits, but I also never tasted or even smelled bacon cooking so it doesn't bring up those same thoughts that you have.

Where in Long Island are you? I live in Kew Gardens, Queens.

I live in Jericho. DH and I bought a house out there in August.

I lived in Kew Gardens for a couple of years. Right off of Queens Blvd on Union Tpke, which is right on the border. The bldg across the street from me had a Forest Hills address.

Dina

Hi All;

I found this recipe for Passover Fudgy Brownies that are low fat..I put it up for my members this AM and they loved it..Oh BTW I am a leader for WW....
2 egg whites beaten
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 dash salt
1 banana mashed
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup matzo cake meal
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray an 8x8 inch glass pan with nonstick spray. Mix the first four ingredients together in mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bake for 25-30min
Yields 12
2pts per servings..

My 9yr old son gave this recipe 2 thumbs up so u know it must be good since kids don't lie..they were very fudgy..
Enjoy

Kosher Mcdonald's in Brookyn, not armonk. No McDonald's or any fast food in armonk! And, I'm not sure it's even there anymore. (There still is a kosher Dunkin' donuts). the McD's was on Avenue J I believe...

The "McDonalds" you are referring to is actually called Kosher Delight - an imitation, but they don't serve cheeseburgers - even the fake ones. They have a few branches in the New York area. Two in Manhattan - one on Broadway and 36th and one on Sixth Ave and 45th - and they have one in Brooklyn on Avenue J and East 13th.

Ugh. I got a 'grilled chicken' sandwich at KD once. It was the greasiest thing I've ever eaten in my life.

I found an interesting article on kitniyot, for anyone who is interested. It doesn't really explain the oils and stuff, but it does explain the origin. One thing I found interesting is that quinoa is permitted on Pesach because it is technically a grass and not a grain. So, Bumby, it was a small fortune, but I do remember seeing quinoa pasta in the store. I never tried it, but it might be worth a shot.

http://aish.com/holidays/passover/ar...t_kitniyot.asp

Dina

I probably wouldn't recommend Kosher Delight either. Small portions, big prices, and not too many options for dieters.

Yes, that's exactly right. Thanks for the right name.
Since I've never eaten in a "real" McDonalds -- I didn't know. Same thing to me. But, they DID experiment w/ cheeseburgers a while back, I remember seeing it on the "menu." Yes, it's near the train station, right? couple of blocks away.

Thank you for the great article, Dina. I asked a few entries back, any thoughts on chestnuts? I have used chestnut flour in the past.... It's quite delicious and is not chometz. (You know, along the lines of quinoa, wild rice is also "KLP" because it too, is a grass -- NOT a rice.

Fascinating information on kitniyot. I still don't get the string beans. And sesame seeds? Never saw that before!

I find either reassurance or confusion in the paragraph that says "What about derivatives of kitniyot -- e.g. corn oil, peanut oil, etc? This is a difference of opinion. Many will use kitniyot-based oils on Passover, while others are strict to only use olive or walnut oil." We've always gotten olive or canola or safflower for Pesach, but I've definitely seen specificially KP bottles of peanut oil on the shelf.

I may look for quinoa, just to try it. And wild rice, huh? I like that...doubt my kids will, though. More matzah for them! (Any idea on wild rice points?)

According to last year's food companion, 1 cup cooked is 3 points. However, I don't know if that's calculated like brown rice, including some kind of fat. It's definitely lower, but I would check the labels.

I'll do another search and see if I can find you something more satisfying on the oil and corn syrup in your marshmallows issues. I was actually going to ask you if the marshmallows actually said "corn syrup and/or something else", as I believe Coca-Cola does. But I looked back at your post and saw that you mentioned a whole explanation from a rabbi on it, so I'm just as stumped as you are. Perhaps more observant Jews won't eat it? I have an uncle that won't eat items observed by certain Rabbis because he doesn't like their views, despite the Rabbi being 'ultra-Orthodox' (my uncle is Frum).

Dina

Oh, yes, I know there are Rabbis whose hashgacha is not good enough for the Day School around here. They don't permit food from the local kosher supermarket! There are those guys who put their names on the Hebrew National dogs--I'm sure that gives them a heck of a lot of credibility (although it's plenty good enough for me!). And there's this guy, Ralbag I think is his name, who is the rabbi behind either triangle-K or halfmoon-K, I forget which. We went into a restaurant in Philly during Pesach last year where they have a special "Passover menu." Well, the menu is a separate sheet showing he has provided the supervision. This is all well and good--but the REAL menu (the year-round one) is a regular treif restaurant menu with the usual breakfast specials (bacon, sausage, etc.) and they serve from either menu at the same time. I don't even think it was a separate room or anything. Again, o.k. with me, but what was Rabbi Ralbag thinking?

BTW, I seem to recall we ordered matzo brei with lox in it--fabulous! I never would have thought of preparing that. It was delish. I'd forgotten about it until just now.

BTW, Jodi, I forgot to thank you for the brownie recipe. I may give it a shot. DH loves bananas, but I don't -- do you taste them?

Okay, now for the good stuff. First of all, an explanation on the oils. They don't specifically mention corn syrup, but it might be the same idea:

http://www.ohr.org.il/ask/ask147.htm

I actually don't know the leanings of this site, so I don't know if the answerer is Conservative or Orthodox. However, when I looked at the home page, the Deans looked pretty Frum.

I know the next site is pretty heavy-duty (they have things like which ovens have a 'legal' Shabbos setting). Now, their explanation makes more sense to me. In a nutshell, they say to 'watch out' for K for P labelings on stuff imported from Israel. American heckshers will cater more to Ashke****m, where Israeli heckshers cater more to Sephardim. That will make me think twice before buying those delicious milk chocolate bars by Elite for Pesach (okay, 3 times, since I'd already think twice about whether they were point-worthy ).

http://www.kashrut.com/Passover/pesachart/

By the way, if you're interested in other subjects, I found these articles through searches on http://www.google.com which I've found to be a fantastic search engine. For these, I just entered 'peanut oil passover' and 'corn syrup passover'.

Dina

String Beans are not a legume. Botanically, that is. I'm baffled by that, as well as sesame seeds (and my grandparents were frum, and we ate sesame candy all through the hoiday including halvah which is made w/ sesame seeds. ) Poppy seeds. Oy. I still say chestnuts are legal (as is wild rice) and yes, it's only 3 points per cup, cooked.

I don't think chestnuts are a bean in any way, so I would think they'd be okay.

I always thought that string beans were a legume. If they're not, what are they? And as for sesame seeds, I always ate those honey-sesame candies, but then again they come from Israel. Hmmm.

Dina