By Michele Amira, staff writer, @nicejewishswag

If you’ve been counting the Omer, you are aware that Shavuot (aka the holiday of blintzes and cheesecake) is fast approaching.

As a vegan, I have often wondered why as Jews we’re supposed to eat dairy on Shavuot. There are so many answers to this question.

One answer is that more than 3,000 years ago, the Israelites were blessed with the Torah from God on top of Mt. Sinai. Shavuot celebrates the acceptance of that enduring tradition of the Torah.

In celebration, we consume recipes with a lot of milk in the springtime because of the verses in the Torah describing Israel as the Mecca of “milk and honey.”

Another legend suggests the Israelites waited at Sinai until their milk curdled and became cheese, hence the eating of dairy foods such as cheese blintzes and cheesecake–making Shavuot the most cheesy holiday.

In some ways, blintzes are the ultimate in Jewish comfort food. But, if you want to add a new take on a Shavuot Jewish soul food staple, you can never go wrong with Nutella. I’m not sure why, but the Italian hazelnut spread always seems so fancy to me. This recipe can also be vegan using the favorite Israeli cocoa spread Hashar, too, as well as vegan ricotta cheese, which can be found in Whole Foods.

Not Your Bubbe’s Nutella Filled Blintzes
Makes 20-25 blintzes
Ingredients:
Crepe
1 cup all purpose flour
sea salt
3 eggs
2-3 cups milk or coconut milk
2 tablespoons olive oil

Filling:
2 cups sweetened ricotta
Chocolate hazelnut spread such as Nutella or Hashar
3 tablespoons anise