From cookies and sweets, to rich dinners and festive holiday drinks every ethnicity has its own traditions. This season, join us on a cultural journey to learn about a variety of culinary delights to celebrate the season from around the world. Some food items are already healthy, while others can be made healthier with revisions to the recipes. Have some fun and add some interesting new flavors to your dinner table this season!
Our series starts with a look at two popular foods for Hanukkah—sufganiyot and latkes.
The Israeli Hanukkah treat called sufganiyots – or fried jelly-filled donuts – are a traditional sweet enjoyed by many during this season. With many Hanukkah dishes being fried in oil, however, eating just a few of these fried donuts can set you back on your heart-health or weight loss goals.
We scoured recipes to find the most flavorful alternative to fried sufganiyots, and we think that we’ve come up with a winner. This Hanukkah season, try these jelly-filled baked versions and see if your family members notice any difference.
Latkes also are traditionally eaten by Jewish people during Hanukkah and they are widely popular in Central Europe. Traditional potato latkes (or potato pancakes) are deep-fried in oil and contain only white potatoes. But latkes don’t necessarily need to be made with just white potatoes. We love this lighter version, root vegetable latkes, because they pack in more nutrients with the addition of sweet potatoes and parsnips. Using egg whites cuts some of the cholesterol, and going light on the frying cuts the additional fat calories that traditional latkes contain.
