Hanukkah in the Raw: Living Foods Version of Traditional Latkes
When I first met my husband I had no idea what a latke was, nor did I know very much about Hanukkah. Having grown up Catholic the only thing I’d learned was that Hanukkah was like Christmas, only they got presents for 8 days instead of 1!
I’ve come a long way since then. Now I know quite a bit more about the holiday, and the meaning behind it. I’ve also taught myself to make healthier versions of the traditional foods. My favorite is latkes. Latles are potato pancakes and are traditionally served on the first and last nights of Hanukkah, at least in my husband’s family. Traditional latkes are made from potatoes, onions, flour and egg, and are deep fried in vegetable oil. They come out crispy and very greasy. Quite frankly, all that grease just never appealed to me.
So my first experiments were created by simply using non-gluten flour in place of the unbleached white, flax or psyllium seed in place of the egg and a bit of olive oil, brushed on before baking instead of frying. They were a bit hit with my family and friends.
Next I experimented with substituting some or all of the potatoes with shredded broccoli stems, daikon radish or zucchini. I got to the point where I could make them without any potatoes, and my kids still loved them. I was happy because they were eating lots of veggies!
Finally I took it to the next level and created a recipe that I could “low temperature bake” in the dehydrator. These are uncooked and maintain the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes of the raw ingredients. I served them side by side with the cooked potato version and most of my friends preferred the raw ones.
I put all of the variations of the recipe in my new e-book Healthy Holiday Traditions: Nourishing Recipes for Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Celebrations.
I’m sharing the Living Latkes recipe here. The book has recipes for raw dairy free versions of applesauce and sour cream too.
Living Latkes
by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo
Equipment Needed: Dehydrator and Blender
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds of a combination of shredded daikon radish and broccoli stems
- 1 medium onion
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) tahini
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional)
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup water
Directions
- Shred daikon and broccoli stems and place in a large bowl.
- Shred or thinly slice the onion and add to bowl with the daikon and broccoli.
- Blend the tahini, pepper and salt and add to bowl with vegetables. Mix well with your hands.
- Brush with a thin film of olive oil, if desired.
- Form into patties and place on the mesh tray of your dehydrator. Dehydrate overnight, up to 12 hours.
Serve with apple sauce or nut sour “cream”
Shared with love from Dr. Ritamarie’s Healthy Holiday Traditions: Nourishing Recipes for Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Celebrations.
Enjoy, and have a happy healthy holiday.
Love, Health and Joy
Dr. Ritamarie
P.S. Even if you’re not Jewish, the latkes are worth making. Everyone loves them.
http://www.DrRitamarie.com/WinterHolidays
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Posted in Gluten Free recipes, Healthy Holiday, Raw and Living Foods
Healthy for the Holidays: Nourishing Foods for Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years Celebrations
By
Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo
I can’t believe that it’s almost Christmas? I’m really not ready at all! I haven’t started shopping, writing cards or even finished putting up my tree. My family celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah, bringing together the best of my husband’s family traditions and mine. And Hanukkah is just a few days away.
I used to bake a lot for the holidays, but since I no longer eat sugar, flour, butter and all the ingredients of my old favorite recipes, and I prefer to eat raw and living foods, I had to develop new recipes. My favorites were for cookies, especially gingerbread, cranberry bread and pecan pie. My new recipes taste as good or even BETTER than my old favorites.
The foods that used to fill my holiday plate did nothing to enhance my health and did everything to clog my arteries, raise my blood sugar, expand my waistline and left me feeling sluggish, bloated, and foggy headed.
When I eat the foods I make using my new recipes, I feel great! I no longer feel bloated or exhausted after eating my favorite Christmas cookies and pies.
Even if you’ve been dedicated to vibrant health for a long time, staying strong and true to your health commitment is a challenge when you’re surrounded by the smells and tastes that remind you of past holidays and connect you with family and friends. You may have even learned to equate these foods with love.
The pressure from friends and family to eat the old favorites can be overwhelming, especially if you’ve only recently adopted healthy eating habits. Add to that the magnitude of the long holiday to-do list (shopping for, wrapping, and exchanging gifts; sending cards; decorating; and making food) and it’s only natural for you to become overly stressed or anxious.
You may have grown up using food to comfort and soothe you.
Certain aromas may remind you of the comfort of grandma’s house on a special holiday, or a special person or feeling that you became connected to early on in your life.
Rather than giving in to temptation, or depriving yourself of tasty foods and feeling angry and resentful about it, you can learn to recreate your favorite holiday meals in ways that are delicious, nutritious and fun and easy to make.
http://www.drritamarie.com/WinterHolidays
Since I’ve been married to Scott, I’ve learned to make Hanukkah foods, too, like latkes with homemade applesauce and dairy free sour cream.
I’ve been working on putting all of these recipes together and finally have them ready in the form of a book. By the time I finished putting in all the recipes and tips for creating low stress holiday celebrations, the book ended up being over 160 pages! And the recipes are all gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free, and made with whole, fresh, plant-based, raw and living foods.
http://www.drritamarie.com/WinterHolidays
I’ve put together a couple of very special packages that include my new book, “Healthy Holiday Traditions: Nourishing Recipes for Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Celebrations”and I’m ready to share them with you!
So go on over to
http://www.drritamarie.com/WinterHolidays
and reserve your copy. The book is in e-book format, so you can download it instantly. I’m working on getting a printed version available too, and those who purchase the e-book during the next couple of weeks will be offered the print book at for a nominal upgrade fee.
I’m so excited about this.
I’ve added some juicy new bonuses, for a limited time only, and a very special “Deluxe Holiday Toolkit”. When you order the e-book, one of the bonuses you’ll receive is access to an online video of me making some of the recipes.
Here’s a comment from someone who watched the Holiday Video when I offered it with the Thanksgiving Feast book:
I just watched the Holiday recipe video…OMG, it was WONDERFUL!!!! And so helpful! I bought the e-book, but it makes such a difference to actually see you putting the elements together!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CREATING THIS VIDEO!!!!
I look forward to hearing from you. The message I’d like to hear is how you stayed healthy throughout the holidays, had lots of energy and enjoyed the connection with your loved ones while eating delicious foods and having a blast.
Please comment below and let me know what your favorite holiday foods are. If health enhancing versions of them are not already in the book, rest assured they’ll be in version 2. And if you contribute a recipe or idea that makes it into the second edition next year, I’ll be sure to send you a free copy.
Go ahead and let me know what foods you really love and have a healthy and happy holiday season.
Love, Health and Gratitude,
Dr. Ritamarie
http://www.drritamarie.com/WinterHolidays
Tags: Christmas recipes, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, fatigue symptoms, gluten free, Gluten Free Diet, gluten free holiday, Hanukkah recipes, Healthy Holiday, holiday diet, Holiday Recipes, holiday survival, Living Foods, livingfoods, New Years Recipes, raw and living foods holiday recipes, Raw Foods, raw foods diet, raw foods recipes, vegan foods, whole foods
Posted in Articles, Gluten Free recipes, Healthy Holiday, Living Foods, Raw and Living Foods, Raw Foods
