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
Tags: Christmas, Christmas recipes, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, gluten free christmas, Gluten Free Diet, gluten free holiday, gluten free latkes, gluten-free vegan latkes, hanukkah, Hanukkah recipes, Healthy Holiday, heathy hanukkah recipes, holiday diet, Holiday Recipes, holiday survival, latkes, Living Foods, livingfoods, raw and living foods holiday recipes, Raw Foods, raw foods diet, raw foods recipes, raw latkes
Posted in Gluten Free recipes, Healthy Holiday, Raw and Living Foods
3 Simple Strategies to Keep Your Waistline from Expanding this Holiday Season
Can you believe it’s already a week into October? Halloween is just a few weeks away. Shortly after that, Thanksgiving rolls around and Christmas is right around the corner. Slip in Hanukah, Kwanza and New Years and the year is over.
If you’re like most people, your eating goes down the drain right around October 31, and doesn’t seem to get back on track until January 1 when you make the same old New Year’s Resolutions to get in shape…you know, the ones you made last year and the year before that for as far back as you remember.
Starting with the Halloween candy and ending with the New Year’s Eve champagne, with lots of Turkey, cookies, and pumpkin pie in between, there’s no end to the opportunity for expanding your waistline and depleting your energy.
How would it feel to wake up on New Year’s Day feeling energetic, alert and fit? If that’s what you’re aiming for, then here’s a few strategies to keep you on target.
Start out by forgoing the bags and bags of halloween candy to give the trick-or-treaters. They will collect way more candy than they need without your contribution. Instead, go to the dollar store or the party supply store and buy more long lasting things to give the kids—pencils, superballs, whistles, and cool shaped erasers are just a few ideas. Put them all in a big cauldron and let the kids choose. I find that the kids love it. Besides, you’ll be able to save the leftovers for next year, rather than having to eat them.
Learn some yummy, health supporting substitutions for favorite holiday foods. Recipes can be easily found for healthy and delicious holiday treats like chocolate spiders, pumpkin pie, thanksgiving stuffing, gingerbread cookies and latkes.
Exercise at least 4 times a week. Yes, I know you get busy with preparing for holidays, shopping, and going to parties, but this is not the time to let your exercise go. Think about it this way. Every mile you walk burns about 100 calories. The more you exercise, the more you can indulge without guilt.
I’m looking forward to sharing more of my strategies through a series of healthy holiday tools, beginning with a live webcast teleclass on October 22 called Indulge Without The Bulge.
Keep your sight on how you want to feel on January 1, and refer to your goals whenever the temptations are about to carry you down the slippery slope to post holiday blues. Make more productive New Year’s Resolutions, and start the year fit, trim and joyful.
Tags: Christmas, Halloween, hannukah, Healthy Holiday, holiday diet, holiday survival, Thanksgiving
Posted in Holiday Recipes, Raw and Living Foods
