Whether you celebrate Chanukah or not, latkes (potato pancakes) and applesauce are delicious. We like them for a weekend meal, or a lighter weeknight supper, served with a green salad.

Latkes are a traditional food because they are fried in oil, and the oil that lasted eight days was the miracle of Chanukah. Our latkes are not fried, but they do use a bit of oil. Try them this week.

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Healthy Potato Latkes
from Healthy Holidays, by Marilu Henner
Green (no applesauce) / Yellow (with applesauce) * Serves 6

2 Tablespoons plus 6 teaspoons canola oil
1 medium organic Spanish onion, diced
6 medium organic baking potatoes
2 large cage-free eggs
2 Tablespoons matzo meal
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a heavy nonstick saucepan over low heat, put 2 Tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 10 minutes. Cool.

Coarsely grate the potatoes into a mixing bowl. Squeeze out the excess liquid or drain in a colander. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and mix in the sauteed onion, eggs, matzo meal, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Grease a 12-cup non-stick muffin pan well, and pour 1/3 cup of the potato mixture into each muffin cup. Smooth the tops lightly and spoon 1/2 teaspoon oil over each. Bake about 45 minutes, or until firm and brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and run a small, sturdy rubber spatula around the edges of the latkes to release them. You can leave them in the pan 15-30 minutes to keep hot. Serve the latkes hot with applesauce.

Traditional Applesauce
from Healthy Holidays, by Marilu Henner
Purple * Serves 8

4 pounds organic apples, cored, peeled, and quartered
1/2 cup Sucanat®
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon strained fresh organic lemon juice

In a large saucepan, combine the apples, Sucanat®, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes, or until the apples are very tender. Cool. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the apples to a food processor. Puree the apples. Return the puree to the saucepan and simmer a few more minutes, stirring until it is the desired thickness. Add the lemon juice and more Sucanat®, if needed, stirring to blend.

If you don’t have a food processor, use a handheld potato masher or an immersion (stick) blender to puree the apples.

Copyright © 2009 Hennergy, Inc. All rights reserved.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at 3:39 am and is filed under Family friendly activities, food, tips, Holiday tips, Menu suggestions, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.