Hanukkah Latkes - with a Twist

Happy Hanukkah!!

I came home from the "Latke v. Hamentashen" debate that took place this past Sunday and headed straight to the kitchen!  Although I do have a sweet tooth, my vote is Latke!

Over the past years, I have helped my mother in the kitchen to make lots of different kinds of latkes.  We do potato, sweet potato, and my favorite: potato and zucchini.  Even my mother-in-law told me that she tried a new recipe that was potato and apple!  I love experimenting with all of these different flavors.  It is a fun way to bring my culinary interests into tradition.

This year, I tried something extreme:  I avoided all potatoes AND I didn't fry them!   During Hanukkah we fry our foods (latkes or sufganiyot, doughnuts) to symbolize the miracle of the oil that was found and then lasted 8 days.  Although these latkes are not fried, they still do have oil on them, so I think it counts.  So what did I make my latkes out of, if not potatoes?  Carrots and parsnips!  They were delicious with a bright, fresh, flavor.  In fact, they were so well loved, that they were all eaten before I had a chance to take a photo!

Carrot and Parsnip Latkes
Ingredients:
1 lb carrots, peeled and grated
1 lb parsnip, peeled and grated
1 small onion, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Matzo Meal
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350.  Grate carrots, parsnip and onion into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible.  Add eggs, matzo meal, thyme, salt and pepper and mix well.  Prepare 2 or 3 large cookie sheets with foil and cooking spray.  Spoon out mixture onto cookie sheets.  Spray more cooking spray over each individual latke before cooking.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until browns. 

I hope that you enjoy them!  If you have other fun latke combinations, please post a comment.  I would love to try more!

Fun Salads

This past Shabbat was especially lovely.  Why?  Because I was invited out!   As much as I love hosting my friends and family for meals, I welcome the opportunity to take it easy and enjoy someone elses hospitality.  I always like to offer to make something to make it easier on my host, and this time I was asked to help with salad.  Perfect for me because I was just talking to a good friend from college about fun salads.   I made a Butternut Squash salad to bring over for Shabbat.  This salad can also be served for Tu b'Shevat this week.  Some of the 7 species are included (olive oil, pomegranate seeds) and you can also substitute the dried cherries for chopped dates, figs, or raisins.  If you are interested in making the salad for Tu b'Shevat, the 7 species traditionally eaten on this holiday are wheat, barley, grapes, pomegranate, dates, figs, and olives.  These are the 7 species that are native to Israel and named in the Torah. 

Butternut Squash Salad with home-made balsamic vinaigrette

Mixed Greens
Carrots, cut into bite sized pieces
Dried cherries
pomegranate seeds (optional)
slivered almonds
Butternut squash, cubed
Sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar
1 T olive oil
*if served with a dairy meal, goat cheese is a delicious combination with the squash

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  On a lined cookie sheet, spread out the cubed butternut squash, sprinkle with olive oil, sugar and cinnamon.  Roast squash for about 15-20 minutes until tender.  Allow to cool.  Mix all salad ingredients together.  Serve with balsamic vinaigrette (below).

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
4 T balsamic vinegar
2 T honey
2 T oil
2 T water
1 T dijon mustard
freshly cracked pepper to taste

Mix together well.  The mustard serves as an emulsifier and the oil will not separate from the vinegar.  Recipe might need to be doubled if you are making it for a large crowd. 

I wanted to share one more fun salad recipe.  This is a really easy and very delicious salad that works great for a pot luck, side dish, or if you just want a salad with a twist. 

Carrot Slaw
1 package of shredded carrots
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 large handful of dried cranberries (I used raisins this time because I ran out of cranberries.  Both taste good, but I like the dried cranberries better)
Homemade honey mustard dressing:
*1 T honey
*1 T olive oil
*1 T mustard
*about 1/2 t of onion powder
*salt and pepper to taste

In a large serving bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.  While whisking, disperse dressing around walls of the bowl to assist with tossing the salad.  After whisked, fold in the carrots, parsley and dried cranberries.  Carefully mix to coat.   This will produced a very lightly dressed salad.  If you prefer more dressing on your salad, make more dressing first, before tossing in the vegetables.