Hanukah Celebration- Air Fryer Latke Recipe

          🎵Oh Hanukah oh Hanukah come light the menorah ! 🎵

                      

Tonight is the first night of an 8 day celebration for the Jewish holiday Chanukah/Hanukah. Did you ever wonder why Hanukkah falls on different dates each year? 

Florida Visit

Celebrating Chanukah with my younger son, my daughter-in-law and 

my grandkids during their visit to our condo in Florida. 

May Your Holidays Be Bright

"May Your Holidays Be Bright with Peace, Love, and Harmony"

This year Christmas and the first night of Chanukah fall on the same day! Why do the dates of Jewish holidays vary from year to year? 

 

 

Peter, Paul, and Mary's Tribute to Hanukkah

Do you remember Peter, Paul, and Mary? 

They were a very popular singing group who recorded and performed folk songs in the 1960's such as, If I had a Hammer, Blowing in the Wind, Lemon Tree, Where Have all the Flowers Gone, etc.  In this Youtube they perform If I had a hammer (1960's)

What you might not remember is their amazing song, Light One Candle from the 1980's. 

In My Kitchen -December

December we will be looking into my  kitchen in my Florida condo. I'm joining Sherry's IN MY KITCHEN where anyone can share!

I've bought a box of dripless Hanukkah candles for the upcoming holiday. 

Hanukkah

Chanukah/Hanukkah began on Sunday evening and will last for 8 days! Each night we light the Chanukah candles on a special candelabras called a "Chanukiah" or a "Menorah" to commemorate the miracle that took place many years ago in the temple.  

As we light each candle each night, we are reminded to bring light, peace, and love into our homes, hearts, and into the world. 

What am I cooking? : 

I customarily make potato latkes for the holiday. 

I bought a few jars of organic applesauce at Trader Joe's which we usually use for a topping, but I have not attempted to make the latkes yet since I want them to be oil-free, egg-free and totally vegan. I wasn't sure how to attempt it. So, 

I looked online and found a recipe on a blog called Plants Rule but haven't tried it yet. I'll update when I try make them. 

Meanwhile, he is a link to the recipe : Latkes (oil-free and vegan)

What are we doing for the holiday? 

Since we are snowbirds in Florida, we are not near family. Friday night we are having a pot luck dinner with our Florida friends to celebrate the holiday together. 

There are 6 couples. Each couple will bring his/her Chanukiah and we will all light the candles and sing the prayers together. It should be quite a site with 6 Chanukiah's burning bright. 

Do you remember the singing group, Peter, Paul, and Mary? 

They wrote a song called, "Don't Let The Light Go Out" that is a beautiful Hanukkah song about freedom! It is very inspiring! I found it on Youtube. 

Wishing those who celebrate Chanukah a happy holiday! 

Notes: 

The miracle of Chanukah is that the oil that was needed to light the temple was only enough to last for 1 day and it lasted for a full 8 days keeping the temple well lit! It is a custom to make fried foods using oil on this holiday. 

Since I try not to use oil, I want my latkes to be untraditionally oil-free....

Hanukkah/Chanukah is a Hebrew with a multiple English spellings.. I use them all !!

I don't know why but my blog is not showing up in the feeds again. I wrote to blogger and hope they can fix it again! 

In My Kitchen- December

I'm joining Sherry's IMK (In My Kitchen) "blog share" for the month of December. IMK, as the name implies, is an opportunity for bloggers to give readers a peek into what's going on in their kitchens. 

This is the second time I am participating in IMK, but my kitchen has significantly changed since last month. 

I am a snowbird and spend 6 months in Florida. 

Last month you took a peek into my kitchen in my home in Pennsylvania. This month you will be taking a peek into my Florida condo kitchen and its contents. 

It's Hanukkah! Latkes or Donuts?

Latkes or donuts for Hanukkah? We light candles and eat foods made with oil, usually fried foods, for Hanukkah. Why? Hanukkah is the commemoration of a miracle that happened many years ago. 

My Easy Potato Latkes Hack

Is it possible to get the homemade taste of grated potato latkes without having to peel and grate the potatoes? It kind of sounds like an oxymoron, but it can be done. This simple hack that I am sharing cuts the time in half, really works, and you don't have to peel or grate potatoes.

Happy Hanukkah and Blender Latke Recipe

It' s Hanukkah - Let Your Light Shine Bright

See my traditional family Chanukah latke recipe that my mother used to make in the blender! Quick easy and delicious.

Easy Hanukkah Latke Recipe

If you are reading this on your phone, you will need to click the gray title to go to my blog to watch the video.

Tradition is eating potato latkes on Hanukkah. 

Here is an easy, tasty traditional latke recipe just in time for the holiday. 

I added a little grated carrot to the potatoes to give it a more golden color. 

Why we eat Latkes on Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday also known as the Festival of Lights.

The holiday is in remembrance of the victory of the ancient Israelites against the oppression of the Syrians and the restoration of the ancient Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

The miracle of Hanukkah is that although the Israelites had only enough oil to light the Menorah (candelabra)  in the Temple for to last for one day,  the little vial of oil burned bright in the Holy Temple and lasted for eight full days.

Thus on Hanukkah, we light the Hanukkah Menorah ( also called a Hanukiya)) every night for eight nights and eat foods that are made with oil to commemorate the miracle of the oil in the Temple. We start with one candle and the shamash ( the candle to light with) and add a candle each night until we reach 8 candles plus the shamash which is always a taller candle holder,

Eastern European Jews traditionally eat potato latkes fried in oil for the holiday. 

Sephardic Jews from Middle Eastern countries and Spain eat a type fried dough or doughnuts.

Today in America, Hanukkah is often celebrated by the eating  latkes and doughnuts, singing of songs, playing "driedel", and lighting the Menorah each night. 

Since the oil in the Holy Temple in ancient Jerusalem lasted for 8 nights, we light candles ( and give gifts after we light the candles)  for 8 nights!

Children also get "gelt" ( money ) or chocolate (gelt) coins to eat.

Hanukkah falls each year according to the Jewish Calendar ( which is different on the American Calendar each year. 

Hanukkah Song

Here is a traditional Hanukkah song that I found on You Tube. It's fun and whimsical. Press the arrow to listen to the festive traditional song. You cannot open it from your phone- must click over to my actual url blog page at www.glutenfreematters.com 

Hanukkah Recipe: Latkes
There are as many Hanukkah recipes for latkes as there are cooks. Their is no steadfast recipe.
My favorite recipe is baked not fried but I am sharing my cousin Harriet's latkes are fried, traditional and easy! I'm sharing her recipe plus some links for my other " less traditional" variety of latkes.

My Cousin Harriet's Traditional Hanukkah Latkes 
My cousin Harriet is an amazing cook who makes all of the traditional Jewish holiday foods. 

This is her blender latke recipe.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time : 5 minutes for each batch of 4
Materials Needed: Blender and skillet

6-7 white all purpose potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 large egg
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs (gluten free)
salt and pepper to taste
optional: 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 cup of oil

Directions: 
Using a blender, add the egg, onion, and a half of the potatoes. Begin blending and add remainder of potato, breadcrumbs, and seasoning to form the batter. Heat oil in a large skillet. Drop tablespoon mounds of batter into the skillet and fry until crispy. Serve topped with applesauce or sour cream!

Here is my recipe for baked latkes

• My favorite Baked Latkes ( Best Ever) 
• Weight Watchers style latkes ( uses grated broccoli slaw) 
• Homemade applesauce ( traditional topping for latkes) 

Recipe for Hanukkah Recipe: Easy Doughnuts ( Baked and gluten free) 

I know it's the tradition to fry, but these are so much healthier and they do contain oil!

Author: Judee Algazi of Gluten Free A-Z Blog
Prep Time: 5-8 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 12 doughnuts


Ingredients:
2 cups of almond flour ( Trader Joe's or health food store)
1/4 cup of coconut flour ( Trader Joe's or health food store)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder ( aluminum free)
1/8 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 cup of milk ( coconut milk, almond milk, or regular milk)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 ripe banana, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, beaten
optional: chocolate chips or chocolate frosting ( Quick recipe below)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder and sea salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside. Mix the eggs, milk, banana together and then add to the wet ingredients. Mix with a spoon until blended. Pour batter into a 12 doughnut pan ( or 2 six doughnut pans)  and bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, remove from pan and drip chocolate icing on top. Sprinkle with coconut if desired for a festive look.


Quick Chocolate frosting
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup chocolate chips ( I used dairy free)

Directions 
Heat the coconut oil and chocolate chips in a saucepan on a low flame. Stir frequently until they melt together ( 1- 2 minutes) . Remove from heat and frost the donuts if desired. It takes about 4 hours for this icing to really dry. Eat immediately or wait 4 hours and then store.

Tips and Notes: Where to buy a doughnut pan
I bought my donut pan in AC Moore or you can easily purchase online:
Wilton Nonstick 6-Cavity Donut Pan 

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Best Ever Chanukah Potato Latkes Baked ( Hanukkah)

Hanukkah will soon be upon us,  and it's time to start thinking about planning a festive menu.
! The most traditional food to eat on Chanukah is Potato Latkes!

If you are looking for a really good latke that is baked, not fried- This is it!
Usually, the baked ones do not taste as good as fried- these do ! Just think, you can spare yourself the extra calories without giving up the taste!

A few years ago, I had a Hanukkah Chanukah get together and served 3 large trays of homemade latkes. Each tray held a different ( gluten free) latke recipe.

One tray was fried, one tray was baked, and another was fried but a different recipe.
Guess what! In a blind taste test, hands down, everyone loved my baked latkes the best-
so I'm sharing the crowd's favorite recipe today.

I know we are supposed to fry on Hanukkah Chanukah to commemorate the miracle of the oil that burned for 8 days in the Temple in Jerusalem thousands of years ago, but
I think these baked latkes are a healthier, less fattening, and just as delicious version-
Of course they are also gluten free. Enjoy

Not ready to make latkes? Pin this recipe for later


You may have seen Chanukah spelled many ways. This is because it is a Hebrew word that is translated into English and there are many acceptable English spellings including Chanukah and Hanukkah;  I like Chanukah!

Judee Algazi @ Gluten Free A-Z Blog
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes
Serves:

Ingredients:

6 large baking potatoes , peeled and grated
2 carrots, grated
1 cup of hand grated real parmesan ( don't use the powdery parmesan- it won't work)
3 eggs
5 scallions, chopped fine
Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Line two large rimmed cookie sheets with parchment and spray with some oil.

Using a hand grater or  machine, grate the carrots and potatoes and mix together in a large bowl. Wring out as much liquid as possible ( use a clean hand towel) .
Add eggs, scallions, parmesan, and freshly cracked pepper.

Drop a large tablespoon full onto the cookie sheet and flatten into a latke shape ( like a large cookie) Bake 15-20 minutes until beginning to brown and getting crispy. Serve immediately and top sour cream, Greek yogurt or homemade applesauce.

My Notes:

I haven't done this, but I have been told that if you are really in a hurry, you can buy a bag or two of shredded potatoes that are used for hash browns. Defrost them, wring them out and use them as your grated potato in a potato latke recipe.

Sometimes I really want to save on carbs and calories, so I make a vegetable ( without the starchy potato) latke. I like it because it's still crispy and crunchy . Vegetable latkes


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Good food is my passion. I am gluten intolerant, busy. and strive for a healthy balanced lifestyle. It has taken me many years to develop and discover easy healthy recipes that meet gluten free, vegetarian/vegan and real food standards. On my blog I share my journey, my struggles, my discoveries, and my new recipes. I hope you find ideas, resources, and recipes that will be helpful to you. Come Back soon.

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My Best Ever Hanukkah Potato Latkes are baked not fried

Baked Latkes

Fried grated potato and carrot latkes

 My Best Ever Hanukkah potato latkes are baked, not fried. The first night of Hanukkah I invited our extended family over to celebrate the holiday.. I made four different kinds of latkes: three were fried and one was baked .Believe it or not the favorite of the crowd, which I am now calling my best ever Hanukkah latkes, were  the " Baked Latkes"
The choices were  Harriet's fried Blender Potato latkes ( vegan alternative) , Weight Watcher style sauteed broccoli slaw latkes, coconut oil fried grated potato/.carrot latkes and my potato cheese baked latkes ( recipe below) ! Don't get me wrong, they were all good, and not one of the sixty latkes were left over , but everyone loved the baked potato cheese latkes!

Next year, I'm sticking with this baked version! After all frying is very time consuming, really smells up the house, your clothes, etc. and personally I don't like to eat fried food because I need to lose weight. So there you have it. Baked in my house is best!

Ingredients:

6 large baking potatoes (about 750 g), peeled and grated

2 carrots, grated
1 cup of grated cheese ( I used Parmesan that I hand grated,can't use the powdery stuff) 

3 eggs

5 scallions, finely chopped 

Salt, freshly ground pepper


Grate potatoes and carrots. Wring as much liquid from them as possible. It is easiest in a clean tea towel - .Stir  together all ingredients well. 

Preheat oven to 425. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil. Be sure to spray with a little oil or the latkes my stick. Drop tablespoons full and flatten somewhat onto the cookies sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes-20 minutes until crispy.   Take them out and serve immediately. Top with Plain Greek Yogurt or homemade applesauce.

Grate potatoes  and carrots ( I did mine by hand  but you can use your food processor )
and wring out water

carrot, potato, eggs, and grated cheese mixture

                               

Baked Latkes

                                                   

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Potato Latkes from Hanukkah Past

My favorite Hanukkah Platter

I've posted a few of my latke ( potato pancake) recipes from Hanukkah's past and  one new one.
Eastern European Jewish Tradition dictates that we use oil to fry food especially latkes ( potato pancakes)  during the holiday of Hanukkah to commemorate the miracle of the little bit of oil that lasted for eight nights and lit up the Temple!My mother in law is of Sephardic Tradition, and she fries luchmadas ( donuts)  for the holiday.

I hate to eat fried foods, but I struggle with the tradition verses my diet!

When I was growing up, My mother used to fry up batches of delicious potato latkes for dinner each of the eight nights of Hanukkah; My cousin Harriet still carries on the same tradition. Their recipe is very similar and the batter was made in blender. I usually don't make fried ones. My recipe is under Harriets.

Harriet's Fried Latke Blender recipe: ( I changed her use of matzo meal to gluten free bread crumbs to make it gluten free)
Ingredients:
6-7 all purpose potatoes, peeled and quatered
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 egg or 1/2 cup of applesauce if you want it to be vegan
1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs ( or less- just enough to hold it together somewhat)
salt and pepper to taste
optional : 1/4 tsp of garlic powder

Put the egg in the blender ( or applesauce) , add onion, and potatoes a few at a time while blending. add enough gluten free breadcrumbs and seasoning to hold together loosely. Drop in tablespoon size mounds in hot frying oil. Remove to paper towels and drain. Eat immediately covered in sour cream or homemade applesauce .

Weight Watcher broccoli slaw latkes
 I usually only fry latkes one night of Hanukkah or at least I only eat them one night!
Last year, I made a Weight Watchers style latkes  recipe that was made from broccoli slaw instead of potatoes and then sauteed. They were actually good and low in carbs and calories

                    

My Best Ever Hanukkah Potato Latkes are baked not fried

My Best Ever Hanukkah Potato Latkes are baked not fried

I'll be making the muffin latkes tonight and posting about them late this week.

Need a topping for your latkes? Don't forget my recipe post from yesterday for a quick homemade applesauce .

                               

Me and My cousin Harriet 1950's in Brooklyn, NY

                     

My cousin Harriet and Me as adults; she is in Florida; I am in Pennsylvania

                                           

Spicy Rösti (Potato Pancakes Baked)

Spicy Rosti is a delicious grated potato side dish that is actually easier to make than it looks.
 It is a Swiss recipe somewhat a cross between hash browns and potato latkes.
The grated potato mixture is made into mounds and then baked in the oven.

I searched the Internet and found out there are many variations of Rösti recipes, some made with fried onions others with meat. This recipe is vegetarian and is made with fresh hot chili ( which I personally left out because I don't like hot) and grated cheese. I also tried a version without the cheese and it worked well too.

 It is my Secret Recipe Club selection from my assigned blog, New Yorker By Heart,.

I was intrigued with this recipe for Rösti  because although I frequently make many ethnic recipes, I tend to choose more Mediterranean, Italian, Greek, and Spanish type recipes. This was a first for me. I have never made a Swiss recipe before.

I chose this recipe because it is naturally gluten free, vegetarian, and can be made vegan.  I made 1/2  of the mounds with grated cheese and the other half without any cheese. Both variations were good  Great ! The secret seemed to be to leave the mounds in the oven long enough for them to get really crispy! My husband loved them.

2018 Update: 

I tried a variation where I left out the chili, cumin, and chili powder and made them for Hanukkah! They were the perfect baked latke- I also tried them using cauliflower rice instead of potatoes- the possibilities are endless!

Spicy Rosti

Ingredients:

3 large baking potatoes (about 750 g), scrubbed clean ( I used

3 eggs

1 fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped ( I left it out)

Salt, freshly ground pepper

1 ½ tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. chipotle powder (or chili powder) you decide
5 scallions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. dried parsley (or 1 handful of fresh, finely chopped)
1 ½ tsp. onion powder
Salt, freshly ground pepper
75 g of grated cheese ( optional)

Directions: 

Scrub potatoes well and coarsely grate the rind on. Wring as much liquid from them as possible. It is easiest in a clean tea towel - . Getting the twisted potatoes in a bowl and mix them with the rest of the ingredients. Stir it all together well and then add little mounds on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.

I got 9 pretty big out of this portion. Spray with a little olive oil - or brush them lightly - but you can also put them in the oven without. Put them in a 450 degrees oven for 15 minutes. Take them out, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and put them back in the oven. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, until golden and crisp. Take them out and serve immediately.

Step by Step Pictorial

Gather ingredients

Grate Potatoes and ring out liquid well

Mix grated potatoes, hot chili, eggs, scallions, parsley, grated cheese and spices 

Place on mounds on cookie sheet



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