No sooner do I have one holiday calorie-fest under my belt that I find myself preparing for the next one: the first night of Hannukah is Friday, Dec 11, and operation: plan menu is officially underway.

Which got me to thinking: In a country where french fries are the most popular “vegetable” consumed by Americans, are fried potato pancakes really such a special holiday treat for Hannukah anymore?  Besides, most latke recipes contain wheat flour or matzoh meal as a binding agent, rendering them off limits to me and my fellow celiac members of the tribe.

Maybe it’s time to branch out a little this year? While family tradition would lead us to believe that eating fried potato pancakes is some sort of divine creed, in fact, any food fried in oil fits the bill when it comes to commemorating the Hannukah miracle. (Pardon me while I go explain to my husband why deep fried Snickers bars are still somehow unholy.)  So why not try a fried something different for Hannukah this year?  After all, this holiday marks the one time per year that your favorite Jewish nutritionist (that’s me) will be plugging the fried foods, so make the most of it!  Here are some globally-inspired, naturally-gluten-free fritters that will add a little oomph to your family’s festivities. Of course, if you just can’t imagine a Hannukah without some sort of fried potato representation, I’ve included some globally-inspired, flour-free versions of the potato pancake as well.  Just do me a favor, bubbaleh, and blot them with paper towels before serving.

Latkes for Non-Literalists

A potato-less latke for the South Beach dieters at your Hannukah party

South Asian latkes: Indian Pumpkin Fritters

If my grandparents had emigrated to Mumbai instead of the Bronx, perhaps my Hannukahs growing up would have featured these delicious chickpea flour-based pumpkin fritters instead of the garden variety potato kind. (And if you have leftover chickpea flour from making this recipe, here are some other ideas of things you can make with them.) The recipe below is from Michael Krondl’s The Great Little Pumpkin Cookbook, and is re-printed here with permission from its gracious author.  It makes about 30 fritters.

1 lb pumpkin*, peeled, seeded and coarsely grated (about 1 3/4 cups)

1/2 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour

1 small onion, peeled and grated (~ 1/4 cup)

2 TBSP fresh chopped cilantro

1 small jalapeno chile, stem removed, finely chopped (or to taste)

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander seed

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black onion seeds (you can find these in Indian groceries; if you can’t find them, use dried thyme or cumin powder instead)

1/4 tsp baking powder

Vegetable oil for frying

** for tips on selecting a good pumpkin for cooking purposes, consult my previous post, “The Great Pumpkin”

1. In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, chickpea flour, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, coriander, paprika, salt, onion seeds (or substitute) and baking powder
2. Cover bottom of a deep, heavy saucepan with oil and heat.
3. With a spoon, form the pumpkin mixture into small balls no larger than 1 inch and drop into the oil.  Cook several fritters at a time, making sure not to crowd the pan.
4. Fry 4-5 minutes until well browned, stirring occasionally.  Drain on paper towels.  Repeat with remaining batter.  Serve hot.
5. Note: you can keep fritters hot up to 30 minutes in a 200 degree oven or reheat cold fritters in a 300 degree oven for 5 minutes

Venzuelan Latkes: Arepas
I made this delicious and fabulous recipe for Arepas-- the traditional South American corn fritter– the same day it was featured in Mark Bittman’s column. I served it alongside bowls of Cuban black bean soup for a delicious vegetarian dinner. I suppose it wouldn’t have killed me to offer some mixed greens to lighten things up a bit, too. Hindsight is always 20-20.

Latkes for Literalists

Peruvian Purple Potatoes produce latkes with a festive purplish-blue tint to match  grandma’s hairdye

German-Peruvian-fusion latkes: Purple Potato Pancakes

OK, so you’re not ready to completely abandon potato pancake tradition, but you’re looking to shake things up a little this year.  Might I suggest my fellow dietitian, chef Lindsay DeJongh’s naturally gluten-free recipe for Purple Potato Pancakes with Caramelized Onions?

Swiss Latkes: Rösti

Rösti, a Swiss potato pancake, is a local specialty of Zurich. It’s like a giant, buttery hash-brown potato pancake.  Unlike latkes, rösti does not generally use egg or flour as a binder, which makes it a perfect gluten-free substitute. Among the recipes out there in webland, this classic recipe from Gourmet magazine (may it rest in peace) uses the least oil and butter.

Lazy Latkes: Hannukah in a box!

I reviewed a bunch of ingredient lists and found the packaged potato pancake mixes and frozen potato pancake products listed below to be gluten-free.  They can be used if you find yourself in a pinch (and by pinch, I mean you have too much TV to catch up on to be bothered grating pounds of potatoes for a houseful of ungrateful relatives). I can’t vouch for their tastiness, just the gluten-freeness of their ingredient lists.  Note that if you veer from this list, some brands of potato pancake mixes contain flour or Matzoh meal, so be sure to read those ingredient labels if you’re looking for a gluten-free product.

Gluten-free packaged latke products

1. Hero Roschti
2. Manischewitz Homestyle Potato Latke Mix and Sweet Potato Pancake Mix (they also come in reduced-sodium varieties)
3. Panni Bavarian Potato Pancake Mix (Knorr foods)
4. Kineret Latke Mix
5. Gefen Potato Panacake Mix
6. Dr. Praeger’s Sweet Potato Pancakes (frozen)   (note that the regular Dr. Praeger’s Potato Pancakes contain oat bran, so they may not be 100% gluten free)

Disclosure statement: I have not received any compensation or freebies of any kind in exchange for mentioning any of the products in this posting.  Nor have I ever accepted or received any such compensation or freebies in the past, nor will I in the future.  My reputation for providing honest, evidence-based nutrition information is worth more than all of the gluten-free swag in the world, thank you very much.

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Black Friday is just 5 days away, and while the rest of the country gets ready to stampede through shopping malls to pick up this year’s must-have what-have-you’s, I’m doing some stockpiling of my own at the local supermarket.  For the next six weeks or so, the once-a-year, get-em-while-they-last inventories of two of my most favorite winter treats are well-stocked and ready to be eaten. I’m talking about sweet, sunny and seedless Clementines by the crateful, and barrels of sweet, starchy fresh Chestnuts ready to be roasted.

In a season where centerfolds of over-the-top seasonal desserts beckon me from every glossy foodie magazine I encounter, there’s a lot to be said for finishing off a festive holiday gathering with communal bowls of clementines and chestnuts instead.  When the dinner plates are cleared and friends linger around the table over tea or wine, I find that slowly peeling away at a clementine or fresh chestnut is a calming ritual of sorts, preventing idle hands that might otherwise be tempted to make quick work of, say, an entire gooey pecan pie. Both of these low calorie treats finish off the meal with a hint of sweetness and lend themselves to being enjoyed slowly and shared among friends.

My Darling Clementines

Clementines are seedless citrus fruits related to mandarin oranges and grown mostly in Spain and Morocco (though increasingly, I’m seeing Clementines grown in Florida and California being sold alongside the imports).  Their appeal starts from the moment you effortlessly peel off their loose skins without encountering any sort of sticky mess…it continues on as you peel off segment after segment… and it culminates with that happy little burst of sweetness in your mouth.  Eaten segment by segment, you can savor one little clementine slowly, thus drawing out the pleasure of post-dinner pecking that much longer.

One clementine has about 35 calories, 9g of carbohydrate (of which 1g is fiber) and 60% of the daily value for Vitamin C. (2 clementines would be the equivalent of one fruit serving).  Which means that even when you reach for that third, fourth and fifth clementine, ’tis no reason for guilt.  (The same cannot be said with respect to bites of pecan pie.)

***

How to choose, roast and eat fresh chestnuts

Before I met my husband, roasting fresh chestnuts was something that I thought only happened in Christmas carols.  But he taught me the fine art of choosing the best chestnuts…

• squeeze fresh chestnuts before buying and and select ones that are nice and hard
• any softness or “give” means they’re not fresh and will be impossible to peel once you’ve roasted them

… and roasting fresh chestnuts:

• score a small “x” on the flat side with a paring knife (a MUST… this allows steam to escape and prevents a chestnut explosion in your oven)
• lay them score side up on a baking tray
• sprinkle them lightly with water
• bake them at 400 degrees in a toaster oven or 425 degrees in a conventional oven for 10-15 minutes
• Note that roasting times will vary by oven; look for the scores to start curling back as an indication that the chestnuts are done.  Alternatively, you can take one out and test its done-ness by carefully peeling it (use a dishtowel or gloves…it’ll be hot!) and seeing if the nutmeat is nice and soft.

… and eating fresh chestnuts:

• just peel off the hard outer shell from the open flaps created by your x-shaped scores–while they’re still warm.   (Get cracking on the peeling as soon as they’ve cooled just enough to handle.)
• Share!

If you want a demo of the process described above–or just a voyeuristic peek at the man who roasts my chestnuts and invented the Chana Saag recipe you all know and love– Alex prepared this handy little tutorial video for you:

I’ve written before about the unique nutritional composition of chestnuts (and chestnut flour), which are technically tree nuts but have swapped the characteristic fat of tree nuts for starch instead.  As a result, they’re much lower in calories, ounce for ounce.  If you haven’t had the pleasure of tasting a fresh-roasted chestnut, they’re sweet and slightly nutty with a soft and sometimes crumbly texture.  One ounce of roasted chestnuts (about 3 chestnuts) have about 70 calories, 15g of carbohydrate (one diabetic exchange), of which 1.5g is fiber, 1g of protein and <1g fat.  It also has 12% of the daily value for vitamin C, which makes it quite an oddity in the nut world.

***

As we enter into the crazed pre-holiday shopping period, I urge you not to omit these edible must-haves from your list.  By the time you’re scooping up deeply-discounted leftovers from distressed holiday retailers on December 26, these annual gems will already be in short supply.  And unlike this year’s Zhu Zhu pet that will soon wind up on the bottom of the toy box along with last year’s Tickle Me Elmo, the memory of happy times spent with friends and family in a room perfumed with the scent of roasting chestnuts and citrusy clementines is sure to be treasured all year long.  (Of course, if my friends and family were to buy me a Wii Fit for Hannukah, I’d treasure that all year long, too.  I swear.)

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Growing up, I never touched the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving.  Back then, my mom served the cloyingly-sweet jellied version, straight from a can, and I never quite understood the appeal.

Fast forward to adulthood, when I had the good fortune to acquire a sister-in-law who is an expert maker of all things jelly and jam.  She has taken on the annual Thanksgiving cranberry sauce-making, using fresh cranberries, a hint of orange zest, and only half the sugar called for by standard recipes.  Finally, I came to appreciate the important role of this seasonal condiment on the Thanksgiving table beyond the gorgeous pop of magenta it provides on a plate dominated by brown-hued mounds of  comfort food.  When done right, a good cranberry sauce adds tart counterbalance to a meal dominated by earthy flavors, while the acid helps cut through the fat of those buttery mashed potatoes and gravy.  After all, there’s plenty of sweetness come dessert time; I want my cranberry sauce to be a bit more on the tart side.  If you’re in the market for a classic cranberry sauce that fits this bill and has 75% of the daily value of vitamin C to boot, here’s recipe #1: a simple Cranberry Sauce that’s just sweet enough.

But if you’re going to go through the trouble of making a cranberry condiment from scratch, wouldn’t it be great to make one with legs beyond its one-meal-a-year debut at Thanksgiving dinner?

It was this idea that got me thinking about making a hybrid condiment–part jam, part spread, part chutney– that could dutifully serve its function at the Thanksgiving table, but could continue on into the season to adorn the bread that holds together the leftover turkey sandwiches…to serve as a fruit filling to seasonal cookies…to accompany nutty, aged pecorinos on a holiday cheese platter… to spread on pancakes and waffles for winter morning breakfasts… to put into mini mason jars and give as gifts for the holidays…

The pieces fell into place this weekend at a cooking demo at Foster’s Homeware in Philadelphia, where Chef Greg Aversa of Smokin’ Betty’s restaurant prepared his recipe for Fig Jam.  (At the restaurant, they spread it on sourdough bread, add mozzarella and proscuitto and grill it panini-style.)  He encouraged us to consider the recipe as a template, and riff on it in all sorts of directions to suit our tastes.  Which I did.  The result is a jam-like, chutney-ish spread that tastes sort of like a cranberry fig newton filling and has me finding all sorts of excuses to spread it on foods both savory and sweet.  It’s a super-fast, beyond-easy and incredibly versatile condiment to have on hand as the holidays approach.

Recipe #2: Cranberry Fig Jam

Adapted from Smokin’ Betty’s restaurant, Philadelphia, PA

1 lb dried figs, stems removed, cut in half

1 cup 100% cranberry juice* (unsweetened; look for it in the 32oz jars in the unrefrigerated juice aisle of your supermarket by brands like Lakewood or R.W. Knudsen)

2 TBSP pomegranate molasses (Look for it among the Middle Eastern foods of your specialty market.  If you can’t find it, regular molasses will do fine, too.)

1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup agave nectar or honey (orange blossom or clover honey are best)

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine figs, juice, molasses, mustard, sugar, pepper and salt.
2. Simmer ingredients, stirring occasionally, until figs are nice and soft.  If too much liquid evaporates and your figs start sizzling, add a bit more juice or water
3. When figs are soft, transfer them to a food processor.  Add the agave nectar or honey and pulse briefly until the mixture is an even texture.

* 100% cranberry juice is as tart as the dickens, but a 32 oz jar is a good item to stock in your pantry, especially if you’re female and prone to urinary tract infections (UTIs). Besides being loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants, cranberry juice contains a compound called proanthocyanidin that prevents E. coli bacteria from adhering to the wall of your bladder and urinary tract. Research has showed that these pathogenic bacteria can regain their adhesion ability once removed from their cranberry bath, however, so it would seem that if you feel a UTI coming on, a good bet to stave it off would be to keep a constant flow of 100% cranberry juice (diluted in water for palatability and hydration purposes) coarsing through your body throughout the day to flush the offending bacteria and prevent an infection from taking hold.  If you don’t catch it in time, however, you’ll need to seek conventional medical attention in the form of antibiotics to cure the infection once it’s full-fledged.  Research into whether drinking cranberry juice regularly can help prevent recurrent UTIs in healthy women has so far been inconclusive; if you can spare the calories, it won’t hurt, but it’s unclear whether it will help.  And one last caveat before you start pounding that cranberry juice: if you take the blood-thinning medication warfarin (coumadin), you should avoid drinking large volumes of cranberry juice due to a possible drug-nutrient interaction that could potentially cause excessive bleeding.

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T minus 17 days until Thanksgiving and the short-list of potential side dishes is already being negotiated in our family.  This year, my submission for healthy, gluten-free stuffing substitute comes from, of all unlikely places, the Executive Chef at the hospital where I work.  Now, while I’ll admit that hospital food rarely inspires much beyond a general sense of dread, the day that Chef George whipped up this delicious and autumnal Wild Rice Salad for a catering event, I found myself inspired to have seconds… and ply him for the recipe.

Wild rice is a whole grain variety of rice that’s even more nutritious than brown rice. It’s super high in protein– a standard serving (1/4 cup dry) has 6g of protein—ranking it right up there with king quinoa as far as protein content goes. Most people don’t like to bother with it once they learn of its 50-minute cooking time, but it’s not like you have to stand there and stir it while it cooks.  Just bring the water and rice to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and go bake a Thanksgiving pie or something.  Or watch someone else bake a Thanksgiving pie on the Food Network.   Of course, if you feel like being productive during that 50-minute cooking time, get going on this addictive recipe for Koshari for dinner and put that wild rice to good use.

Since Chef George never did get around to detailing the exact quantities of the ingredients in his recipe for me, I was forced to play around with the inputs a bit until I landed on the proportions that suited my tastes.  By all means, add more or less of any ingredient to your liking.  However you put them together, the recipe is a cinch.

A Thanksgiving-worthy side dish that's a little bit chewy, a little bit sweet and a little bit tangy.

Recipe: Chef George’s Wild Rice Salad (serves 6)

1 cup wild rice/wild rice blend  (I used Lundberg’s Wild Blend)

2 scallions, thinly sliced (~1/3 to 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

1/2 cup chopped pecans (if you have the time or inclination to toast the pecans before chopping, all the better)

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar

2 TBSP olive oil

1. Prepare the wild rice according to package instructions (probably 2 cups water to 1 cup rice).  When finished, set cooked rice aside to cool.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the cooked rice and mix until well-blended.
3. Salt to taste.
4. Serve warm, room temperature or cold.

Note: You can make the rice up to a day in advance and keep refrigerated in a sealed container.  Don’t mix in the rest of the ingredients until just before serving.

Nutrition info per serving: 225 calories, 29g carbohydrate (of which 3g are fiber), 5g protein, 11g (healthy, mostly monounsaturated) fat.

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Don't you just want to cuddle up with this cute, fuzzy Taro?

Cassava (aka: Yuca, Manioc), Ñame (Caribbean Yam), Yautia (aka Taro), Batata (aka Boniato, or Sweet potato)… if you haven’t come across these staple root vegetables of Hispanic and Caribbean cuisines, what better time than autumn, when roasted roots and chunky stews take front and center?

I was formally introduced to my Hispanic roots last year, when I had the opportunity to take a tour of NYC’s historic Essex Street Market with Lorena Drago, a fabulous dietitian, author and diabetes educator.  Lorena opened my eyes to the wide, wonderful world of starchy root vegetables that hail from the southern hemisphere.  Cooked, these root veggies would generally take the place of a potato or serving of cooked grains as the carbohydrate in your perfectly-balanced plate.  Generally, these root veggies are good-to-excellent sources of potassium (which helps lower blood pressure, especially in conjunction with a reduced sodium diet) and Vitamin C; and while not extremely high in fiber, will have more fiber than a calorically-equivalent portion of white OR brown rice, which makes them a nutritious substitute.  On average, 1/3 cup of the cooked root vegetables listed above will have the same amount of calories and carbohydrate as 1/3 cup of white or brown rice, but will have 2g of fiber; the white rice has essentially no fiber at all and the brown rice has 1g of fiber. (If you follow a diabetic diet, 1/3 cup of any such option would be considered 1 carbohydrate exchange).

Loosely translated, Pan de Yuca means "God loves Celiacs and wants us to be happy."

If you’re ready to get in touch with your Hispanic roots, consider this:

• Yautia (Taro) should be relieved of its thick and sometimes hairy peel (not unlike that of a coconut) before cooking; Drago describes its flavor as sort of a “combination of artichoke heart and boiled chestnuts.”  Um…hello?  Could that possibly sound more appealing?  In this regard, it reminds me a bit of Jerusalem artichokes, only it is higher in carbohydrate but less likely to cause gas.  You can use it in soups and stews like a potato, or cut it in chunks, boil, mash and season it with a drop of butter or greek yogurt, salt and pepper to make whipped taro along the same lines as mashed potatoes.
• Ñame is probably the most nutritious of the bunch; it’s the highest in fiber (1/2 cup serving has 3g fiber and counts as 1 starch exchange) and is loaded with potassium, vitamin C and Vitamin B6, which makes this Caribbean version of the yam resemble a banana more than a conventional American sweet potato, nutritionally speaking.  Drago describes the flavor as a “slightly sweet, smoky baking potato” with a texture that is “softer and lighter” than a typical yam.
• Batata (Boniato) is a Caribbean sweet potato very popular in Cuban cuisine.  It sort of resembles a typical sweet potato on the outside but tastes more chestnutty than overtly sweet and squashy like the sweet potatoes you’re probably used to.  You can use it as a substitute for conventional potatoes in all the usual ways.
• Yuca (Cassava, Manioc) is generally eaten boiled or fried, but must always be peeled before eating!  Baked yucca “fries” are a nice compromise; they’re more fibrous than potatoes, and therefore offer a nice textural change from the ordinary.  Click here for some dietitian-approved ideas for cooking with Yuca.

Equally interesting to me is the role of flour derived from cassava/yuca (which you’re probably more familiar with under its alias of Tapioca Flour) in traditional (gluten-free) breads and rolls.

Casabe is a crispy, crackery Latin American flatbread made from Cassava flour; look for it in the Hispanic food aisle of your local supermarket; it’s usually sold wrapped in paper.  And then there is Pan de Yuca, which goes by many different names depending on the country, but is essentially a tapioca flour-based cheese roll. They are beyond easy (and fast) to make, and have a wonderful savory, chewy appeal when served hot from the oven.  While they get hard as rocks after a day or so of baking, they are easily revived to their soft, chewy selves with a quint stint in the microwave, and are versatile enough to accessorize breakfasts and dinners alike.  Stale rolls could also be cubed, toasted and stored in an airtight container to be used as a gluten-free crouton or possible base for an upcoming gluten-free Thanksgiving stuffing. Using lactose-free milk and a nice, mature hard cheese like Parmesan will keep these rolls virtually lactose-free, if that’s also a concern.

Recipe: Pão de Queijo- Brazilian Cheese Buns

1/2 cup lowfat milk (or your favorite milk alternative)

2 TBSP olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/4 cups tapioca flour (aka Cassava flour)

2 eggs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring the milk, oil and salt to a boil
2. Remove from heat.  Slowly combine half of the tapioca flour into the liquid mixture.  (It won’t all absorb at this point.)
3. Add the eggs one at a time, each followed by half of the remaining flour, and mix into a well-combined batter, which will be thick, gummy and somewhat difficult to stir.  Do your best.
4. Using your hands, mix the cheese into batter, kneading until well incorporated.
5. Using wet hands, roll the dough into golf-ball-sized balls; this quantity of batter should yield 15 rolls.
6. Bake for ~15 minutes at 375 degrees , or until rolls are puffy and golden brown on top.
7. Serve immediately; they taste the best when hot!

Approximate nutrition info per roll: 100 calories, 16g carbohydrate (1 starch exchange), 0g fiber, 2g protein and 3.5g fat.

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