Healthier Hanukkah

Some things just naturally go together — meatballs and spaghetti, Sacco and Vanzetti, Jewish food and ... fat.

Not anymore. Nechama Cohen, founder and CEO of the Jewish Diabetes Association, slashes her way through the schmaltz (chicken fat) with “Enlitened Kosher Cooking,’’ (Feldheim Publishers, $39.95), a lusciously photographed cookbook with more than 250 good-carb, healthy-fat, sugar-free recipes that nourish the soul without damaging the heart.

“I was diagnosed with diabetes in 1985 and was presented with a real kitchen challenge,” recalled Cohen, who spoke to me by phone from her home in Israel, “so I started ‘enlitening’ recipes. After 20 years it was time to put them in writing!”

But you needn’t be diabetic or kosher or even Jewish to appreciate these healthful and elegant recipes that are short on deprivation and long on flavor. “Traditional Jewish cooking is known to be heavy,” Cohen noted, “but lightening up these dishes is really doable. No matter what your ethnicity, you can live an enlightened lifestyle and be healthy and happy.”

How do you lighten Jewish cooking? “We need to look at fat and carbs,” Cohen said. And with her slimmed-down versions of our beloved holiday recipes, we can have our latkes and eat them, too.

Hanukkah (beginning at sundown Tuesday) presents a challenge, because this holiday is all about the oil. In 164 B.C. the land of Judea was occupied by Antiochus IV and the Syrian-Greeks who had forbidden Jewish observances and desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem, turning it into a Greek shrine for the sacrifice of pigs. Judah Maccabee and a tiny band of Jewish freedom fighters, against all odds, overthrew the enemy and cleansed the temple. Only a small cruse of consecrated oil was found with which to light the eternal flame.

Miraculously, this oil that should have lasted but a single day burned for eight days, and Jewish people have been celebrating with a frying frenzy ever since.

“With nonstick pans and cooking sprays and healthier oils — olive, canola, walnut, grapeseed — it’s really easy to lighten these recipes,” Cohen observed. Try crunchy cauliflower, cabbage and zucchini latkes, made with a minimum of oil, instead of potato.

“Potato latkes are very difficult not to nibble on,” Cohen admitted, “so I’ve got mine prepared before I start the others. I’ll try to convince my family to try some potato-combo latkes before they try anything else. And I keep them in the oven on the lowest setting. The nice thing about latkes is if they dry up a bit, they just get crispier.”

As a diabetic, Cohen also had to cut down on sugar. “I’ve learned to use other ingredients, so we don’t need to load up on sugar or even sugar substitutes,” she said.

Take applesauce — that de rigueur dip for the Hanukkah latkes. “People think applesauce, big deal. But the herbal tea bags make this recipe unique. I found because of the flavor of the herbal tea, I needed much less sugar.”

Moderation is key, Cohen said. “I don’t believe in the word ‘diet.’ A diet is temporary. Long-term lifestyle changes need to be coupled with moderation so they can last.”

While many of the dessert recipes in the book call for sugar substitutes, nondiabetics can use sugar or even go 50-50, Cohen advised, “but these recipes contain normal amounts of sugar, not two and three cups of sugar. Same thing with the fat. In standard cookbooks, the amount of sugar and fat in the recipes is scary.”

A lesser-known Hanukkah tradition involves the eating of cheese. Judith, an unsung legendary heroine of the Apocrypha, was a beautiful Jewish widow. She dined with the enemy general Holofernes, plying him with cheese to make him thirsty for wine. When he fell into a drunken stupor, she beheaded him with his own sword. Because her bravery is said to have inspired the Maccabees, some communities remember Judith by eating cheese on this holiday. But how to work cheese into an “enlitened” Hanukkah table?

Carb-free and low fat, Cohen’s colorful Cheese Balls make an elegant appetizer or satisfying nibble just for yourself.

Cohen’s common-sense approach to creating a healthy lifestyle means you enjoy the holiday, not just get through it.

“Here in Israel the only difficulty with Hanukkah is the sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) all over the place in every flavor you can think of,” Cohen lamented. “You can smell them 10 miles away. But every Jewish holiday is definitely livelier here and more intense than it is in the States. It’s the nicest time to be in Israel.”

Cook’s note on latkes: With each new batch, spray pan with nonstick cooking spray and wipe pan with oil occasionally, as well. You need to be patient with these pancakes and fry them for a long time until they are cooked through, or they will fall apart when flipped.

CAULIFLOWER LATKES (PANCAKES)

Yield: 16 servings

1 (2-pound) package frozen cauliflower or 1 fresh head, steamed, drained, cooled

2 large eggs

Whites of 2 large eggs

1 small onion, peeled, quartered

2 tablespoons soy or whole-wheat flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Nonstick cooking spray

2 tablespoons olive oil, for frying

Procedure: Let frozen cauliflower thaw. Put in colander and squeeze out liquid.

Process eggs and onion in food processor until onion is roughly chopped Add cauliflower, flour and seasonings; process until finely chopped; do not puree.

Wipe a nonstick frying pan with a paper towel dipped in oil and spray pan with nonstick cooking spray. Put on low heat, wait until hot and drop batter by tablespoonfuls into pan. Brown on both sides.

Variation: Substitute broccoli or spinach for part or all of the cauliflower. (Their nutrition facts are almost identical to these.)

Nutritional information (per latke): Calories 37 (44 percent from fat), protein 2.8 g, carbohydrates 2.5 g, fat 1.8 g (saturated fat .3 g), cholesterol 21 mg, sodium 72 mg, fiber 1 g

Source: ‘‘Enlitened Kosher Cooking’’ by Nechama Cohen

CABBAGE LATKES (PANCAKES)

Yield: 10-12 servings

2 cups cabbage, finely grated

1 large egg

Whites of 2 large eggs

1 green onion, chopped

2 tablespoons soy or whole-wheat flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Nonstick cooking spray

1 tablespoon canola oil

Procedure: Place cabbage in a 4-cup bowl. With a wooden spoon, mix in eggs and green onion. Add flour and season to taste.

Wipe a nonstick frying pan with a paper towel dipped in oil or spray pan with nonstick cooking spray. Put on low heat, wait until hot and drop batter by tablespoonfuls into pan.

Using wet hands, form latkes and fry on both sides over medium-high heat.

Nutritional information (per latke): Calories 46 (49 percent from fat), protein 1.6 g, carbohydrates 2.5 g, fat 2.5 g (saturated fat .4 g), cholesterol 50 mg, sodium 28 mg, fiber 1.5 g

Source: ‘‘Enlitened Kosher Cooking’’ by Nechama Cohen

ZUCCHINI-POTATO LATKES (PANCAKES)

Yield: 12 servings

3 large zucchini, peeled

1 medium potato, peeled

1 large egg

Whites of 2 large eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons soy or whole-wheat flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Nonstick cooking spray

2 tablespoons canola oil, for frying

Cook’s note: The addition of the potatoes does not significantly increase carbs, but it makes a big difference in the taste.

Procedure:

Grate zucchini and potato, either by hand or in a food processor. Drain well in colander. Remove any additional liquid by wrapping grated vegetables in a clean dishtowel and squeezing well.

By hand, mix in the egg, flour and seasonings. Form latkes.

Wipe a nonstick frying pan with a paper towel dipped in oil or spray pan with nonstick cooking spray. Put on low heat, wait until hot and drop batter by tablespoonfuls into pan. Brown on both sides.

Nutritional information (per latke): Calories 40 (50 percent from fat), protein 1.6 g, carbohydrates 3.5 g, fat 2.2 g (saturated fat .4 g), cholesterol 27 mg, sodium 16 mg, fiber .5 g

Source: ‘‘Enlitened Kosher Cooking’’ by Nechama Cohen

FRESH AND NATURAL APPLESAUCE

Yield: 20 servings

10 medium Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, cut into eighths

Juice of half a lemon

Dash of salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3-4 flavored herbal tea bags of your choice

Water

Optional: Sugar substitute

Optional: 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Place apples in 5-quart pot. Add lemon juice, salt, vanilla, tea bags and water, covering not more than half the apples so that the end result will not be too watery. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until apples are soft.

Mash to desired consistency. For additional sweetness, add sugar substitute. Add cinnamon, if using.

Nutritional information (per 1/2 cup): Calories 34, protein 0.1 g, carbohydrates 8 g, fat 0.2 g (saturated fat 0), no cholesterol, no sodium

Source: ‘‘Enlitened Kosher Cooking’’ by Nechama Cohen

CHEESE BALLS

Yield: 17 servings

1 1/2 cups farmer cheese; see cook's notes

1/2 cup 5 percent soft white cheese, such as low-fat ricotta (well-drained)

1 cup low-fat grated yellow cheese (Muenster, cheddar, etc.)

1/4 cup green onions, minced

Optional: 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Choice of Garnishes:

1 tablespoon sweet or sharp paprika

1/3 cup minced dill

1/3 cup minced parsley

1/3 cup roasted nuts, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup roasted sesame seeds

Cook’s notes: Farmer cheese is a form of cottage cheese from which most of the liquid has been pressed to remove it.

Procedure:

Mix together cheeses, green onions and Worcestershire sauce, if using, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Form the mixture into small balls and roll each ball in any of the garnishes. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. It is not recommended to prepare these in advance and freeze.

Sweet variation: Omit green onions. Add 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and roll in cinnamon.

Variation: For a Chinese twist, use 1 tablespoon light soy sauce instead of Worcestershire and roll in minced fresh ginger.

Nutritional information (per ball): Calories 41 (44 percent from fat), protein 5 g, carbohydrates 0.9 g, fat 2 g (saturated fat 1.2 g), cholesterol 5 mg, sodium 110 mg, fiber 0

Source: ‘‘Enlitened Kosher Cooking’’ by Nechama Cohen