Heart Healthy Hanukkah??

Latkes on the griddle. Mmmmm.

Eight tips for a Heart-Healthy, Low-Fat, Low-Cal Latkes for Hanukkah:

1) Cook latkes on pancake griddle, spraying with olive oil spray instead of frying in oil.
2) Oven baked the latkes. Place them on a greased baking pan and bake them in the oven. They can be finished under the broiler or on the griddle.
3) Use egg whites or egg substitutes instead of whole eggs when making the latkes. This will reduce the fat and cholesterol.
4) Serve low or no-fat sour cream as a topping. Non-fat yogurt, light Greek yogurt or cottage cheese can be substituted too. Use applesauce with no added sugar.
5) If your recipe calls for regular flour, replace it with whole-wheat flour. This will increase the fiber content.
6) Don’t use salt. High sodium intake contributes to high blood pressure (hypertension). Other spices to consider: dill, parsley, sage, rosemary, black pepper, white pepper, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, and onion.
7) Think far wider and more creative than just starchy potatoes. There are delicious recipes for sweet potato, butternut squash, zucchini, celery root, carrot, cauliflower, broccoli and turnip latkes. See our list of 21 types we made this year.
8) For Gluten-Free latkes use rice flour in place of the matzah meal or flour.

Tonight, I am making my 15th, 16th, and 17th varieties and probably will flip my 850th latke tonight. Two more nights with two more sets of guests (friends and family) after tonight.