|
Sweet Endings To Hanukkah
|
|
Hanukkah Cutout Cookies With Blue & White Icing Zimsterne (Spiced Star) Cookies
If you must have a Hanukkah doughnut and really don't want the Fats and Carbs which come with the deep-fried version, here's a baking tip you'll appreciate! The secret to making delicious low-fat doughnuts lies in the pan, a mini-Bundt pan. The roughly 9-by-13-inch pan comprises six fluted molds, each with a hole in the center, just like a large Bundt pan. If you don't have a mini-Bundt pan, use a muffin tin ~ you just won't be able to call them doughnuts. To duplicate the crispy outside of a good fried doughnut, thoroughly coat molds of a mini-Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or oil and dust with sugar before spooning in batter! One plain cake doughnut from your local doughnut shop has 18 grams of fat, three and a half times as much fat as the doughnuts you can make in your mini-Bundt pan! Source: EatingWell Secrets of Low-Fat Cooking ~ 100 Techniques and 200 Easy Recipes, ©1997 by EW Communications, L.P.
|
Hanukkah
is a wonderful holiday for children ~ delicious food, eight days (in December) of
gift-giving and candle lighting, with one more candle added each night, until all eight
are lit. The candles symbolize the rededication of the ancient temple of Jerusalem, when its menorah miraculously burned for eight days and nights, fueled only by a tiny vial of oil. Thus, foods fried in oil are symbolic of this event. The most popular of the fried delicacies is potato latkes. Sufganiyot (deep-fried jelly donuts) are traditionally served in Israel. Other Hanukkah food traditions are dairy foods and candies made of sesame seeds, fruits, and nuts. Cookies cut into shapes of stars and dreidels (spinning tops) are also appropriate, and look pretty when decorated with blue and white icing, the Hanukkah colors. Specialty shops carry these cookie cutters, as well as attractive blue and white gift wrapping and decorations. Then, of course, there is "Hanukkah Gelt," the tradition of giving gifts of money, or candy and cookies wrapped in silver or gold foil to look like money. It's easy to wrap homemade bittersweet chocolate rounds to look like the real thing. Kids love them. But remember, Hanukkah is not just for children. Try planning a latke party for the whole family and celebrate with special foods and decorations for all the eight days. Source: The Gourmet Jewish Cook, ©1988 by Judy Zeidler. Editor's Note: We're serving up Hanukkah sweets below, but for more Hanukkah recipes see Hanukkah: Celebrate A Lighter Festival of the Lights A special thanks to Judy Zeidler for her generous helpings of wonderful Hanukkah fare!
The young State of Israel has created many of its own customs. One is serving jelly doughnuts (Sufganiyot) at Hanukkah, which are fried in oil to symbolize the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days instead of one. Recipe from www.mealsforyou.com 1-1/2 cakes fresh yeast Combine yeast with 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tsp. sugar in a bowl. Stir to dissolve yeast. Set aside 5-7 minutes. Combine remaining water and sugar with next 5 ingredients in a bowl. Stir in yeast mixture. Mix on low speed of an electric mixer 3 minutes. Increase to medium and mix another 5-6 minutes. Cover bowl with a towel and set aside in a warm place to rise until double in size, about 1-1/2 hours. Punch down and divide dough into 3 parts. On a floured work surface, roll each piece of dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter or large glass, cut into 3-inch circles. Cover and set aside to rise 1 hour. Heat about 2-1/2 inches of oil in a heavy skillet or deep fryer. Gently drop dough pieces into hot oil. Do not overcrowd. Fry 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels to cool. Cut a small slit in the side of dough and fill with about 1 tsp. jelly. Close tightly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. This recipe serves 12 people. (Note: Due to the nature of this recipe, it adjusts the number of servings in multiples of 12 only). Editor's Note: This recipe was taken directly from the website, without modification. Since "all foods can fit" into a diabetic meal plan, you may want to "spend" some of your Carbohydrates and Fats on one of these traditional jelly doughnuts during the Hanukkah holiday. You must be sure, however, to make it a part of your meal plan, and not an "addition" to your menu for the day. Enjoy! Per (1 Doughnut) Serving: 327 Cal; 15 g Total Fat; 43 g Carb; 35 mg Cholesterol; 10 mg Sodium; 5 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 13 g Sugars. Exchanges: 3 Starch; 3 Fat. Diet Points 8.0.
POPPY
SEED DOUGHNUTS 2 Tbsp plus 1-1/4 cups sugar, divided Preheat oven to 400°F. Thoroughly coat the molds of 2 mini-Bundt pans with nonstick cooking spray or oil. Sprinkle molds evenly with 2 tablespoons of the sugar, tapping out the excess. (If you only have 1 pan, bake the recipe in 2 batches). In a small, dry skillet, stir poppy seeds over medium heat until they are fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk to blend and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg until frothy. Add the remaining 1-1/4 cups sugar, yogurt, oil, lemon zest and vanilla; mix well. Add the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula just until moistened. Spoon about 2 generous tablespoons of batter into each prepared mold, smoothing the surfaces. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched lightly. Loosen edges and turn the doughnuts out onto a wire rack to cool. (If baking in 2 batches, cool the pan, clean it, then recoat it with cooking spray or oil and sugar). Makes 1 Dozen Doughnuts. Per Doughnut: 205 Cal; 5 g Total Fat (0.5 g Sat Fat); 38 g Carb; 18 mg Cholesterol; 255 mg Sodium; 4 g Protein; 1 g Fiber. Exchanges: 3 Starch; 1 Fat.
LESS
SINFUL CINNAMON TWISTS 3 eggs (or 2 eggs plus 2 whites) Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine eggs, sugar and oil; mix well. Add flour and baking powder. Mix just until flour disappears. Use a scant tablespoon of dough for each cookie. Roll dough between your palms to make pencil-shaped rolls about 5” long. Shape into half-twists (like half of a figure 8), crescents or alphabet letters. Roll in cinnamon-sugar. Place on foil-lined cookie sheets sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and crisp. Yield: 4 dozen. Norene says, "These are yummy right from the freezer, so hide them from the cookie monster!" Per Cookie: 74 Cal; 3 g Total Fat; 12 g
Carb; 9 mg Cholesterol; 15 mg Sodium; 4 mg Calcium. Exchanges:
MADELEINE’S
FRUIT CLAFOUTI 3 cups fresh fruit of choice (i.e., peaches) Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick spray. Arrange peeled, sliced fruit in dish; sprinkle with 2 Tbsp sugar. Combine remaining ingredients in processor. Process for 45 seconds, until smooth. Pour batter over fruit and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until browned. Makes 8 Servings. Per Serving: 145 Cal; 2 g Total Fat; 27 g Carb; 54 mg Cholesterol; 118 mg Sodium; 2 g Fiber; 110 mg Calcium. Exchanges: 1 Starch; 3/4 Fruit.
SUGAR-FREE
RUGELACH 1 cup calorie-reduced margarine Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray or parchment line baking sheets. Thoroughly cream margarine and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer. Blend in vanilla, then mix in flour. Chill the dough at least two hours. Filling: Mix together the chopped raisins, walnuts and cinnamon. If you have a food processor, place the walnuts and raisins into the bowl, sprinkle with the cinnamon, and chop them by processing in short pulses. Preparation: Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 10- to 12-inch circle, 1/8-inch thick, on a lightly floured board or between two sheets of waxed paper. Spread approximately 2 tablespoons of fruit preserves onto each dough circle. Sprinkle each circle with about 1/4 cup of the nut-raisin-cinnamon mixture. Cut each circle into 16 wedges, using a pastry or pizza cutter; roll each wedge from base to point. Place point down on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until golden. Remove to racks to cool. Makes 64 cookies. Per Cookie: 66 Cal; 3 g Total Fat; 8 g Carb; 2 mg Cholesterol; 55 mg Sodium; 12 mg Calcium. Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 Fat.
CHOCOLATE-ALMOND
MACAROONS 11 egg whites Preheat oven to 250°F. In large bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar until mixture becomes very thick. When the sugar and egg-white mixture is very thick, add the apricot jam and vanilla. Sift together the cocoa and powdered sugar onto waxed paper. Add the cocoa mixture to the egg white mixture and blend thoroughly. Fold in the toasted almonds. Dip an ice cream scoop in water and scoop batter onto brown-paper-lined baking sheets, 2-inches apart. Bake for 45 minutes or until the cookied are dry to the touch. Cool thoroughly before removing from the cookie sheets. Makes 30 Cookies. Per Cookie: 162 Cal; 4 g Total Fat (00 g Sat Fat); 27 g Carb; 00 mg Cholesterol; 21 mg Sodium; 3 g Protein. Exchanges: 2 Starch or Other Carb; 1 Fat.
NO BAKE
SUGAR PLUMS 1/2 cup dried apricots In a food processor or by hand, finely chop apricots, pecans, figs or dates, raisins and coconut. Add liqueur or orange juice and almond flavoring. Stir until well blended. Roll into 36 balls, about 1-inch, by placing a small amount of the mixture between the palms of your hands. Roll each ball in granulated sugar. Layer in an airtight container, placing waxed paper or plastic wrap between each layer to prevent sticking. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve on a glass plate lined with a paper doily. Yield: 36 Cookies. Per (2 Cookie) Serving: 66 Cal; 2 g Total Fat; 10 g Carb; 00mg Cholesterol; 2 mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Fruit.
HANUKKAH
CUTOUT COOKIES 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (i.e.,
Crisco®) In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the shortening and sugar. Beat in the eggs. Add the vanilla and orange juice and mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and blend into the batter until smooth. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 portions. On a generously floured board, roll out each portion 1/4-inch thick. Cut out with flour-dipped cookie cutters and place the cookies on ungreased baking sheets. If you like, sprinkle with yellow- or orange-colored sugar. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool. Outline edges with Blue and White Icing, if you wish. Makes approximately 5 Dozen (60) Cookies. Per (Plain, Un-Iced) Cookie: 45 Cal; 2 g Total Fat (<1/2 g Sat Fat); 6 g Carb; 7 mg Cholesterol; 35 mg Sodium. Exchanges: FREE for 1 cookie w/o Icing! Per (Iced) Cookie: 61 Cal; 2 g Total Fat; 10 g Carb; 7 mg Cholesterol; 35 mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Starch. BLUE AND WHITE ICING 1 Tbsp lemon juice In a bowl, blend the lemon juice, cream, and sugar until creamy. Add additional cream if needed to thin icing. Divide the icing in half; add food coloring to half of the icing and mix until completely blnded. Place each icing in a separate pastry bag (with star tip) and pipe onto cooled cookies. Makes 2 Cups, enough to frost at least 5 Dozen Cookies. Frosting Only Per Cookie: 16 Cal; Trace of Fat; 4 g Carb; Trace of Cholesterol; Trace of Sodium. Exchanges: N/A
CHOPPED CHOCOLATE "ICE CREAM" 4 egg whites In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating just until the peaks are stiff and shiny. Do not overbeat or this meringue will become too stiff to fold! Beat the nondiary topping until thick. Add the cocoa powder, instant coffee, vanilla, and liqueur and beat just until stiff; again, do not overbeat! Fold the meringue into the cocoa mixture and place in a freezer-proof bowl. Cover and leave in the freezer just until ice crystals form, 30 to 40 minutes. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water. Carefully pour and fold the hot mealted chocolate into the ice mixture; small chunks of chocolate will form. Cover the bowl and return it to the freezer. Freeze the dessert 3 to 4 hours. Makes about 1 Quart or 8 (1/2 cup) Servings. Ed Note: This recipe has more fat than we like to allow per serving, but this is a special treat for a holiday that only comes once a year! Be sure to count this dessert into your meal plan; not "in addition to" your daily allowances. Per (1/2-Cup) Serving: 226 Cal; 12 g Total Fat (7 g Sat Fat); 27 g Carb; 2 mg Cholesterol; 112 mg Sodium; 5 g Protein; 4 g Fiber; 19 g Sugars. Exchanges: 2 Starch; 2 Fat.
ZIMSTERNE
(SPICED STAR) COOKIES 1/4 cup butter Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, honey, and Splenda® until the mixture is light and creamy. Beat in the eggs. Add the pineapple juice and mix in. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Add to the liquid mixture and mix until combined. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Flatten it out to make an 8-inch square. Wrap in plastic, and chill at least 1 hour. Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 1/4-inch thickness. Using a star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out stars and arrange them about 1/2-inch apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until light golden brown. Makes 3 dozen (36) 2-inch stars. Per Cookie: 65 Cal; 2 g Total Fat (00 g Sat Fat); 11 g Carb; 15 mg Cholesterol; 29 mg Sodium; 1 g Protein; 3 g Sugars. Exchanges: 1 Starch.
APPLE
DESSERT LATKES 2 eggs, separated Beat the egg yolks until light. Blend in the milk. Stir in the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter or margarine and lemon juice and beat until smooth. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold them into the egg yolk mixture. In a large heavy skillet, heat 1/4-inch of oil. Dip each apple slice into the batter. Lift out with a fork and fry in the hot oil until browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Just before serving, sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar and your favorite sugar-free preserves. Makes 24 Latkes. Per Latke: 74 Cal; 3 g Total Fat (1 g Sat Fat); 10 g Carb; 19 mg Cholesterol; 32 mg Sodium; 1 g Protein; 1 g Fiber. Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 Fat.
SWEET
POTATO DESSERT LATKES 4 large sweet potatoes **To plump raisins, soak them in sweet wine or juice for 1 hour, overnight, or 1 week. Squeeze dry and use when recipe calls for plumped raisins. Peel and wash the potatoes. Place them in cold water until ready to grate to keep from discoloring. Grate the potatoes and drain well. Transfer them to a large bowl. Add the eggs, salt, flour or matzo meal, and sugar and blend thoroughly. Fold in the raisins, dates and walnuts. Heat 1/4-inch of oil in a large skillet and spoon in the potato mixture. Cook about 5 minutes a side, until brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with powdered sugar, sour cream or whipped cream (not included in the nutritional values). Makes 36 Latkes. Per Latke: 56 Cal; 2 g Total Fat (Trace Sat Fat); 8 g Carb; 12 mg Cholesterol; 39 mg Sodium; 1 g Protein; 1 g Fiber. Exchanges: 1 Starch.
CHOCOLATE
ALMOND CHEESECAKE 1/2 cup chocolate wafer crumbs Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread the chocolate crumbs on the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheeses, sugar, cottage cheese, egg, and vanilla extract. In a small bowl, mix together the flour and cocoa; gradually add to the cream cheese mixture. Add the almond liqueur. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour, or until set. Remove from the oven, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until well chilled. Remove the sides of the pan and serve. Makes 12 Servings. Hint: A cheesecake shrinks in the pan as it cools, which can sometimes cause it to crack if the cheesecake sticks to the side of the pan. To help prevent it from cracking, run a knife around the edge of the pan after removing it from the oven. Per Serving: 216 Cal; 5 g Total Fat (3 g Sat Fat); 29 g Carb; 36 mg Cholesterol; 307 mg Sodium; 10 g Protein; 1 g Fiber. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 Starch or Other Carb; 1 Fat.
|
