Happy 4th Night of Chanukah: Spiced Olive Tapenade, Garlic Latkes with Fig Apple Sauce, and Chanukah Nut Cake with Honey Syrup

Image from Jewlicious.com

Hi there Veggie Horizons Readers! I felt like the blog was getting a bit Christmas heavy, what with all the Christmas cookies. I feel like  my Jewish buddies are being left out. We can’t have that! In their honor, I’d like to share a couple of recipes that I looked up for Chanukah celebrations.

Caveat: I don’t celebrate Chanukah, but I have many beloved friends who do! I do not profess to be an expert in the holiday itself, or the culture's traditional gastronomy. I've used multiple resources to locate and compile these recipes. (See the end of the post for a list of sources). I apologize if I get anything wrong. Please send me a comment if you see something incorrect, and I will fix it ASAP! 

Spiced Olive Tapenade on Challah Toast

This recipe comes from the NewKosher Cookbook: Your Favorite Jewish Vegan Recipes, and though it is not listed in the sample “Chanukah menu,” I think it sounds like a nice little holiday appetizer!

Ingredients

1 cup colossal green olives, any variety, pitted

1 cup colossal black olives, any variety, pitted

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Olive oil

Ancho chili powder, to taste

12 slices challah

2 tablespoons lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

Directions

1. Combine olives, garlic, and lemon juice in food processor and blend, drizzling in olive oil until a spreadable consistency is reached. Add ancho chili powder to taste.

2. Brush challah slices with olive oil and grill or toast in over at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until edges turn golden brown. Serve warm, spread with tapenade and sprinkled with parsley and lemon zest.

Garlic Latkes with Fig Apple Sauce

These latkes won “best in show” at the Atlanta Cevre Minyan latke cooking contest. You can find the original recipe at Jewish Vegetarians of North America and in the NewKosher Cookbook: Your Favorite Jewish Vegan Recipes. Recipe by Patrick Aleph.

For the Garlic Latkes

Ingredients

1 bag frozen hash browns, thawed

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Equal parts garlic salt and pepper (a dash for every latke)

Vegetable oil

Directions

1. After thawing the hash browns, squeeze out as much liquid as possible. It helps to use cheese cloth or paper towels. There won't be too much liquid and it saves a lot of time one otherwise spends grating potatoes and onions.

2. Mix flour and baking powder to potato mixture.

3. In a pan, pour a thin layer of vegetable oil. Drop one tablespoon of potato batter into oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. In a regular pan, you should be able to cook at least four latkes at once.

For the Fig Apple Sauce

Ingredients

1 jar apple sauce

Handful dried figs

1 cup hot mint tea

Four brown cardamom pods

Pumpkin pie spice or a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and allspice (to taste)

Directions

1. Boil one cup of mint tea with cardamom pods. After tea is brewed, remove pods and steep the dried figs for five minutes or until figs are plump.

2. Remove figs from tea and blend in food processor. Slowly add apple sauce until well blended.

3. Add pumpkin pie spice (a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and allspice) to taste.

4. Serve chilled with latkes.

Chanukah Chocolate Mousse

This recipe comes from JewishPath.com, and is listed specifically for the fourth day of Chanukah (This year, that’s December 24^th) It's not vegan, but it sounds delicious! 

Ingredients

4 ounces chocolate (milk, semi-sweet or sweet)

4 eggs, separated

1 cup margarine

whipped topping

Directions

1. Melt chocolate in microwave. Add egg yolks and margarine. 

2. Mixing with fork, cook over low heat until thick or cook in double boiler over rapidly boiling water, stirring until mixturebecomes thick. Set aside to cool. 

3. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into chocolate mixture. Put into serving dishes and refrigerate. 

4. Top with whipped cream and serve.