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Healthy Holiday Recipe: Sweet Potato and Carrot Latkes

FitSugar — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 03:00:00 -0800

Since many of you are celebrating Hanukkah this week, I wanted to share a twist on my favorite latke recipe. I know oil is a huge part of the tradition, but drenching potatoes in a ton of oil isn't exactly the healthiest thing for you, so check out this recipe. It doesn't involve any deep-frying, and mixes grated carrots with sweet potatoes.

To see how I make a healthier version of this Hanukkah favorite read more.

Sweet Potato and Carrot Latkes
A variation on my Grandmother's

Ingredients

2 regular potatoes, peeled
1 sweet potato, peeled
1 carrot or 1/2 cup of carrot matchsticks
2 eggs
3 tablespoons wheat flour
Olive or canola oil
Salt and pepper
Ketchup or applesauce

Directions

Grate the potatoes and the carrot in a big bowl.
Use your hands to press the mixture flat against the bowl and pour out the extra liquid.
Place a pan on the stove on medium heat. Pour two to four tablespoons of oil in the pan.
While the pan is heating up, add the egg, flour, and a little salt and pepper to the grated veggies and mix well.
Now you're ready to cook the latkes. Using a big slotted spoon, scoop out about two tablespoons of the mixture and drop onto the pan. Use the back of the spoon to flatten them so they're about 1/4 inch thick.
Allow the latkes to cook for five to eight minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown. Check the bottoms constantly with a spatula and flip them when they're ready.
Let them cook for another five to eight minutes, or until golden brown.
Place a paper towel on a plate, and then put the cooked latkes on top so the extra oil can be absorbed.
Serve warm with ketchup or applesauce.

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Do you have a healthy snack or recipe to share? Then share it in the Lite'n it Up - Healthy Recipe Group and I might just post it on FitSugar.

Holiday Fit Tip: Healthier Potato Latkes

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 11:45:00 -0800

Since many of you are celebrating Hanukkah this week, I wanted to share my favorite latke recipe with you. I know oil is a huge part of the tradition, but drenching potatoes in a ton of oil isn't exactly the healthiest thing for you, so check out this recipe. It doesn't involve any deep frying, and mixes grated carrots with the potatoes for a sweet and healthy twist. Plus a little color and you know I love orange!

To see my recipe, read more

What you need:

3 potatoes, peeled
1 carrot
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp wheat flour
Olive or canola oil
Salt and pepper
Ketchup or applesauce

What to do:

Grate the potatoes and the carrot in a big bowl.

Use your hands to press the mixture flat against the bowl and pour out the extra liquid.
Place a pan on the stove on medium heat. Pour 2-4 tbsp of oil in the pan.
While the pan is heating up, add the egg, flour, and a little salt and pepper to the grated veggies and mix well.
Now you're ready to cook the latkes. Using a big slotted spoon, scoop out about 2 tbsp of the mixture and drop onto the pan. Use the back of the spoon to flatten them so they're about 1/4 inch thick.

Allow them to cook for 3-8 minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown. Check the bottoms constantly with a spatula and flip them when they're ready.

Let them cook for another 3-8 minutes, or until golden brown.
Place a paper towel on a plate, and then put the cooked latkes on top so the extra oil can be absorbed.

Serve warm with ketchup or applesauce.

Print recipe with images | without images

Fit's Tips: Why not experiment with adding different veggies? Zucchini and sweet potato are also delicious additions to this basic recipe. Let me know if you have any other latke variations in the comments section below.

Dark Chocolate Gelt

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:00:00 -0800

Gelt, or chocolate coins, are the currency of a Hanukkah celebration to teach children (and adults) the joy of giving and doing good deeds. So why not treat yourself to a healthier option? Check out these made with dark chocolate ($.49). Each mesh bag contains four coins made with dark chocolate that is nut and dairy free. Sounds like a delicious way to celebrate Hanukkah.

Happy Hanukkah!

FitSugar — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:55:00 -0800

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, so I'd like to wish everyone a safe and warm celebration during the Festival of Lights.

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Happy Hanukkah

FitSugar — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:30:00 -0800

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, so I'd like to wish everyone a safe and warm celebration during the Festival of Lights.

Happy Holidays!

FitSugar — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:30:00 -0800

Christmas has finally arrived and we are midway through Hanukkah! This all means that 2009 is just around the corner, bringing the fresh start of a new year. After all the shopping, baking, decorating, planning, and cooking, it is finally time to relax and enjoy yourself and your loved ones.

Here at Sugar Inc., we hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and a healthy one too!

Healthy Holiday Recipe: Flame-Grilled Eggplant Dip

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:30:00 -0800

In my experience, a lot of grazing happens over the course of Christmas day. You wake up early to open presents and often eat late. This is why it is important to have healthy snacks to nosh on throughout the day. This flame-grilled eggplant dip has a surprisingly festive look. The red of tomato chunks and the green bits of Italian parsley pop against the neutral eggplant background. Mild, yet flavorful, this Mediterranean style dip seems geographically appropriate for the holiday as well.

To see the recipe, read more.

Flame-Grilled Eggplant Dip
Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

1 large eggplant
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Crudites, bread, and crackers, for serving

Directions

Place eggplant over a gas burner set on high (or place under broiler). Cook, turning as needed, until blackened and soft. Set aside to cool. Remove skin; discard.
Coarsely chop eggplant; drain in a colander for 15 minutes.
Combine eggplant, tomato, onion, olive oil, vinegar, and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature with crudites, bread, and crackers.

Makes a little over one cup.

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Not sure what you're making for Christmas or Hanukkah? Check out these healthy holiday recipes to help you stay healthy and happy throughout all the season's festivities.

Give Your Host a Healthy, Homemade Gift Basket

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:30:00 -0800

Hostess gifts are often an afterthought when preparing for a stay away from home, so why not do things differently this holiday season? Give a thank-you gift that will be appreciated and remembered by creating a healthy gift basket for your host. The fact that you did it yourself, rather than purchasing a prepared fruit basket, will stand out as an extra-thoughtful gesture. Consideration toward your hostess gifts doesn't have to take a whole lot of time, just a little forethought.

Your instinct might be to get a basket before you go shopping for the contents, but you don't want to buy a basket too big or small for the items you want to include. Start by making a list of things you want to include and buy your basket after you've collected everything. This is your opportunity to be creative and have fun with giving. To see some ideas for what to include in your healthy gift basket, read more.

Organic coffee beans
Homemade granola
Dark chocolate
Bag of snack-size rice cakes
Energy bars like Lara, Clif, or Luna bars
Homemade, guiltless cookies, like flourless chocolate-walnut cookies
Green tea
Seasonal fruit, like pomegranates
Almonds or mixed nuts
If your host has a Christmas tree, consider including an ornament
If your host celebrates Hanukkah, add a package of beautiful menorah candles

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Corn Oil vs. Canola Oil

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:30:00 -0800

Since Hanukkah is coming up on Dec. 4, I thought it'd be a great idea to chat about oil. When you look on a shelf at the store, there are many kinds of oil to choose from, and I always thought that canola and corn oil were the same thing. I was way off.

Corn oil is made from the germ of corn. Canola oil is actually produced from rapeseed oil and was originally made in Canada. The word canola comes from "Canadian Oil, Low Acid." Some people think that canola oil is unhealthy because rapeseed oil contains high amounts of erucic acid, which is know to have harmful effects. Don't worry though, canola oil is now made from a new plant that is similar to the rapeseed plant, but has a much lower erucic acid content.

So how do they compare nutritionally? To see the chart read more

	Corn oil	Canola oil
Serving Size	1 Tbsp	1 Tbsp
Calories	120	120
Total Fat	14g	14g
Saturated Fat	2g	1g
Polyunsaturated Fat	8g	4g
Monounsaturated Fat	4g	9g
Sodium	0g	0g
Fiber	0g	0g
Sugars	0g	0g
Protein	0g	0g

As you can see, canola oil is so great because like olive oil, it's low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat. This kind of fat is good to consume because it can actually lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintain HDL (good) cholesterol. Another thing, corn oil contains more polyunsaturated fat than canola oil. This type of fat has also been shown to reduce levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, but too much can lower your HDL (good) cholesterol.

Fit's Tips: Canola oil is a great choice when it comes to baking and sautéing, because it has a high burn point, meaning it doesn't start smoking until it reaches 238°Celsius. Just for reference, olive oil's burn point is 190°Celsius.

Keep Motivated, Even Without Your Bikini

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 04:00:00 -0700

I know that a lot of us use the prospect of putting on a bikini as motivation to get fit for the summer. Now that summer is coming to an end and the time is getting closer and closer for storing those bathing suits you worked so hard to look hot in. Your motivation may be shrinking as your waistline is growing. After all the food holidays are just around the corner (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas...) so what's the point, right?

Wrong! There are many reasons why you need to keep at staying healthy, but here are a few notables:

Exercise can help combat SAD (seasonal-affective disorder), which many of us feel as the days get shorter and colder.
Exercise can also help combat another type of sad: The holiday blues. For whatever reason people get depressed around the holidays. Exercising is known for boosting our moods.
Keeping at it will make preparing for next year's bikini season that much easier -- Toning up those arms is a lot more realistic than losing 30 pounds.
If you've ever planned a last minute winter getaway to a tropical location, then you know that your bikini bod prep time is limited. Keeping fit means no sweat (not literally, of course) instead of stressing about it and embarking on dangerous quick fixes.
Winter sports require stamina. If you've been working out then your body will be a lot more prepped for that first run down the mountain on your snowboard than if you've halted all exercising efforts.
Exercising is just plain 'ole good for you. Keeping your body healthy ultimately means extending your life and protecting yourself from potential ailments (and diseases) down the line.

I'm sure you all have many more reasons to add for why you should stay motivated to workout even after summer, so share them in the comments section below.

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