Tips for Creating Healthy Jewish Holiday Recipes

 

Jewish holiday recipes are known for their sweetness, their high fat content and their richness. However, I have always been on a special diet because of allergies and easy weight gain, so for each holiday season I still want to sample my favorite holiday recipes. The following tips are what I adhere to for all the recipe conversions I have made over the years and hope they will help you to have a happy and healthy holiday season.

 

Portion Size

If you don’t want to alter your traditional Jewish recipes to fit your dietary needs then you have a second option. Your second option is to alter the size of your portioning. By taking a smaller portion you will cut down on the sugar, carbohydrates, fats, salt and calories on your plate. You can further trick your mind into thinking that you have a larger portion is to use a smaller plate and even smaller utensils.

 

Add More Smell to Your Dishes

Another way to cut down on unhealthy ingredients in your traditional Jewish holiday recipes without sacrificing taste is to utilize the properties of scent to enhance the taste of your dishes. Scent can be added to your dishes by using spices and flavor extracts. One of my favorite holiday smells is almond and butter. Fortunately both of these scents can be added with flavor extracts of butter and almond. Vanilla is another flavor extract that is widely available in shopping markets. Keep in mind that authentic extracts are going to be more expensive and more potent than imitation extracts, which are less expensive but less potent.

 

 

 

Use Healthier Ingredients

Most people who alter their holiday recipes to make them healthier do so by changing unhealthy ingredients to healthier ingredients. For example, many people today substitute coconut, olive or canola oil for butter. You can also substitute light mayonnaise for real mayonnaise and low fat cheese for full fat cheeses. Using leaner cuts of meat is another way to make your holiday dinner healthier. For example, if you normally serve a beef brisket during your family holiday celebration consider using a learner brisket like one from bison instead of beef. I prefer to use the 1st cut of the brisket and have the butcher remove most of the fat.

 

 

Add Vegetables Instead of High Calorie Ingredients

Another option that you have to enhance the healthiness of your holiday dishes is to load them with complimentary vegetables instead of loading them with high fat or high calorie items. For example, if you are making a pizza or lasagna, add complimentary vegetables like tomatoes, olives and celery. Other vegetables that you can sneak into marinara sauces include carrots (diced into small pieces), potatoes, peas and beans.

 

 

For  healthy jewish recipes check out our blog.

 

 

 

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How to make Torta Setteveli – the Seven Veils Cake

 

This cake is as beloved across the whole of Sicily as it is in Palermo villas. The seven veils refers to the seven strata of the cake, making this delightful treat a time consuming affair usually reserved for special occasions. And what could be a more special occasion than the Easter break? when the cake is often made.

 

 

Use your favourite recipe to make the chocolate sponge cake in a 10-1/2 inch spring form pan. You will also be wetting the cut surfaces with simple syrup, made from equal parts water and sugar, brought to a boil and chilled.

 

The cake should be fully cooled and the simple syrup cold before you begin final preparation.

 

First, trim the cake top to insure it is flat, then slice in half lengthwise, producing two half thickness 10-1/2 inch rounds. Place one at the bottom of a 10-inch spring-form pan, cut edge up. Dab this surface with the simple syrup until damp, then refrigerate.

 

For the next layer, Praline, uses crushed corn flakes that give some crunch. Melt together in a double boiler:

 

2-1/2 ounces dark chocolate;

1-3/4 tbs butter;

6 tbs hazelnut paste.

 

Then incorporate

 

1-3/4 cups cornflakes, crushed a bit.

 

Spread praline evenly on cake, and return it to the refrigerator.

 

The next layer, hazelnut Bavarian cream, requires an ice bath that can hold a good sized mixing bowl.

 

In a large saucepan, heat to scalding:

 

1/2 cup whole milk;

1/2 cup heavy cream;

7 tbs hazelnut paste.

 

While heating, whisk together in a new bowl…

 

5 egg yolks and

1/2 cup granulated sugar

 

…until the mixture is uniform and pale. When the milk has scalded, remove from heat and add…

 

3/4 tsp unflavored gelatin

 

…and stir to incorporate. Temper this egg mixture with the hot milk a bit at a time, whisking continuously. When incorporated return it to the saucepan and slowly heat to 160°F, stirring regularly. Transfer mixture to the ice bath, and let it cool while stirring.

 

Then whip…

 

2 cups heavy cream

 

…to the soft peak stage, and fold one third into the chilled hazelnut mixture, combine, then repeat twice more until both are fully incorporated.

 

Spread half onto the cake, then place in freezer for 15 minutes to set cream.

 

When set, add the other cake round to the pan, treating cut cake surfaces as before. Return to freezer for ten minutes, then apply the remaining cream, and back to the freezer for 45 minutes.

 

The chocolate mousse for the next layer starts with a chocolate ganache made from…

 

5-1/4 ounces dark chocolate, cut into small pieces, and…

…a scant 2/3 cups heavy cream.

 

Heat cream to a very low boil, then pour it over the cut up chocolate pieces and stir until mixed.

 

Whip 1 cup heavy cream until the soft peak stage, and leave it unrefrigerated so it can warm through slightly to avoid seizing the chocolate. When the ganache has cooled to about 100°F, fold in the whipped cream by thirds to combine.

 

After the Bavarian cream on the cake in the freezer has set, remove the spring-form rim from the cake. Apply the mousse to the top and sides of the cake, making sure it’s as smooth as possible. Freeze for 45 minutes.

 

The chocolate glaze covers the finished cake. In a saucepan bring…

 

1/3 cups water,

1/3 cups heavy cream,

6 tbs cocoa powder, and

1/2 cup plus 2 tbs granulated sugar

 

…to a boil while whisking. Boil for four minutes, continuously whisking. Remove from heat and add…

 

3/4 tsp unflavoured gelatine

 

…and stir. Let cool to 90°F, and then take cake from freezer and place on a baking rack set on a sheet pan. Carefully pour the glaze over the cake, covering it slowly and evenly to insure it is completely glazed.

 

Garnish with chocolate shavings, and return to the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

 

Healthy Super Bowl Food

 

Top 10 Most Popular Super Bowl Foods and What Their Nutrition Labels Really Say About Them

The Super Bowl is an eating event for millions of Americans, with parties across the country serving up snacks that are often grease laden and artery clogging. The food labels of the 10 most popular Super Bowl snacks can help you decide which Super Bowl foods to serve and which to skip.

 

 

1. Chicken Wings
According to the National Chicken Council, five percent of all the chicken wings eaten in the United States over a year are eaten during the Super Bowl. Generally, wings are fried and drenched in sauces, as well as dipped in fat laden dressings. This makes them a bad nutritional choice at an average of 100 calories per wing, not including the dipping sauce.

 

2. Vegetables and Dip
The NPD Group, a market research company, has found that the most popular snack during the Super Bowl in recent times has been vegetables and dip. While vegetables are certainly a healthy snack, keeping this snack healthy depends on the dip. Fat free alternatives or yogurt-based dips make great healthy substitutions over ranch and blue cheese dips.

 

3. Pizza
Super Bowl Sunday is the busiest day of the year for pizza delivery, with popular chains routinely reporting record daily sales. The food labels on pizza vary widely, with pizzas including meat and extra cheese racking up the most calories and fat. Thin crust pizzas with a light layer of cheese can be included in a healthy Super Bowl menu.

 

4. Potato Chips
Potato chips weigh 150 calories per ounce, with about 100 of these calories coming from fat. Although they’re not the best choice nutritionally, choosing a brand that salts their chips lightly and uses healthy oil can make chips a reasonable snack in moderation. Look at food labels for chips cooked in olive, safflower, or canola oil.

 

5. Sandwiches
Large sandwiches, often made with salami, cheese, mayonnaise, and other high fat foods, are popular during the Super Bowl. Cheese and cured meats are usually high in saturated fat, but alternatives can be used to make sandwiches healthier. Opt for lean turkey, ham, and low fat cheeses while skipping the mayo.

 

6. Nuts
Peanuts and pistachios are the two most popular nuts served during the Super Bowl. Food labels show that these nuts are high in fat, but most is monounsaturated fat, which is a healthy type of fat. Choose roasted nuts with no salt added, as honey roasted varieties have about four times as much sugar as plain varieties.

 

7. Chili
Chili is a great cold weather food, making it ideal for Super Bowl Sunday. Ground beef versions of chili have nearly 300 calories per cup, with up to 15 grams of fat per cup. Healthier versions can be made by skipping the meat or substituting boneless, skinless chicken breast or lean ground turkey for the ground beef.

 

8. Homemade Dips
Dips are popular items for potlucks during the Super Bowl. The most popular dip during the Super Bowl is seven layer dip, which is full of cheese, beef, and sour cream and packs in hundreds of calories per serving. A better choice is a bean dip made with reduced fat cream cheese.

 

9. Cheese and Crackers
This is a classic party combination that often shows up at get-togethers during the big game. Hard cheeses such as cheddar typically contain around 110 calories per ounce, with about half of those calories coming from saturated fat. Cheeses made with two percent milk paired with whole grain crackers lighten this snack up.

 

10. Salsa and Chips
Salsa is a great alternative to heavy dips, with plenty of vegetables and only about 20 calories per serving. Baked tortilla chips can accompany this healthy dip, making it one of the best choices during the Super Bowl. Fresh or homemade salsas are the healthiest and best tasting choices.

 

 

There are plenty of foods served during the Super Bowl that can expand your waistline, but choosing wisely and making healthy substitutions will keep your party fun without the guilt of eating poorly.