This year Hanukkah starts on December 12, and I’m excited that we can have potato pancakes (latkes) now that my daughter Lucie is no longer allergic to eggs. We’re not Jewish, but the kids learn about Hanukkah at school as part of the Core Knowledge curriculum. (They learn about various Christmas traditions and Kwanzaa as well.)

However, I grew up celebrating Hanukkah since my father was Jewish. Luckily for my family, my French Catholic mother wholeheartedly embraced Jewish cooking. The woman’s chopped liver and chicken soup were to die for! I grew up eating blintzes, gefilte fish, and bagel and lox along with potato pancakes, so Jewish food is one of my favorite cuisines.

So many potato pancake recipes!

Traditionally I’ve used the potato pancake recipe out of Joy of Cooking, which is delicious and can easily be made gluten free by substituting rice flour for the wheat flour. But this year I’d like to try something healthier. Here are few contenders:

• Sweet Potato Latkes – by Steven Raichlen who recently released Healthy Jewish Cooking, but is more known for his The Barbecue! Bible or How to Grill cookbooks
• Corn Latkes – also by Steven, this is close to the corn pancakes my husband makes for special breakfasts
• Dr. Weil’s Potato Pancakes – heck, if Dr. Weil says it’s healthy, it better be!
• Zucchini and Potato Pancakes – a recipe to consider when you have too much zucchini from your summer garden

Remember that non-sweetened apple sauce is always a healthy topping for potato pancakes. If you like sour cream, try plain, non-fat Greek yogurt, non-fat plain yogurt, or a low or non-fat sour cream instead.

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