Try This Healthy Sweet Potato Latke Recipe

Try This Healthy Sweet Potato Latke Recipe

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With Hanukkah quickly approaching, this latke recipe is perfect for adding to our holiday menus. A traditional latke recipe is made with white potatoes, but we’ve given ours a boost of color, flavor, and nutrition by using a combination of butternut squash and sweet potato. We’ve stayed true to the classic dish by serving ours with homemade applesauce without the excess processed sugar. This recipe isn’t clean-approved due to the eggs, but it is a delicious and healthy meal to enjoy with family and friends.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH FOR A BOOST OF VITAMIN A

Just one cup of butternut squash provides more than three times the recommended daily dose of vitamin A. Vitamin A is a crucial antioxidant used in dozens of functions in the body. It is essential for vision, skin health (specifically slowing signs of skin aging), preventing chronic diseases, and is inflammatory.

SWEET POTATOES HAVE A VARIETY OF BENEFITS

In addition to being extremely versatile as an ingredient, sweet potatoes boast a long list of health benefits. They are also rich in beta-carotene that gets converted to vitamin A when digested like butternut squash. Another great source of vitamin A is our Daily Shakes. Since beta-carotene is fat-soluble, it’s crucial to consume healthy fats daily to allow our body to digest and utilize this vital nutrient.

These latkes are cooked in plenty of healthy fats from olive oil. We’ve also purposely cooked these latkes at a low temperature, so the olive oil isn’t damaged by too-high heat. Sweet potatoes also contain a large amount of potassium, which helps with fluid regulation and ultimately heart health, as it keeps our heart beating at a normal rhythm.

APPLESAUCE FOR NUTRIENTS

Our applesauce is low in sugar and lets the tartness of the apples shine. The tart flavor combines with the buttery, warm latkes perfectly. The soft applesauce also creates a perfect texture balance with the crispy latkes. We’ve added sugar to not only add a subtly spicy flavor but feel free to leave it out as well, depending on the sweetness of your apple selection.

Sweet Potato Latke Recipe

Ingredients:
Apple Sauce:
4 apples
1/8 cup coconut palm sugar (or leave out if you desire)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
Add all ingredients with 1/2 cup of filtered water to a saucepan.
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Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until apples are soft. Let cool, then mash with a fork. If there is excess water, strain with a fine mesh strainer.
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Latkes:
1/2 medium butternut squash
2 small or 1 large sweet potato
1 shallot
3 eggs
3 tablespoons gluten-free flour
Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
Olive oil for cooking
Peel sweet potato and butternut squash. If necessary, cut sweet potatoes into small enough pieces to fit into your food processor’s grater. Cut butternut squash in half, and set one-half aside for use in another recipe. Remove the seeds from the half you are using and cut into small enough pieces to fit into the food processor.
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Use the grater setting on your food processor and feed sweet potatoes and butternut squash into the mouth to grate.
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Dice shallot. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, flour, shallots, and seasoning. Then add 5 cups of the grated vegetables to the mix, until fully combined with the egg mixture. If you have extra vegetables, store them for use in a stir-fry or hash.
Heat your oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Heat a pan over medium-low heat and a generous layer of olive oil. Once oil is shimmering and heated, scoop 1/4 cup of mixture at a time into the pan and flatten gently. Cook for 3-5 minutes per side, or until latkes are golden brown.
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Place latkes on the baking sheet when they are done cooking. Keep baking sheet in oven to keep the latkes warm until you are ready to serve
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Note: It is helpful to stir your batter between sets of cooking, as the egg can drip to the bottom of your bowl over time. It is also helpful to occasionally wipe out your pan and change the olive oil.

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Recipe and photography by Kaitlyn Noble