Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Hanukkah is soon!

I live at a Quaker retreat center where I don't have access to my own kitchen. I would really like to get the kitchen staff to make some vegan Hanukkah foods. I'm the only vegan here and also the only Jew, so if we're going to have any vegan Hanukkah foods it will be incumbent upon me to provide recipes which are easy for the kitchen staff and will appeal to the people who may be trying these foods for the first time.

So, help me out, PPK! What recipes should I suggest? I'd love to get a good latke recipe, maybe donuts, maybe a kugel.... My family didn't really have any well-established Hanukkah traditions other than guilt and occasional candle-lighting, so I can't really use them as a source of inspiration.

Can you get silken tofu where you are? Most (nondairy) kugels can be made vegan with 1/4 c pureed silken tofu replacing each egg.

Here is how I make potato kugel (the dense kind) and latkes.

Ooh - that kugel looks great!

we only ever really had latkes with applesauce and sour cream and I think that's what I'll be making this year! fresh applesauce is super easy to make and latkes aren't hard either! mollyjade's recipe looks great and there's a similar one in veganomicon

That's all we ever ate, too. No main course, no vegetables. Just latkes.

latke time is the best time! no other foods needed! just an enormous tub of applesauce per person

latkes are easy--you could also live on the edge and make a babagalatke by combining mashed roasted potatoes, mixed with some baba ganouj, and throw a T of flour in there. Fry in some oil, top with sour cream and a little fresh dill.

i also like me some sufganiyot, (little jelly doughnuts) but haven't had them vegan yet. (((tenting fingers)))) i'll have to correct that problem.

Wow, how come I have never heard of this. So adding to my "to-cook list".

Quick & Easy Vegan Celebrations has some great Hanukkah recipes, including latkes (three types, I think) and sufganiyot (fried and baked). They're really nice, but I don't really know from Jewish food (other than loving most of what I've had). I might have to make some latkes. Mmmm...latkes.

Those sound awesome! Is the baba ganouj flavor really noticeable, or subtle?

Oh how I wish I had this book (I asked for it for Hanukkah).

I think instead of making latkes or anything else I'm just going to eat a whole bag of TJ's TOTS.

TOTS!

it's because i just came up with it this MOFO. it was a beautiful experiment.

kind of subtle. it's two things that you'd never think would go together, but they really do!

Latkes of course.

Maybe you could find a chocolate mold to make gelt? Doesn't require much cooking, just melting some chocolate, pouring it into the molds, and refrigerating.

This came up on my twitter feed this morning and has links to a lot of recipes. I don't know if they are good or easy but they might be worth looking at:
http://veganpeace.blogspot.com/2009/12/vegan-hanukkah.html

thanks, panda!

oh, i just thought of something for you CQ, how about the cholent from vcon? You could even have them leave out the tvp if you couldn't find it. it'd be good either way!

I just decided that's what I'm going to make in addition to latkes, salad and applesauce.