Celebrate a Compassionate Hanukkah

Hanukkah, O Hanukkah! Hanukkah is one of my favorite holidays—and not just for the obvious reason (presents!). It is a time to rejoice with family and friends while observing the traditions of our ancestors, such as lighting the Hanukkah Menorah, singing festive songs, and feasting on seasonal dishes.

Jewish tradition places importance on treating animals with compassion, and the Jewish concept of tsa'ar ba'alei chayim explains that humans should not cause animals pain. A fabulous way to have a compassionate holiday and take a stand against the mistreatment of animals on factory farms is by celebrating with a vegan Hanukkah.

Make Hanukkah sweet for your taste buds and for animals by baking some festive vegan treats. This jelly-doughnut cupcake recipe is a modern twist on the classic sufganiyot (Israeli jelly doughnuts) and a delicious new way to celebrate compassionately. Try these simple sugar cookies and use Hanukkah-themed cookie cutters to create fun shapes. Get some vegan Hanukkah gelt to share or top gifts with. Most dark chocolate is dairy-free, so look for dark-chocolate gelt (it is often the silver-foiled coins).

My Hanukkah celebration isn't complete without latkes, aka potato pancakes, and I am looking forward to cooking some this year. Since the main ingredient in latkes is potatoes, the dish lends itself to being vegan. Apple sauce and nondairy sour cream make great toppings. Try out this easy latke recipe:

Vegan Potato Latkes
3 lbs. peeled baking potatoes
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
Egg replacer equivalent of 2 eggs
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 Tbsp. unbleached flour
Canola oil for frying

Grate the potatoes and squeeze out the moisture. In a large mixing bowl, combine the potatoes with all the remaining ingredients except the oil.
Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large skillet. Place 3 tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet for each latke. Use a spatula to flatten the mixture to form the latke. Fry over medium heat for approximately 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels and serve hot with apple sauce and nondairy sour cream.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Happy Hanukkah! What vegan dishes will be part of your celebration this year?

Recent Comments

paya commented:

Dec 5, 2010 5:53 AM

Actually, you dont need egg replacement here, if you dont squeeze all the moisture - potatoes contains amyl that keeps that all together. In my country this a typical foodwith 2 varieties a. add garlic and marjoram to the basic described above b. add sour cabagge and sunflower seeds option B rulez! try it out :)
Samantha commented:

Dec 4, 2010 9:43 PM

Thank you for the vegan potato latkes recipe. I am so excited to try it! :)
Curtis commented:

Dec 3, 2010 6:09 PM

I'm not Jewish but the Potato Latkes sound yummy! Since I like to be festive, I'm going to make them this weekend.
Sarah commented:

Dec 3, 2010 3:03 PM

@Laura- latkes traditionally are made with egg, that's why a vegan version is needed. There is also lots of chocolate at Hanukah- also not usually vegan. Cheers!
brian shookman commented:

Dec 3, 2010 1:04 PM

I'm a new PETA member, have been mainly vegetarian for about 20 years, and now going vegan. Thank you for the Hanuca article; I'm Jewish and appreciate it. I understand Laura's comment that Hanuca demands no meat, this is correct. But the holiday doesn't exclude it either. In fact, Jewish tradition holds that without meat at the festive table, there is no true joy. Hanuca, per se, just requires foods made with oil... Be well.

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