submitted by Melanie Zalman, PWSA | USA’s Director of Development and mom to Josephine (living with PWS)
When Josephine was born I worried a lot about what our Jewish holiday traditions would look like and how (more like IF) I would be able to make them PWS friendly. When she began to eat solid food, I made the decision that I would do my very best to find healthy alternatives to my traditional holiday treats so that she could enjoy the tastes of the season with the rest of us. The decision required making “peace” with some foods that aren’t a part of our daily “PWS-friendly” choices, and took a little time, testing, and creativity to identify. I still work each season to refine things and to adopt healthier alternatives for the whole family.
Chanukah is a holiday that is ALL ABOUT OIL and the symbolism of the miracle of the oil lasting 8 nights- a symbol of resilience, of hope, of overcoming adversity. But as we all know- for the PWS diet, most fried foods aren’t PWS friendly (or really healthy for any of us!!). We’ve dropped traditional Sufganiyot (donuts) from our celebrations, but we’ve kept Chanukah Latke’s (aka potato pancakes) on the menu by approaching the recipe (both ingredients and cooking process) slightly differently so that Josephine can partake in the holiday meal.
Do you have questions about how Melanie has modified other traditional Jewish foods for various holidays? Feel free to ask her about them by emailing mzalman@pwsausa.org!
Melanie’s Air-Fryer Chanukah Latke’s (Potato Pancakes)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Russet Potatoes peeled (it’s about 4-6 medium potatoes)
- 1 Large (or 2 medium) Yellow Onion
- 4 Large Eggs
- 1/3 cup of Flour (Almond or Whole Wheat)
- 2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Cooking spray (avocado oil, olive oil)
- Sour cream and/or unsweetened applesauce, for serving
Steps
1. Using a “box grater” or food processor, grate the potatoes and onion.
2. IMPORTANT STEP! Place together on a clean, thin fabric kitchen towel, pull up the sides of the towel to form a bundle, and squeeze out excess moisture.
3. Transfer the potato mixture to a large bowl. Add eggs, flour, salt, pepper and stir to combine (I use my hands or a big slotted spoon)
4. Preheat your Air Fryer Oven to 375ºF and set to 16 minutes. Coat the air fryer rack(s) with avocado or olive oil-based cooking spray. Drop the latke mixture in 2-tablespoon dollops into the air fryer, flattening the tops to make a patty. Spray the tops of the latkes with cooking spray. Air fry, rotating the trays and flipping the pancakes halfway through, for 8 minutes on each side total. Repeat with the remaining latke mixture.
5. Pat them down upon removing from the fryer to get any excess oil that may be on the surface!
6. Serve with a dollop of chilled sour cream and applesauce for “dipping” or smother a tablespoon of either atop a warm pancake to enjoy!
Notes and Substitutions:
* Sometimes I ALSO use SWEET POTATO and or add some shredded carrot into the mixture. I’ve also heard some families use Zucchini (to replace the starchy potato).
**Every air-fryer is slightly different, so test yours out at different temps and for different lengths of time to find what works best for yours.
***The air-fryer is also a great way to re-heat them as leftovers. It’s approx. 2-3 minutes on each side and they are just like the first night!
ENJOY!
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.