Hanukkah Recipes Everyone Can Enjoy
We couldn’t come up with a healthy version of traditional sufganiyot (Israeli jelly donuts), but you can enjoy lots of other seasonal goodies on the Fast Metabolism Diet. This juicy brisket works on Phases 2 and 3 of the Fast Metabolism Diet, and the leftovers are excellent. Sweet-potato pancakes (latkes) are a crispy Phase 3 treat, as are these cacao coin cookies.
Braised Beef Brisket with Onions
Phase 2 and 3
Serves 12 to 16
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 4 hours
1 brisket (about 3 to 4 pounds)
Freshly ground black pepper
6 medium onions, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. sweet paprika
Sea salt
3 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a large enameled cast-iron pot with a lid (or other heavy pot) over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the brisket with 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and then brown it on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the brisket to a platter (or a baking dish — something big with sides that will catch the juices) and set it aside.
Add the onions to the pot. Cook and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot until the onions are soft and browned; about 15 minutes. Tuck in the bay leaves.
Place the brisket and any accumulated juices on top of the onions. Sprinkle the brisket with the paprika, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and another 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and add the garlic. Cover the pot tightly (on enameled cast-iron pots, sometimes the lid isn’t really tight; you may need to cover with foil and then the lid). Bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and use a very sharp knife to slice the meat across the grain, about 1/4-inch thick. Return the slices to the pot in their original shape, overlapping at an angle (it should look like the original unsliced brisket leaning slightly backward). Check the seasonings. Spoon some of the juices over the meat. (If your pot is tightly covered, there will be plenty of liquid. If things have dried out, add 2 to 3 teaspoons of water to the pot.) Cover the pot tightly, lower the heat to 325 degrees, and bake until the brisket is fork-tender, about 2 hours. Baste once or twice during cooking. You can serve this immediately, but it’s even better the next day.
Sweet Potato Latkes
Although sweet potatoes are an unlimited veggie, these count as a healthy fat on P3 because of the oil.
Phase 3
Serves 4 (about 3 latkes per serving)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
4 cups peeled, grated sweet potato
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chickpea or quinoa flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Grapeseed oil for frying
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients (except the oil) and mix well.
Heat 3/8-inch of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot (but not smoking). Spoon 1/4 cup of the latke mixture into the skillet and flatten. Add as many as the pan will hold without crowding, and cook until golden brown (about 1 1/2 minutes on each side). Transfer the latkes to paper towels to drain, and then transfer them to a rack set on a shallow baking pan in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining latke mixture and serve warm.
Cacao-Glazed Coin Cookies
These bittersweet cookies count as a healthy fat (3 small cookies per serving)
Phase 3
Makes about 1 dozen
Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
1 1/2 tablespoons raw coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon almond milk
22 drops liquid stevia, or to taste
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1 cup minus 2 Tbs. almond flour
2 Tbls. raw cacao powder
1/8 tsp.sea salt
1/8 tsp. baking soda
Combine the coconut oil, almond milk, stevia, and vanilla in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, sea salt, and baking soda. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and keep stirring, breaking up clumps as you mix, until you can form the dough into a ball with your hands. Flatten the dough ball into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Place the chilled dough ball between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out 1/4-inch thick. Cut circles out of the dough with a cookie or biscuit cutter (we used a 2-inch cutter), transfer the shapes to a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and freeze for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet. Cool the cookies completely before glazing.
Glaze:
1 Tbls. coconut butter, melted
1 tsp. raw coconut oil, melted
1/8 tsp. vanilla
6 drops liquid stevia, or to taste
1 1/2 tsp. raw cacao powder
Stir all ingredients together until smooth. Use a teaspoon to spread a little bit of glaze on each cooled cookie.
Love this recipe? There are hundreds more available to Members of HayliePomroy.com! If you’re not a Member, learn more and join now!
We couldn’t come up with a healthy version of traditional sufganiyot (Israeli jelly donuts), but you can enjoy lots of other seasonal goodies on the Fast Metabolism Diet. This juicy brisket works on Phases 2 and 3 of the Fast Metabolism Diet, and the leftovers are excellent. Sweet-potato pancakes (latkes) are a crispy Phase 3 treat, as are these cacao coin cookies.
Braised Beef Brisket with Onions
Phase 2 and 3
Serves 12 to 16
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 4 hours
1 brisket (about 3 to 4 pounds)
Freshly ground black pepper
6 medium onions, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. sweet paprika
Sea salt
3 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a large enameled cast-iron pot with a lid (or other heavy pot) over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the brisket with 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and then brown it on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the brisket to a platter (or a baking dish — something big with sides that will catch the juices) and set it aside.
Add the onions to the pot. Cook and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot until the onions are soft and browned; about 15 minutes. Tuck in the bay leaves.
Place the brisket and any accumulated juices on top of the onions. Sprinkle the brisket with the paprika, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and another 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and add the garlic. Cover the pot tightly (on enameled cast-iron pots, sometimes the lid isn’t really tight; you may need to cover with foil and then the lid). Bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and use a very sharp knife to slice the meat across the grain, about 1/4-inch thick. Return the slices to the pot in their original shape, overlapping at an angle (it should look like the original unsliced brisket leaning slightly backward). Check the seasonings. Spoon some of the juices over the meat. (If your pot is tightly covered, there will be plenty of liquid. If things have dried out, add 2 to 3 teaspoons of water to the pot.) Cover the pot tightly, lower the heat to 325 degrees, and bake until the brisket is fork-tender, about 2 hours. Baste once or twice during cooking. You can serve this immediately, but it’s even better the next day.
Sweet Potato Latkes
Although sweet potatoes are an unlimited veggie, these count as a healthy fat on P3 because of the oil.
Phase 3
Serves 4 (about 3 latkes per serving)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
4 cups peeled, grated sweet potato
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chickpea or quinoa flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Grapeseed oil for frying
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients (except the oil) and mix well.
Heat 3/8-inch of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot (but not smoking). Spoon 1/4 cup of the latke mixture into the skillet and flatten. Add as many as the pan will hold without crowding, and cook until golden brown (about 1 1/2 minutes on each side). Transfer the latkes to paper towels to drain, and then transfer them to a rack set on a shallow baking pan in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining latke mixture and serve warm.
Cacao-Glazed Coin Cookies
These bittersweet cookies count as a healthy fat (3 small cookies per serving)
Phase 3
Makes about 1 dozen
Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
1 1/2 tablespoons raw coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon almond milk
22 drops liquid stevia, or to taste
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1 cup minus 2 Tbs. almond flour
2 Tbls. raw cacao powder
1/8 tsp.sea salt
1/8 tsp. baking soda
Combine the coconut oil, almond milk, stevia, and vanilla in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, sea salt, and baking soda. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and keep stirring, breaking up clumps as you mix, until you can form the dough into a ball with your hands. Flatten the dough ball into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Place the chilled dough ball between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out 1/4-inch thick. Cut circles out of the dough with a cookie or biscuit cutter (we used a 2-inch cutter), transfer the shapes to a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and freeze for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet. Cool the cookies completely before glazing.
Glaze:
1 Tbls. coconut butter, melted
1 tsp. raw coconut oil, melted
1/8 tsp. vanilla
6 drops liquid stevia, or to taste
1 1/2 tsp. raw cacao powder
Stir all ingredients together until smooth. Use a teaspoon to spread a little bit of glaze on each cooled cookie.
Love this recipe? There are hundreds more available to Members of HayliePomroy.com! If you’re not a Member, learn more and join now!
