Everyone loves Hanukkah — the colorful candles, the traditional songs, the gifts, and, of course, the potato latkes. Yet holiday cooking often means excess — all that frying, high carbs, and lots of sour cream.

Interestingly, the Hanukkah miracle highlights olive oil, which originated in the eastern Mediterranean, and not potatoes. They were unknown in the Holy Land until long after the discovery of the New World. Making potato latkes for Hanukkah became popular through the influence of European Jews.

Fortunately, we can create delicious, healthier Hanukkah celebrations by emphasizing Mediterranean specialties, such as stews featuring pulses and vegetables. Even potatoes can be enjoyed guilt-free when roasted or prepared as lighter latkes.

This Hanukkah, we plan to make potato and leek latkes with sun-dried tomato tapenade and harissa roasted potatoes. We will also prepare Southern Italian giambotta, a hearty vegetable medley with chickpeas and potatoes; and Sicilian caponata, a sweet-and-sour eggplant dish in an olive-caper sauce.

Vegan potato latkes are shown served with sauteed leeks. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Vegan Potato Latkes with Leeks

These creamy-textured latkes are made from mashed potatoes with sauteed leeks and dill. Serve them with dill-flavored yogurt or a fruit puree.

Yield: 15 latkes

INGREDIENTS

Vegan Dill Yogurt Topping:

1 cup unsweetened plain plant-based yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Latkes:

1 1/2 pounds yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon Gold (about 6 medium)
3/4 pound leeks, dark green tops discarded
5 tablespoons olive oil, more if needed (divided)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs
Dill sprigs (optional garnish)

DIRECTIONS

1. Topping: Mix yogurt with dill, salt and pepper in a small bowl, Cover and refrigerate in a covered container for 1 hour to blend flavors, or until ready to serve.

2. In a saucepan, cover whole potatoes with water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, or until very tender when pierced with a fork. Drain; rinse briefly with cold water. Let stand until cool enough to handle.

3. Halve leeks lengthwise, rinse well and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Put sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water; rub to separate the layers. Soak them 3 minutes to remove any sand. Lift leeks into a colander, rinse and drain well.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Add leeks; salt and pepper. Cook, stirring very often, 5 minutes. Cook, covered, over low heat 5 more minutes, or until soft but not brown. Cook uncovered over medium-high heat, stirring, to evaporate any liquid in pan.

5.Peel potatoes; transfer to a large bowl. Mash thoroughly with a potato masher (not in a food processor).

6. Add leeks to mashed potatoes. Add dill, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs; mix well. Taste; season well. Using a 1/4-cup measure for each latke, put some of mixture in your palm and flatten it to a 2 1/2-inch patty about 3/8 inch thick, patting it with both hands to make it smooth and compact. Set latkes on a plate.

7. Heat oven to 250 degrees (for keeping latkes warm).

8. Wipe skillet clean. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium heat. Add 4 latkes to pan, or enough to make one layer without crowding. Fry 3 minutes on each side, or until brown; turn carefully using 2 wide pancake turners. Keep warm on a baking sheet in oven while frying remaining pancakes. Add more oil to pan if it becomes dry.

9. Set latkes on a paper-towel-lined plate. Pat tops with the towels to remove excess oil. Serve hot, with topping. Garnish with dill sprigs.

Sun-dried tomato tapenade makes a tasty topping for latkes, other potato dishes and toast. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Garlicky Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade

This pungent condiment flavored with capers and olives, from “Cold Canning” by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, is delicious on latkes and on toast; pair with Greek yogurt if you like. Choose plump dried tomatoes to make it.

Yield: About 1 cup

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup olive oil
8 medium garlic cloves, peeled, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons drained capers
1/2 cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced or snipped in strips with scissors
1 1/2 cups pitted black Kalamata olives
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a small skillet over medium heat for 1 or 2 minutes. Swirl in the oil; add garlic and capers. Cook, stirring often, until garlic begins to brown at edges, about 2 minutes,

2. Remove from heat. Stir in dried tomato strips. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

3. Scrape contents of skillet into a food processor, Add olives, vinegar, oregano and salt. Cover and pulse repeatedly, uncovering and rearranging ingredients with a rubber spatula as necessary, until mixture has consistency of coarse, slushy relish.

4. Transfer to 2 clean half-pint jars, leaving about 1/2 inch headspace in each. Cover or seal; refrigerate or freeze. It keeps up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Purees of fruit like blueberries, plums or nectarines are excellent on latkes, as well as on toast. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Applesauce Alternatives

Like applesauce, purees made from other fruits go well with latkes. We like purees from plums, nectarines and blueberries but fruit purees can be combined for a different effect. Mary Shrader, author of “The Modern Pioneer Pantry,” recommends high-acid fruit for this recipe because she preserves the puree by canning it. For small amounts, we refrigerate or freeze it.

Yield: 3 to 4 half pints

INGREDIENTS

4 cups blueberries, peaches, nectarines or plums, peeled and trimmed, pits removed
1 cup water
Granulated sugar, to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine fruit and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring. Reduce heat to low; simmer fruit until soft, stirring often to prevent sticking. Remove from heat.

2. Puree fruit in a food mill, fine-mesh strainer or food processor.

3. Rinse saucepan; add puree and sugar to taste. Bring to a boil, stirring, making sure sugar is completely dissolved. Cool and transfer to jars. Refrigerate or freeze.

Giambotta is a hearty southern Italian vegetable stew with beans. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Calabrian Vegetable Stew — Giambotta

This satisfying, aromatic stew from “Vegana Italiana” by Tara Punzone with Gene Stone begins with a sauté of onions, carrots, celery, garlic and herbs, followed by the Mediterranean favorites of eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and chickpeas, as well as potatoes.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
2 tablespoon finely sliced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups medium-diced Yukon Gold potatoes
1 cup diced eggplant
1 cup diced red bell peppers
1 3/4 pounds thin skinned small tomatoes, diced, or a 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup chopped parsley, including stems
1 cup drained cooked chickpeas, or packaged or canned
1 cup diced zucchini
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup basil leaves, torn into small pieces

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a stew pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme, tarragon and pepper flakes. Sauté 8 minutes, or until onion is translucent.

2. Add potatoes; sauté 5 minutes. Add eggplant and peppers; sauté 3 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, bay leaves and parsley; cook at a low boil 15 minutes.

4. Add chickpeas, zucchini, salt and pepper, Cook for 5 minutes; the vegetables should be firm, not mushy.

5. Remove from heat. Discard bay leaves, Add basil just before serving.

Harissa roasted potatoes are served with pistachio topping and yogurt. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Harissa Roasted Potatoes

For this spicy dish from “Delicious Gatherings” by Tara Bench, the potatoes are roasted with harissa, then served with pistachios, herbs and yogurt.

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1½ pounds baby Yukon Gold or creamer potatoes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons harissa
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1¼ cups plain whole milk yogurt or Greek yogurt

Pistachio Topping:

5 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped oregano

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil.

2. In a medium saucepan, cover potatoes with water and add salt. Bring to a simmer. Cook until just tender when checked with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain; let cool enough to handle.

3. Harissa sauce: In a large bowl, whisk together harissa, oil, honey and garlic.

4. Cut cooled potatoes in half, or larger potatoes in 2-inch pieces. Toss with harissa mixture.

5. Put potatoes on prepared baking sheet. Roast until crisp and golden, 25 to 30 minutes, turning potatoes over halfway through cooking.

6. Topping: Combine pistachios, onion, parsley and oregano in a small bowl.

7. To serve, spoon yogurt onto a serving platter and top with potatoes. Sprinkle with topping.

Caponata is a Sicilian eggplant specialty enlivened by olives and capers. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Eggplant Caponata

In their book, “Olive Oil for Dummies,” authors Amy Riolo and Simon Poole, MD, recommend serving this Sicilian specialty as an appetizer, salad, or accompaniment for grilled meat or fish. It’s perfect with potato latkes.

Yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 small eggplants, cut in 1/4-inch cubes
2 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoon extra virgin oil, plus more for frying or roasting
1 celery stick, cubed
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup pitted green olives, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped mint
1/4 cup finely chopped basil
1/4 cup raisins
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Place eggplant cubes in a colander, sprinkle with sea salt and let stand 1 hour. Rinse well; pat dry.

2. Heat 2 inches of oil in a large, heavy skillet to 385 degrees. Fry eggplant in 3 batches, about 3 minutes for each. Drain on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Alternatively, roast eggplant with 3 tablespoons olive oil at 400 degrees in an air-fryer toaster/convection oven for 15 minutes or until tender.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a very large, wide, deep skillet over medium heat. Add celery and onion. Sauté until golden and soft, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in capers, olives, vinegar, sugar and reserved eggplant.

4. Add tomato sauce, mint, basil, raisins and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes.

5. Serve at room temperature, garnished with pine nuts.

Potato wedges are topped with vegan parmesan made of pine nuts. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Garlic Potato Wedges with Pine Nut Parmesan

This dish is based on a recipe in “Vegana Italiana” by Tara Punzone with Gene Stone. You can make vegan Parmesan with macadamia nuts instead of pine nuts.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 to 3 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon paprika
Chopped parsley (for sprinkling)

Vegan Parmesan:

1 cup pine nuts
3/4 to 1 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt or to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut potatoes in 3/4-inch wedges.

2. In a large bowl mix olive oil with garlic, salt, rosemary, pepper, onion powder and paprikas.

3. Add potatoes. Toss, coating each piece well.

4. Place potatoes on a baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes or until a fork inserted in thickest piece goes straight through.

5. Vegan Parmesan: Pulse nuts, yeast and salt in a high speed blender or food processor until mixture has consistency of a fine crumble. Do not overprocess into a paste. Store in a jar.

6. Serve potatoes sprinkled with parsley and pine nut Parmesan.

Faye Levy is the author of “1,000 Jewish Recipes” and “Feast from the Mideast.”

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By SUDHIN THANAWALA, Associated Press

The Trump administration must stop deploying the California National Guard in Los Angeles and return control of the troops to the state, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

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U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction sought by California officials who opposed President Donald Trump’s extraordinary move to use state Guard troops without the governor’s approval to further his immigration enforcement efforts. But he also put the decision on hold until Monday.

California argued that conditions in Los Angeles had changed since Trump first took command of the troops and deployed them in June. The administration initially called up more than 4,000 California National Guard troops, but that number had dropped to several hundred by late October, with only a 100 or so troops remaining in the Los Angeles area.

But the Republican administration extended the deployment until February while also trying to use California Guard members in Portland, Oregon as part of its effort to send the military into Democratic-run cities despite fierce resistance from mayors and governors.

U.S. Justice Department lawyers said the administration still needed Guard members in the Los Angeles area to help protect federal personnel and property.

By STAN CHOE, Associated Press Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market remains largely quiet on Wednesday as Wall Street waits to hear what the Federal Reserve will say in the afternoon about where interest rates may be heading.

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US job openings barely budged in October, coming in just below 7.7 million

The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% in early trading and remains near its all-time high, which was set in October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 88 points, or 0.2%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% lower.

Among the market’s few big movers was GE Vernova, which flew 15% higher after raising its forecast for revenue and other financial measures through 2028.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store sank 2.1%. It reported better results for the latest quarter than analysts expected but also cut its forecast for revenue this fiscal year, as well as for an underlying measure of earnings.

In the bond market, Treasury yields largely held steady as the countdown ticks toward the Fed’s announcement at 2 p.m. Eastern time. The widespread expectation is that it will cut its main interest rate for a third time this year in hopes of bolstering the job market.

That expectation is so strong that U.S. stock prices have already run to the edge of their records because of it. The more important question for Wall Street will be what Fed officials will say about where they see interest rates potentially heading in 2026.

Wall Street has been bracing for Fed officials to imply fewer cuts to rates in 2026 than this year, and potentially fewer than the two that many traders are expecting now, even after they downgraded their forecasts.

While lower interest rates can boost the economy and send prices for investments higher, they can also worsen inflation.

With inflation remaining stubbornly above the Fed’s 2% target, Fed officials are notably split about whether high inflation or the slowing job market is the bigger threat to the economy.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury held at 4.18%, where it was late Tuesday. The two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for the Fed, held steady at 3.61%.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed amid mostly modest movements across Europe and Asia.

AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.

By Sarah Jane Tribble, Arielle Zionts, KFF Health News

Medication-delivering drones and telehealth at local libraries are among the ideas state leaders revealed in November for spending their share of a $50 billion federal rural health program.

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The Trump administration, which has promised “radical transparency,” said in an FAQ that it plans to publish the “project summary” for states that win awards. Following the lead of federal regulators, many states are withholding their complete applications, and some have refused to release any details.

“Let’s be clear,” said Alan Morgan, chief executive of the National Rural Health Association. “The hospital CEOs, the clinic administrators, the community leaders: They’re going to want to know what their states are doing.” The NRHA’s members include struggling rural hospitals and clinics, which federal lawmakers promised would benefit from the Trump administration’s Rural Health Transformation Program.

Morgan said his members are interested in what states propose, which of their ideas are approved or rejected, and their budget narratives, which detail how the money could be spent.

Improving rural health care is an “insanely complicated and difficult task,” Morgan said.

The five-year Rural Health Transformation Program was approved by Congress in a law — the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — that also drastically cuts Medicaid spending, on which rural providers heavily depend. It’s being watched closely because it’s a much-needed influx of funds — with a caveat from the Trump administration that the money be spent on transformational ideas, not just to prop up ailing rural hospitals.

The law says half of the $50 billion will be divided equally among all states with an approved application. The rest will be distributed through a points-based system. Of the second half, $12.5 billion will be allotted based on each state’s rurality. The remaining $12.5 billion will go to states that score well on initiatives and policies that, in part, mirror the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” objectives.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly promised to open the government to the American people. His agency has a webpage devoted to “radical transparency.”

“We’re working to make this the most transparent HHS in its 70-year history,” Kennedy said in written testimony to lawmakers in September.

Lawrence Gostin, a professor of public health law at Georgetown University, said HHS is “acting in a way that utterly lacks transparency” and that the public has the right to demand “greater openness and clarity.” Without transparency, the public cannot hold HHS accountable, he said.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services spokesperson Catherine Howden said the agency will follow the federal regulations governing competitive grant materials when releasing information about the rural health program.

Grant applications are “not released to the public during the merit review process,” Howden said, adding, “The purpose of this policy is to protect the integrity of evaluations, applicant confidentiality, and the competitive nature of the process.”

Democrats and many health care advocates are concerned politics will affect how much money states get.

“I am very concerned about retaliation,” said Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill. Because Democrats control her state’s politics, “our application might not be as seriously considered as other states that have Republican leadership,” she added.

Illinois’ Democratic members of the U.S. House sent a letter to CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz in November asking for “full and fair consideration” of their state application. Illinois officials have not yet released their state’s proposal to KFF Health News, which has a pending public records request.

Heather Howard, a professor of the practice at Princeton University, said she is “pleasantly surprised at how transparent the states have been.”

Howard directs the university’s State Health and Value Strategies program, which is tracking the rural health fund, and praised most states for publicly posting their project summaries.

“To me, it speaks to the intense interest in this program,” Howard said. Her team, reviewing about two dozen state summaries, found themes including expansion of home-based and mobile services, increased use of technology, and workforce development initiatives like scholarships, signing bonuses, and child care assistance for high-demand positions.

“I think it’s exciting,” Howard said. “What’s great here is the experimentation we’re going to learn from.”

Telerobotics appeared in Georgia’s and Alabama’s applications, she said, including a proposal to use robotic equipment for remote ultrasounds.

Another theme that “warms my heart,” Howard said, was the effort among states to create advisory groups or committees, including in Idaho, where work groups are expected to focus on technology, workforce development, tribal collaboration, and behavioral health.

All 50 states submitted applications to federal regulators by the Nov. 5 deadline and awards will be announced by the end of the year, according to CMS.

As of late November, nearly 40 states had released their project narrative, the main part of the application, which describes proposed initiatives, according to KFF Health News tracking. More than a dozen states have also released their budget narratives.

A handful of states — Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Wyoming — released all parts of the application.

KFF Health News filed public records requests for states’ complete applications. Some states have refused to release any of their application materials.

Nebraska, for example, rejected a public records request, saying its application materials are “proprietary or commercial information” that “would give advantage to business competitors.”

Kentucky shared its application summary but said the remainder of the application is a “preliminary draft” not subject to release under state laws.

Erika Engle, a spokesperson for Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, said the governor “is committed to transparency” but declined to share any of the state’s proposal.

Hawaii and other states are still processing formal public records requests.

The rural health program is part of the July law projected to reduce federal Medicaid spending in rural areas by $137 billion over 10 years.

Those cuts are expected to affect rural health facilities’ bottom lines, threatening their ability to stay open. A recent Commonwealth Fund report found that rural areas continue to lack access to primary care. But the guidelines for the rural health program say states can use only 15% of their new funding to pay providers for patient care.

Between the Medicaid cuts and funding boost from the new program, “there’s real opportunity for national policy to impact rural, both in the negative and the positive potentially,” said Celli Horstman, a senior research associate at the New York-based policy think tank who co-authored the report.

Among the publicly available rural health transformation proposals, Democratic-leaning states show support, or are willing to adopt, some of the administration’s goals but will lose out on points from eschewing others.

For example, New Mexico said it would introduce legislation requiring students to take the Presidential Fitness Test and physicians to complete continuing education courses on nutrition. But it won’t prevent people from using their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to buy “non-nutritious” foods such as soda and candy.

Many states want to invest in technology, including telehealth, cybersecurity, and remote patient monitoring equipment. Other themes include increasing access to healthy food, improving emergency services, preventing and managing chronic illnesses, and enlisting community health workers and paramedics for home visits.

Specific proposals include:

Arkansas wants to spend $5 million through its “FAITH” program — Faith-based Access, Interventions, Transportation, & Health — to enlist rural religious institutions to host education and preventive screening events. Congregations could also install walking circuits and fitness equipment.
Alaska, which historically relied on dogsled teams to bring medication to remote areas, is looking to test the use of “unmanned aerial systems” to speed up pharmacy deliveries to such communities.
Tennessee wants to increase access to healthy activities by spending money on parks, trails, and farmers markets.
Maryland wants to start mobile markets and install refrigerators and freezers to improve access to fresh, healthy food that often spoils in rural areas with few grocery stores.

State Sen. Stephen Meredith, a Republican who represents part of western Kentucky, said he still expects rural hospitals to close despite his state’s rural health transformation program.

“I think we’re treating symptoms without curing the disease,” he said after listening to a presentation on Kentucky’s proposal at a state committee meeting.

Morgan, whose organization represents rural hospitals likely to close, said the state’s ideas may sound good.

“You can craft a narrative that sounds wonderful,” he said. “But then translating the aspirational goals to a functioning program? That’s difficult.”

KFF Health News staffers Phil Galewitz, Katheryn Houghton, Tony Leys, Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez, Maia Rosenfeld, Bram Sable-Smith, and Lauren Sausser contributed to this report.

©2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.