Celebrate the Festival of Lights by making lighter versions of your favorite Hanukkah dishes. We've rounded up the best recipes that have all the traditional tastes you love, without any of the extra fat or calories, to keep all of your guests satisfied.


Main Dishes

Pot Roast: We know, we know, your mom makes the best brisket in town, but this simple and lean venison roast may give hers a run for its money. Trim the fat to trim even more calories from this already lean protein.

Grandma's Simple Roast Chicken: Whether your table is full of sophisticated or picky palates, you can't go wrong with a perfectly roasted chicken. The leanest of lean proteins, chicken is a healthy choice whether you go with dark meat or white.

Pomegranate Glazed Turkey and Roasted Fennel: Not tired of turkey yet? The sweet pomegranate sauce creates a unique glaze for this lean turkey cutlet dish that couldn't be further from your Thanksgiving bird.

Side Dishes

Winter Squash Chicken Tzimmes: Orange juice and cinnamon, not sugar, provide the sweetness in this winter squash and chicken stew. Tzimmes (pronounced "tsim-iss") is often served during the Jewish New Year and the sweet dish is said to ensure a sweet year to come.

Baked Rutabaga Potato Latkes: Rita-whata? Rutabagas, which are like a cross between a turnip and a cabbage, add bulk to these latkes letting you cut back on the starchy potatoes.

Quinoa with Dried Cherries: The greatest grain you aren't eating: quinoa is actually a great source of protein making it a vegetarian crowd pleaser. The sweet and tart flavor of cherries will make it an anyone pleaser.

Potato Carrot and Zucchini Kugel: Kugel is a versatile dish most often made with potatoes or noodles and can be a great side or a sweet dessert. In this version, carrots, zucchini, and two kinds of onions pack a nutritional punch.

Fruit and Veggie Sides

Winterfruit Salad: A delicious salad of fresh and vibrant fruit, this recipe blends all the ripe, winter seasonal fruits into what makes an amazing side, but is so sweet and flavorful it can easily double as a guilt-free dessert.

Baba Ganoush: Eggplant and tahini are blended together into a low fat, low calorie creamy dream perfect for dipping veggies or spreading on crostini.

Homemade Applesauce: Pear brings a delicious, seasonal twist into this sugarless applesauce recipe. Eat as a healthy side or pair it with your crispy latkes.

Dessert

Cheese Blintzes: You can still have dessert AND cheese while watching your diet. This version is made with egg whites, cottage cheese and when topped with fruit, is actually a pretty well balanced dish.

Healthy Blueberry Blintzes: These healthy blueberry blintzes are heavily egg-based and by skipping most of the yolks you have a protein packed dessert that's high in omega-3s and low in saturated fat.

Sufganiyot: Sufganiyot is far from a healthy choice, but if you must partake, this no-fry version lightens up these little donuts as much as possible. Taste? Just as delicious as always.

Low Fat Apricot Noodle Kugel: We couldn't give you a savory kugel without giving you a sweet version, could we? This apricot kugel is low fat and made with only egg whites. For an extra boost of fiber, use whole grain noodles instead of white.