Celebrating the Winter Holidays 

Winter is a magical season filled with joy and warmth. It is a time when we come together with our friends and families to celebrate various winter customs and traditions, and a big part of this involves food. Read on to find out more and get some mouthwatering recipes you can try out in your breakfast program or at home. 

Christmas: A Season of Giving and Treats

Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated winter holidays across the world. It’s a time for giving and receiving — and for enjoying delicious food. Here is a classic breakfast recipe with a Christmasy twist for you to try.  

Gingerbread Pancakes: The ultimate Christmas-inspired breakfast treat, these festive pancakes are lightly spiced with ginger and cinnamon, and topped with Greek yogurt and dates. 

Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights and Delights

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that is celebrated in many ways, including the lighting of the menorah and a bounty of traditional foods. Here is a Hanukkah-inspired recipe to savour. 

Latkes: These crispy potato pancakes are a Hanukkah staple. Top them with applesauce or sour cream for a savory and satisfying treat. 

Kwanzaa: Honouring African Heritage and Culinary Traditions

Kwanzaa is a celebration of African heritage focusing on unity, self-determination and creativity. It’s also a time to enjoy the rich flavours of African, African-American and African-Canadian cuisine.  

Crustless Sweet Potato Pie: A Southern classic with African roots, sweet potato pie is a scrumptious dessert that combines the rich flavours of sweet potatoes with the warmth of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.  

Winter Solstice: The Longest Night of the Year

This astronomical event has been celebrated for millennia. Solstice customs mark the shortest day of the year and the gradual return of the sun.  

Creamy Oatmeal with Spiced Apple and Cranberry: Spiced compote sauce makes a great topping for a warm bowl of pot oats on a chilly solstice morning. 

By embracing the various winter holidays and exploring their unique traditions and recipes, we can learn more about our friends, classmates and the world around us. This season, let’s come together, share some delicious food and celebrate the rich tapestry of cultures and traditions that make our world so beautifully diverse. Happy holidays!  

Photo credit: Get Cracking

The ultimate Christmas–inspired breakfast treat, these festive pancakes are lightly spiced with ginger and cinnamon, and topped with Greek yogurt and dates.

Yield: 20 pancakes 

Ingredients

• 2 c. (500 ml) whole wheat flour 
• 2 tsp. (10 ml) baking powder 
• 1 tbsp. (15 ml) ground ginger 
• 2 tsp. (10 ml) cinnamon 
• Pinch of salt 
• 1 tbsp. (15 ml) brown sugar 
• 3 eggs, beaten 
• 1 tbsp. (15 ml) applesauce  
• 2 c. (500 ml) milk 
• Vegetable oil or spray, to fry 
• 1 c. (250 ml) Greek yogurt, to serve 
• ½ c. (125 ml) chopped pitted dates, to serve

Instructions 

1. Put the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar in a large bowl. Combine the eggs, applesauce and milk in a separate cup or jug. Gradually pour into the dry ingredients, whisking until a smooth, silky batter forms. 
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat and ladle 2 to 3 small rounds into the pan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until bubbles start to appear on the surface, then flip over and cook for a further minute until fluffy. Do this in batches until you have approximately 20 pancakes. 
3. Top with Greek yogurt and chopped dates.

Photo credit: Kristine’s Kitchen

If you love the classic taste of quiche but don’t want the fuss of cooking with pastry, this crustless recipe is for you!

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients   

• 1 red onion, finely chopped 
• 1 garlic clove, minced 
• 1 c. (250 ml) chopped cauliflower florets 
• 1½ c. (350 ml) thickly sliced Brussels sprouts 
• Cooking oil spray 
• 8 large eggs 
• 100 g (3.5 oz) natural cottage cheese 
• 400 g (14 oz) canned baked beans, divided 
• Seasoning to taste 
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved 
• A handful of fresh parsley, chopped, to serve (optional) 

Instructions 

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Place the onion, garlic, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts in a deep non-stick quiche dish or another ovenproof dish. Spray with cooking oil spray, toss to coat and bake for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are almost tender.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and cottage cheese together in a bowl or jug, and stir in half the baked beans and season as desired.
4. Remove the dish from the oven, pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and gently stir. Spoon the rest of the beans on top, poke in the halved tomatoes and bake for 30 minutes or until set and golden.
5.  Cut into 8 portions and scatter with chopped fresh parsley to serve if desired.

Photo credit: Mordu

These crispy potato pancakes are a Hanukkah staple. Top them with applesauce or sour cream for a savory and satisfying treat. 

Yield: 25 latkes 

Ingredients 

• 1 large onion (approximately ¾ c. or 175 ml) 
• 2 lb. (900 g) Russet potatoes 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) salt 
• ½ tsp. (2.5 ml) black pepper 
• ½ tsp. (2.5 ml) garlic powder 
• 2 tbsp. (30 ml) olive oil 

Instructions 

1. Set the oven to warm (170°F or 75°C). Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet. 
2. Peel the onion, quarter it, then process it in the food processor until it’s finely chopped. Put in a colander and place the colander on top of a bowl. 
3. Using the fine shredding disc of your food processor, shred the potatoes. Place them in the colander with the onions. 
4. Use your clean hands to mix the onion and potatoes. Press on the mixture with your hands repeatedly to extract as much liquid as you can into the bowl. This is the most important step. The drier the mixture is, the crispier the latkes will turn out, and the less risk of them falling apart. Resist the temptation to add flour to help absorb the liquid: it is unnecessary and will result in suboptimal results. 
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add the drained onion/potato mixture and use a fork to mix well. 
6. Heat the oil in a 12’’ (30 cm) nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. The oil should cover the bottom of the skillet and be about ½’’ (just over 1 cm) deep. 
7. Spoon about 2 tbsp. of mixture per pancake into the skillet, pressing on them a little with a spatula to flatten. You should be able to fry 4 latkes at a time. (Pro tip: Try two skillets simultaneously to cut the frying time in half!) 
8. Cook the latkes until the underside is browned, about 5 minutes. Turn them over and cook until the other side is browned, about 5 more minutes. 
9. Transfer the cooked latkes to paper towels to drain, then place on the cooling rack on the baking sheet and keep them in the warm oven while you finish frying. Between batches, mix the egg and potato mixture to keep it from separating. 
10. These can be prepared a day in advance and reheated in a hot oven.