The other thing I did different was the compote. I made this one with dried figs and apricots. I decided to use orange and lemon juice with honey. I served it with a variety of Spanish cheeses including manchego, an aged goat cheese and another one- can’t remember the name.

Definitely make this for your next holiday get together. It is quick, easy and delicious. You can make this in advance and keep it in the fridge. Enjoy!

• ½ cup dried mission figs, cut into thin strips
• ½ cup dried apricots, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ¼ teaspoon salt

In a small saucepan, add the figs, apricots, orange juice, lemon juice, honey and salt. Bring the liquid to a boil and turn it down to a simmer. Reduce the liquid till the compote is thick and syrupy. It will take about 15 minutes. Taste for seasonings and serve with cheese.

I knew latkes are served either with sour cream or apple sauce. I decided to do a savory cilantro cream with lime juice and salt in the sour cream. For the apple chutney, I chopped the apples and cooked them in apple cider. I then added fresh ginger, cayenne pepper and cloves.

The combination was really delicious- do try these. They are not the classic ones people usually look forward to but are truly different and yum!

• 2 large russet potatoes (about 3 cups)
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 2 green onions, minced
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1 serrano chile, minced
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 2-3 tablespoons chickpea flour (all-purpose flour will be fine)
• ½ cup extra light olive oil heated to about 200 degrees.

Heat oven to 200 degrees. Place a small lined cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Line a large mixing bowl with a cheese cloth. Grate the potatoes in the cloth and squeeze all the liquid out and put back into the bowl. Add the shallots, green onions, ginger, chile, cilantro, egg, salt and the coriander powder. Slowly add the flour, mix well until the mixture is thick.
Scoop the mixture with a ¼ cup measure. Place it gently in the hot oil and flatten it with the back of the cup measure. Cook on medium high heat for 4-5 minutes on both sides or till golden brown. Take out on a platter lined with paper towels, drain well and place in the oven to keep hot.
Serve with cilantro cream or apple chutney.

Makes 9-10 medium sized latkes.

Cilantro Cream

• ½ cup low-fat sour cream
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Juice of one lime
• 2 teaspoons salt or to taste

In a blender, add the sour cream, cilantro, lime-juice and salt. Blend till smooth- you may need to add a couple teaspoons of water to start the blending process. Take out in a small bowl and serve with the latkes.

Apple Chutney

• One large honey crisp apple, cut into ½ inch pieces
• ½ cup apple cider
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cloves
• ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
• Salt

In a small saucepan, add the apple, cider, vinegar, sugar, cloves, ginger, cayenne pepper and salt. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook the apples till they are soft and the liquid is half the amount- about 10 minutes. Smash the apples with the back of a ladle and mix with the thickened liquid. Cook for another 5 minutes and take out in a bowl and serve with the latkes.

We were in town and a local restaurant was selling farm fresh vegetables. The cauliflower was calling my husband from a mile away. We bought the biggest one we could find and brought it home.

We were having some people over and I was making vegetarian food- what does one make for an appetizer??? Well, grilled or tandoori cauliflower, of course!!

I mixed up a tandoori paste which included ginger, garlic, cilantro and Greek yogurt. I blanched the cauliflower and marinated the florets in the delicious paste. I had time and marinated them overnight. If you don’t have the luxury, marinate them for at least 2 to 3 hours..

Try this next time you are stumped on what to make for a vegetarian appetizer…

• 3 cups cauliflower florets

Bring some water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the florets and blanch for 3 to 4 minutes. Take the pan to the sink and top it off with cold water to shock the cauliflower. Take out and pat dry.

Tandoori Sauce

• 2-inch fresh ginger, cut up
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup half and half
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ajwain
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to high broil.

Process the ginger, garlic and cilantro in a food processor. Add the mixture to a small bowl. Add the yogurt, half and half, salt, ajwain and lemon juice to the bowl. Mix well. Add the sauce and cauliflower to a ziplock bag. Mix well making sure not to break the florets. Marinate in the fridge over night or at least 3 hours.
Place the marinated florets on a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle the olive oil and some salt if needed. Broil on high till the florets are golden brown on both sides- about 5 minutes on each side. Serve hot with a drizzle of lemon juice.

What do you do with delicious leftovers?? You make fritters, of course! I decided to add an egg, peanuts, raisins and the secret ingredient- panko breadcrumbs. I love using these Japanese breadcrumbs. They provide a delicious crunch in everything.  I incorporated everything and cooked them in a non-stick pan with a bit of oil.

The crunchy fritters were delicious- the chopped raisins provided a surprise burst of sweetness and the peanuts were crunchy. It was amazing to transform the cabbage into delicious fritters. Now I can’t wait to make the cabbage again so I can eat the fritters again!

• 1 to 1½ cups leftover spiced cabbage
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ¼ cup peanuts, chopped
• ¼ cup golden raisins, chopped
• ½ cup panko crumbs
• ¼ cup extra light olive oil

Add the cabbage, egg, salt, peanuts, raisins and panko crumbs in a medium bowl and mix well with fingers, incorporating everything well. Form fritters carefully pressing between palms, making 6 to 8 depending on the size.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan over high heat. Lower to a simmer and sauté the fritters turning every minute making sure all sides are golden brown. Serve hot.

Well, I finally made them- it is the same recipe as the others but this one has a healthy dose of delicious apple cider. I dusted the outside with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Since it is Halloween today- do make them. They are delicious and healthy. It will be nice for everyone to eat something healthy for a change on Halloween..

• ¾ cup raw sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1½ cups white whole-wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ cup extra light olive oil
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup fine raw sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Lightly grease a 12 muffin tin with a bit of oil in each cup.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg till light and fluffy. Pour in vegetable oil, cider and vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour into the egg mixture and stir well.
Divide batter evenly into the muffin cups, filling about ½ full.
Bake for 15 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

While muffins are baking, melt butter in a small bowl. Pour ½ cup sugar and cinnamon into another small bowl and mix well.

Once the muffins are done, lightly brush the top with melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in the cinnamon sugar, coating all parts of the duffin.