This year is my second year celebrating Hanukkah with Rich. Last year we didn't live together so I didn't get to share some of the traditions that my family has brought me up with. One of those traditions is that for at least one night of Hanukkah my mom will cook a big dinner, and special on the menu is Latkes.

Latkes are potato pancakes fried in oil to recognize the ancient oil (only enough for one day) that burned for 8 days. Thus the reason there are 8 days of Hanukkah.

Now that we're living together, now is the perfect time to start making our own traditions. So tonight I'm making a big dinner consisting of Beef Brisket (in the slow cooker that I got last night for Hanukkah), Sweet Potato Latkes, and steamed green beans. For dessert I'm making a low(er) calorie Apple Pie straight from the December 2012 issue of Oxygen Magazine. I'll let you know how that one goes too.

I'm making my latkes with sweet potatoes to up the nutrition factor and will fry them in Coconut Oil instead of Shortening.

Sweet Potato Latkes are great for any dinner and would be delicious for breakfast with a fried egg on top and some turkey bacon on the side.

Update: dinner was delish! And the Sweet Potato Latkes were a big hit. They were soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside with a mildly sweet center and a hint of coconut. I served them with apple sauce but they were perfect by themselves. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Latkes

Prep time: 90 minutes - Cook time: 10-20 minutes - makes 12 Latkes

Ingredients: - 2 medium sweet potatoes, grated - 1 medium onion, diced - 2 eggs, beaten - 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour - 1 teaspoon sea salt - pinch of pepper - spoonful of coconut oil

Directions:

Peel potatoes and onion; soak for 1 hour in a bowl of water in the refrigerator.

Remove potatoes and onion from water. Grate potatoes and drain excess juice. Dice the onion and add to sweet potatoes. Add eggs, flour, salt and pepper to the mixture; mix well.

In a large skillet, melt a spoonful of coconut oil on medium heat. Form pancakes using a spoonful of batter, fry on both sides for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Serve with applesauce or cinnamon butter.

What's your favorite way to remake family tradition favorites?