Chanukah is all about miracles, and we could all use a miracle. If you aren’t into the religious aspect of Chanukah, use the 8 days as a time to make wishes, give kisses, and pray for peace.
Some of our favorite activities and nosh on this holiday ;
SPIN THE DRIEDEL
Okay, it’s not 7 minutes in heaven, but it’s better than jacks. At least you get something out of it.. aka gelt!
Although the dreidel game is usually played by children, dreidel parties can be really fun for adults, too. Who doesn’t like winning lots of chocolate coins??! If you’ve forgotten the rules for playing spin the dreidel, here’s a great tutorial.
GET GELTY WITH IT
If you can’t find vegan Hanukkah gelt near you, Amazon and Sweet Earth Chocolates offer Kosher certified parve chocolate coins wrapped in gold or silver foil. YUM! It’s so tempting – it’s hard to save enough chocolate to actually play the game!
WHO YOU CALLIN’ A MENORAH?!
Don’t use a 5 dollar brass menorah if you don’t have to! Scout Jewish neighborhood thrift stores for cool n’ tacky vintage finds. Or enjoy this Pezznorah, and the other visual candy on this DIY menorah page. We’ll be lighting our candles tonight on a cat menorah. Yes, you read correctly and no we aren’t doing it in a hip-tongue-in-cheek way. We really love cats. Enter spinster jokes.
NOSH N’ NANCY
If this is your first festivus as a vegan, not to worry, try this egg-free version and feel free to get gourmand on your relatives tuchuses with some fancy additions like sweet potatoes, mushrooms, or pomegranate seeds. The instant latke mix offered by Steit’s also happens to be vegan. If you’re pressed for time, you can just add water and egg-replacer to the mix and fry the latkes up in a pan. Serve with apple sauce and enjoy!
Newly shorn Matisyahu is in town this Hanukkah week for his sixth annual Festival of Light tour (which kicked off yesterday). Though he may no longer be Hasidic, he does have a new identity of sorts: “About two years ago I became vegan,” the reggae artist told New York Magazine. His reasoning? “If a person has clean oil, then their candle will burn bright.” There’s a super-deep Hanukkah analogy for you on this first day of the holiday, which begins at sunset. While you mull that over, check out Matisyahu’s recipes for latkes and vegan jelly doughnuts. Don’t give him all the credit, though: “I’m not that advanced, I usually just make really simple stuff. For this I went to my mother-in-law.”
Other Jewy deliciousness? Try this Vegan Peppercorn and Red Wine Braised Brisket and Jelly Donut Twinkies.
Post inspired via our friends at YummyPlants