Festive Flavors: Celebrating the Traditions of Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah

The winter holiday season is a wonderful time of year when family, friends, and communities come together to enjoy their favorite foods and honor their heritage. Christmas, Kwanza, and Hanukkah are three of the many holidays celebrated worldwide. Although each holiday is different, they share common themes of gathering with family and friends, gift-giving, love, and reflection.

Written By Ariana Torres, Dietetic Intern, and Kristen Hung, MPH, RDN, Clinical Dietitian

Christmas: The Spirit of Joy & Giving

Christmas is celebrated on December 25th to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. This holiday is observed in many countries, including Mexico, Italy, France, Germany, Eastern Europe, and the United States. A central tradition is decorating evergreen trees with lights and ornaments, as well as adorning houses with bright lights to symbolize hope, joy, warmth, and spiritual light. Nativity scenes featuring the Holy Family are often displayed both indoors and outdoors to depict the story of Jesus's birth.

Another notable Christmas tradition is gift-giving, which reflects the spirit of generosity and love while celebrating the joy and goodwill of the season. During this festive time, Christmas caroling and the presence of Santa Claus further enhance the holiday spirit. Friends and families gather to celebrate, share quality time, and enjoy delicious meals. While Christmas dishes vary across cultures, traditional Western holiday foods often include iconic favorites that highlight the season’s culinary richness.

Western Christmas Foods:

• Roast Turkey or Ham: whole turkey or ham roasted in the oven with fresh herbs and seasonings
• Vegetable Casseroles: a dish with various vegetables, sauces, and toppings, baked in the oven
• Gingerbread Cookies: a human-shaped golden-brown cookie typically flavored with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon
• Eggnog: a dairy-based beverage made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolk, and whipped egg whites
• Fruit cakes: a cake made with a variety of candied and dried fruit

Here is a Christmas recipe you can try:

Orange and Maple Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash (about 2 1/2 lbs), peeled, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 TB olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 TB pure maple syrup
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 2 TB chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the squash with the oil and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Tile the squash slices in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, overlapping the pieces. Stir the maple syrup, orange zest, and juice together in a small bowl and pour over the squash.
2. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until the squash is tender, and the top begins to brown, 30 to 40 minutes more. Scatter the parsley over the top.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: (Serves 8)

Calories: 141 kcal

Total Fat: 5 g

Saturated Fat: 1 g

Carbohydrates: 26g

Dietary Fiber: 4g

Sugar: 10g

Protein: 2g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 521 mg

Kwanzaa: Honoring African Heritage

Kwanzaa is a cultural celebration observed primarily by African Americans but also by people of African heritage worldwide. This week-long holiday honors African heritage, culture, and traditions, with each day dedicated to one of seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

Throughout the week, seven candles are lit on the Kinara, a seven-branched candleholder, to symbolize these principles. Various items, such as fruits, vegetables, a straw mat, ears of corn, a unity cup, and the candleholder itself, are used as symbols to represent the values and themes of Kwanzaa.

December 31st features a communal feast known as Karamu Ya Imani, a joyful event that celebrates faith in the past, present, and future while serving as a culmination of the holiday's principles.

Kwanzaa emphasizes the importance of coming together to honor African heritage, culture, and values while passing on these traditions to the next generation, fostering a united and hope-filled future.

Some traditional Kwanzaa dishes include:

• Braised collard greens: a side dish made by cooking the collard greens in broth until they become tender
• Mac and cheese: a comfort-baked dish made with pasta, multiple cheeses like cheddar and mozzarella, and butter
• Gumbo: a stew made with shrimp, sausage, or chicken and various vegetables like onion, celery, and bell pepper
• Jamaican jerk chicken: marinated chicken with various herbs and spices like thyme, garlic, allspice, and peppers, typically grilled or smoked over an open flame
• Jollof rice: long-grain rice cooked in a tomato-based sauce with onion, garlic, ginger, bell peppers
• Corn fritters: golden-fried fritters made with canned corn, flour, eggs, and milk

Here is a recipe for delicious Jamaican Jerk Chicken to try:

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs of chicken breasts without skin
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 2 TB light brown sugar, packed
• 1 TB dried thyme
• 2 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ – ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F with the rack in the lower middle position. In a bowl, combine all remaining ingredients to form a spice rub/paste mixture. Set aside.
2. Use paper towels to thoroughly dry chicken breasts of excess moisture. If chicken breasts are large, slice them horizontally to thin out the breast. Evenly spread the rub mixture throughout the chicken.
3. Place chicken on a large rimmed/foil-lined baking sheet, with space in between each piece. For smaller-sized chicken breasts, bake for about 40 minutes; for larger-sized chicken breasts, bake for about 50 minutes or until nicely browned. Serve immediately, with drippings from the baking pan.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: (Serves 8)

Calories: 267 kcal

Total Fat: 12.7g

Saturated Fat: 2.1g

Total Carbohydrates: 4.4g

Sugar: 0.1g

Protein: 32g

Cholesterol: 103.1g

Sodium: 65.5g

Hanukkah: The Jewish Festival of Lights

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is observed by Jewish people worldwide. It typically falls between late November and late December, commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days despite being enough for only one.

The central tradition of Hanukkah is lighting the menorah, a special candleholder that symbolizes the miracle of the oil. Each night, an additional candle is lit until all eight candles, plus the shamash (helper candle), are glowing. Other important elements of the celebration include Scripture readings, festive songs, traditional games like dreidel, family meals, and gift-giving.

Hanukkah is a time for Jewish families to come together to celebrate their faith, cherish loved ones, and honor the perseverance and strength of the Jewish people.

Common foods that are eaten during this holiday are:

• Latkes: fried potato pancakes served with apple sauce and sour cream
• Matzah ball: soup morsels made from matzah meal, beaten eggs, and fat
• Brisket: braised beef brisket
• Sufganiyot: jelly-filled donuts
• Rugelach: a dessert made from dough that is filled and baked with confection sugar

Try this baked veggies-packed Latke recipe:

Baked Latkes with Zucchini & Carrot

Ingredients

• 1 TB of olive oil
• 1 lb of russet potatoes
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 zucchini
• 1 onion
• 1 egg
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 2 TB flour

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Peel and grate potatoes, carrots, and zucchini with a box grater (or food processor with a grater attachment), transfer to a kitchen towel, and squeeze out the liquid.
3. Add onion to a food processor, chop until fine, squeeze out the excess liquid, and add to a large bowl with the potatoes, carrots, and zucchini. Squeezing all of the liquid out helps dry the potato and onion mixture, which will help the latkes crisp up when cooking.
4. Combine egg with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk until combined and add to the potato mixture.
5. Add 2 tbsp flour to the mixture and combine everything.
6. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and use the back of a spoon to press down and create a flat latke shape.
7. Drizzle a tbsp of olive oil over the latkes and put the tray into a 450-degree oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, flip the latkes and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Enjoy the latkes served hot with green onions and a dollop of Greek yogurt, sour cream, or applesauce.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (without toppings): (Serves 4)

Calories: 169 kcal

Total Fat: 4.9g

Saturated Fat: 0.9g

Total Carbohydrates: 28.5g

Fiber: 2.8g

Sugar: 3g

Protein: 5.7g

Cholesterol: 51.4mg

Sodium: 38 mg

For questions or to learn more about building a healthy lifestyle, contact our registered dietitian nutritionists at the Medical Nutrition Therapy or Diabetes Self-Management Programs in the Torrance Memorial Lundquist Lurie Cardiovascular Center, 2841 Lomita Blvd., Suite 335. Call 310-891-6707 or visit TorranceMemorial.org/nutrition for information on upcoming classes and programs or to schedule an appointment.