As Valentine’s Day looms, we spoke to entrepreneur Rachelle Dalva Ferneau who has built a successful online artisan chocolate boutique.

This interesting recipe comes from the late Gil Marks, rabbi, author and food historian. 

“Shredded parsnip makes these crispy pancakes sweeter than the usual potato latkes, and the parsnips’ dry flesh renders them extraordinarily crunchy, too,” writes Melissa Clark.

“These were inspired by my mother’s cheese latkes,” says Ronnie Fein. They come from her book Hip Kosher: 175 Easy-to-Prepare Recipes for Today’s Kosher Cook (DaCapo, 2008).

There are no potatoes or added fat in these! Lots of chocolate and coconut make for a crunchy and chewy exterior and a wonderfully brownie-like interior. 

This recipe comes from Faye Levy’s book, Jewish Cooking for Dummies.

Add spice to your entertaining with this new take on a classic.

The latkes make wonderful cocktail fare, or prepare slightly larger ones and pair with soup and a big salad for a light dinner, or fish, for a more substantial meal. 

From The Essential Jewish Festival Cooking (HarperCollins) by Phyllis Glazer with Miriyam Glazer. 

Missing out on these amazing latke recipes would be a frying shame.

The gorgeous saffron and gold colors in this celebration of carrots—one of the symbolic vegetables on the Rosh Hashanah table—are reminiscent of sunshine and coins, and therefore of good fortune.

Amelia Saltsman’s secret to luscious roasted cauliflower—blanching the florets first—accomplishes three things, she reveals.

As Michael Solomonov writes, “Using the slight bitterness of tahini to tame the sugar and heighten the earthiness of the beets” makes for a magical combination, “capable of casting a spell on people who normally don’t like beets.” 

Americans throw away as much as 40 percent of the food we purchase. But some chefs practice “root-to-stem” cooking, meaning they use the entire vegetable: seeds, stalks, and all. 

In the hands of inventive chefs, homely vegetables go from simple sides to sophisticated centers of the plate.

The gorgeous gold and orange colors in this celebration of carrots—oneof the symbolic vegetables on the Rosh Hashanah table—are reminiscent of sunshine and coins, and therefore of good fortune.

Grilled mushrooms can easily take the place of meat in a meal. Michael Solomonov’s technique ensures that they do not wind up tasting leathery or bland.

Every bite of this cabbage is an explosion of dramatic flavors and layers of texture - lightly charred outside and melt-in-your-mouth tender within.

Prepared with colorful grated vegetables and thickened with a little chickpea flour, these savory pancakes are packed with fragrant fresh herbs and savory spices.