ohmygosh, this might possibly be the best thing I’ve made this year. It’s been hard to decide on a name for these little veggie babies because I’ve been so busy reminiscing over their taste and adorable little patty shape, but I think I’ve decided on “Garden Zucchini Veggie Fritters.” Although these babies (I keep calling them that, that’s how much I love them) are chock full of vegetables, I really wanted to put the spotlight on the zucchini for two reasons: 1. I used to love zucchini, but I got completely burned out on it and haven’t cooked with it in over a year, 2. Rob’s mom gave me a lovely (and humongous!) zucchini that she grew in her garden.
Her zucchini was literally the size of my arm, and I held onto it for several days trying to decide how on earth I was going to do this veritable vegetal behemoth justice. My mom, the woman to whom I credit my crafty cooking capabilities, suggested zucchini patties. Um, yes. I don’t know why, but I go crazy for tiny foods: patties, nuggets, fries… These delicate little morsels beckon for toppings and condiments (another one of my passions). Furthermore, their petite size encourages a crispy coating, which is my weakness. I am a sucker for some crisp, a crunch, a bite to precede my chew. I think that’s why I enjoy potato products (chips, fries, home fries, etc), because they develop that lovely, brown crisp, and I am addicted to crunch! For this reason, I couldn’t let the zucchini be lonely without some other veggie friends… okay, shhh. Don’t tell da zucch, but I really was not concerned for his well-being. I really hate how watery and soggy zucchini can get- in fact, that’s why I’ve avoided it for a year. So I needed some heartier comrades to support mr. zucch, give the fritters some structure, and counteract some of that sogginess to achieve DAT CRISP. And, by golly, I’ve done it.
Now I can’t end this introduction without mentioning the top hat for these fritter babies- chunky guacamole. My friend recently turned me on to homemade guacamole, and now I’m hooked. It’s personal preference, but I like to make my guac chunky, filled with delicious peppers, onions, tomatoes… and don’t forget the lime!
Seriously though, I am in love with these fritters. They take some work (all of the grating creates a bit of a mess, and I sustained a battle wound), but ooooh my are they delicious AND insanely healthy. Gluten free, vegan, soy free, nut free, and made almost entirely of vegetables (garden-grown ones at that!). Unfortunately, I didn’t get to share these with anyone, so I instead crouched over my plate of fritter babies and whispered “my precious” as I ate them all (over the course of two days… I’m not completely crazy).
Garden Veggie Fritters
¾ cup garden zucchini, grated
½ cup garden squash, grated
¼ cup carrot, grated
½ cup potato, grated
¼ cup red pepper, diced
1/8 cup red onion, diced
1 EnerG Egg Replacer (1 ½ tsp “egg” + 2 tbsp warm water)
½ cup Ians Gluten Free Panko Breadcrumbs
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Olive oil (to coat skillet)
Chunky Guacamole
1 avocado
1/8 cup red pepper, diced
1 tbsp garden green chili pepper, diced
1/8 cup tomato, diced
1/8 cup red onion, diced
Juice of ¼ fresh lime, squeezed
1 sprig cilantro, for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Grab your washed veggies and your trusty grater.
2. Remind yourself to not get overzealous with your grating and shave your hand off… like Nika may or may not have done…
3. Grate ¾ cup garden zucchini, ½ cup garden squash, ¼ cup carrot, and ½ cup potato. Add to a large bowl. Admire how pretty it looks.
4. Dice ¼ cup red pepper and 1/8 cup red onion and add to the bowl.
5. Make your EnerG Egg by mixing 1 ½ tsp EnerG with 2 tbsp of warm water until completely dissolved.
6. Add the “egg” and ½ cup of Panko breadcrumbs to the bowl.
7. Mix all the ingredients together by hand.
8. Add olive oil to a large skillet and warm the oil on medium high heat.
9. As the oil is heating, form your veggie fritters by packing together the ingredients into patty cakes. Place into hot oil.
10. I cooked these babies for approximately 10 minutes each side. Make sure the first side is browned before you flip them over so they don’t fall apart. The time depends on the thickness of your patties, but you want to make sure that a crispy brown coating has formed on both sides. In my opinion, it’s better to overcook them in order to try to dry out the watery garden vegetables. Some of my patties looked a little burned/over-crisped on one side, but they tasted even better (just extra crunch, no burn taste).
11. While your veggie fritters are cooking, cut up one avocado and place into a bowl.
12. Cut up 1/4 cup red pepper, 1 tbsp garden green chili pepper, ¼ cup tomato, and 1/8 cup red onion and add to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
13. Mash the avocado with a spoon and fold the ingredients into the avocado.
14. Top with a couple sprigs of cilantro and the freshly squeezed juice of ¼ of a lime.
15. Once your fritters are nice and crispy, remove from heat and plate ’em.
16. Top with guacamole and try not to pass out from a delicious veggie OD.
These little babies are best fresh (obvi), but I refrigerated them ate them the following day and they were still delicious. I reheated them by tossing them back into a skillet with some e.v.o.o. so they would still retain their crunch. You could microwave them, but you would lose your crispy coating and it might encourage the zucchini and squash to get soggy. Regardless, this is the best damn thing I’ve ate this month… maybe even this year.
❤ Nika
Eat. Tone. Love. 