For National Zucchini Day, which is August 8, I decided to make these zucchini and squash fritters that appeared on my Facebook feed (see http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/zucchini-fritters-recipe.html for the original recipe) for 3 main reasons:
- They looked incredibly delicious.
- Zucchini is cheap and abundant this time of year.
- I just received the brand new Pampered Chef Veggie Strip Maker and was anxious to try it.
Zucchini have only 17 calories per 100 g., contain no saturated fats or cholesterol and are a good source of potassium. When selecting zucchini, choose those that are firm and small-to-medium sized. They should be free of nicks and cuts and uniformly green in color, with a glossy sheen.
OK, on to my oh-so-blatant pitch for the new Pampered Chef Veggie Strip Maker (you can skip this part if you’d like and go directly to the recipe – just use a regular box grater instead.) And for those of you still reading (thank you), I am so excited about this new PC tool! It is child friendly due to its plastic blades, cuts on both downward and upward motions, has nonslip feet and a bowl notch to keep it steady, and is dishwasher safe. Here’s a short video to see it in action: https://vimeo.com/thepamperedchef/review/131918798/de6a560d20
Love, love, love it, and you will, too! I shredded all of the veggies in this recipe in record time and didn’t have to worry about scraping my fingers on my metal box grater, always a plus! It’s great for making coleslaw and for shredding cheese, too.
And now on to the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini, washed and patted dry
- 1 medium squash, washed and patted dry
- 1/3 cup sweet onion, chopped fine
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
- 2 stems fresh oregano leaves, chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Seasoned salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup flour (you may not need all of it)
- 1½ to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
Grate the zucchini and squash and onion into a colander.
Sprinkle with salt and let stand for 15 minutes or so.
Cover with paper towels and press down to remove as much moisture as possible. Place mixture between two dry paper towels and wring to remove more moisture. The trick here is to get the zucchini, squash and onion as dry as possible.
Place the dry veggies in a bowl and add the garlic, basil, oregano, lemon zest, eggs, onion powder, salt and pepper and mix well.
Slowly add the flour, so the mixture starts to firm a bit (it will still be moist, even if you use all of the flour.)
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drop about 2 tablespoons of the zucchini mixture into the pan (mine held four fritters, spaced a couple of inches apart.)
Sauté for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
Transfer fritters to a paper-towel lined plate to absorb any oil.
Repeat until all of the batter has been used.
These are great as a meal (I added some avocado dipping sauce recommended in the Facebook post I saw) or as a side dish with your favorite protein. Just make sure you serve them while they are hot and crispy!
Happy National Zucchini Day, y’all!
Bon appétit!
Eat, drink and be merry!
Follow Kel’s Café of All Things Food on Twitter at: @kelscafe
Kel's Cafe of All Things Food 