Month One: Day 3!

Although it's been way too hot here to even think about turning my oven on and try the Cauliflower Poppers, I did go out and buy a head of cauliflower yesterday.  I am promising myself that it wont just sit in the crisper...

However, I got a beautiful little email this morning from one of my favorite e-newsletters (gotta love Martha Stewart) that was entitled Zucchini Bonanza!  It has over 65 zucchini recipes for all different seasons.  A ton of grilled zucchini recipes and baked/gratin recipes!

The problem with zucchini is that it just doesn't have any taste.  In order to make it palatable, you have to saute it in butter, coat it in cheese and bake it in a crust.  Which reminds me- I'll post the most amazing zucchini pie recipe here in a bit :-)

There is one zucchini recipe that I've loved for quite a while.  It has eggs and cheese in it, but only feta, so it's fairly low in fat and calories.  Since they have eggs in them, I love to eat them in the morning for breakfast.  It makes me feel like I'm blowing one of my daily veggie servings out of the way without even trying!

Zucchini Fritters

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini

1 tsp salt

8 oz feta cheese

2 scallions, minced

2 Tbs fresh dill (or 2 tsp dried)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Olive Oil for cooking

Instructions

Shred the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater (or in the food processor).  Toss the zucchini with the salt and let it sit for a few minutes (about 5).  Put the shredded zucchini in a tea towel and squeeze until all excess liquid from the zucchini has been drained.  Think of this step the same way as you drain the water from spinach.

In a bowl, stir together the drained zucchini, feta, scallions, dill, eggs, garlic, and pepper.  Once combined, sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir until the flour is incorporated.  Heat some olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Drop 2-tablespoon-sized portions (about the size of a cookie dough ball) into the hot skillet and flatten out into the shape of a pancake with a spatula.  Fry until golden brown on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side.  

Note: If you don't drain the zucchini in the first step, the fritters will fall apart in the skillet and will become very wet and sloppy.

Will keep in the fridge for quite a few days.  Like I said, I like to save them, and eat them for a savory breakfast.  They also work very well as a side dish to grilled chicken or fish!