Delicious, crunchy and full of flavor Greek Zucchini Fritters are my suggestion for an easy summer dinner!This past weekend our older boy turned 9 and his dreams finally came true when he got a bmx bike! He was hoping he would get it since he had been asking for it for over a year. What he didn’t expect was this giant gummy bear that weighs 5 pounds! It was a complete surprise. He saw a video about it on youtube probably last summer and then he spotted it in the Lolli & Pop candy store. So, I decided to get it for him. Total shock! His smile says it all! 

Here he is enjoying his new bike and giving me a slight heart attack! So far, he has only gotten several scratches and broke the reflector.

As promised, today I’m continuing with zucchini recipes. I finally used the spiralizer I discussed in my last post, and made garlicky zucchini noodles with pesto. I liked it a lot, so stay tuned!

I love fritters! Check my Cauliflower Fritters and Baked Butternut Squash Cakes which are baked fritters actually! Zucchini fritters can be mixed with a variety of spices and turned into a Mexican fiesta, Indian affair or Italian snack.

Today’s recipe doesn’t involve the spiralizer, only a grater or food processor. Zucchini holds a lot of water, and it is very important to get as much of it out as possible. Otherwise, the fritters will be soggy and fall apart. Grate the zucchini or shred in the food processor, then place in colander. Place the colander into the bowl or sink, otherwise there will be quite a mess when the liquid starts draining. Add 1 teaspoon salt and mix it in using your hands. Let sit for about 20 minutes.

After about 20 minutes start gently squeezing the liquid out. When preparing this recipe, out of about 4 cups of shredded zucchini I got about 1.5 cups of the liquid. You don’t need to measure it out, I just wanted to give you an idea in case you are new to cooking zucchini ;). There were about 2 cups of the shredded zucchini left.

Transfer the drained zucchini into a large bowl and add 2 eggs, ½-¾ cup of flour, ¼ cup each finely chopped onion/shallot, oregano and dill/parsley, 3-4 chopped mint leaves, then stir well. Add 1 diced jalapeno, ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes and ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese. Stir well.

Add salt and pepper to taste. If the batter seems too liquidy, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Heat up a large skillet and add enough coconut oil to cover the bottom. Using a spoon, place the batter on the skillet and flatten each fritter a bit. Fry about 3-4 minutes per side, until golden. Place on a large plate lined with paper towel . Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil when needed.

Serve with Greek yogurt mixed with chopped mint, oregano, salt and pepper.

Makes: 10-12 fritters      Prep time: 30 minutes   Ready in: 1 hr.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups shredded zucchini (from about 4 zucchini)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• ½-¾ cup flour
• ¼ cup onion or shallot, finely diced
• ¼ cup fresh oregano, chopped
• ¼ cup total parsley, dill, thyme (or any fresh herb you like), chopped
• 3-4 mint leaves, chopped
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded, finely diced
• ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes, oil drained, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• coconut oil for frying

Herbed Yogurt: 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2-3 mint leaves chopped, 1 teaspoon fresh oregano chopped, minced garlic (optional), salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. Place the zucchini in the food processor and shred them. Alternatively, grate them using a hand-held grater. Place the shredded zucchini in a colander, add salt, stir and let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Squeeze the liquid out and discard it.
3. Transfer the zucchini into a bowl and add eggs, flour (start with ½ cup and add more flour when needed), onion, herbs, jalapeno, sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese. Stir well and adjust the seasonings.
4. Heat up a large skillet and add the coconut oil. Place a small amount of batter and flatten it to form the fritters. Fry until golden, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
5. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with herbed yogurt.

Enjoy!