Zucchini Fritters

I had some lovely zucchini from the farmer's market this week, and although I love to just eat it raw with hummus or ranch dip, I figured it would be fun to try something new!

Zucchini Fritters

2 cups shredded/grated zucchini (1 large or 2 small zucchinis)
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (you can use regular whole wheat too)
1 egg
1/2 onion, grated or finely chopped
1/4 cup light sour cream
splash of milk
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425.  Grate your zucchini and onion, or do what I did and run it through the food processor with the shredder blade (super fast!).  Put the onion and zucchini in a paper towel or kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess moisture.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together.  You may need more or less milk depending on the day, so start with a little and add gradually to get a loose dough consistency.  Place on greased cookie sheet by the tablespoon (I used a cookie scoop).  I'd recommend using parchment paper underneath to keep them from sticking but you don't have to.  Flatten the cakes out on the sheet so that they are discs instead of rounded.  Bake for 15 minutes, then flip them and bake for an additional 5 minutes.  Serve warm, with marinara, garlic mayo, ranch or another favorite dipping sauce!

Nutty Yogurt Topping

This particular recipe actually started as a vegan dessert crust, but when I tasted it I realized how many uses it could have if I tweaked it a bit!

Use it as a topping for yogurt, fruit, ice cream or even as the "crumble" on top of a pie or cobbler!  It packs a good amount of protein and it's very simple to make.  I'll be honest - more than once I've just eaten it with a spoon!  Hope you give it a try!

Nutty Yogurt Topping

1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup pecans
12 dates
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend ingredients in food processor to desired consistency.  I personally like to blend it pretty well, until it's close to flax seed or quinoa grain size.  The great part is, you can do it however you like!

* I have also added 1/2 teaspoon almond extract for variety, both in addition to or instead of the vanilla.  One of these days I'm going to try it with orange extract... maybe even tonight... mmmmm.