Southwest Zucchini Fritters

Because I am missing two upper molars (those delinquents never showed up!) I have always had a very gap-toothed grin. It’s something I’ve wanted to correct my whole life, but there have always been obstacles in my way … until last month. Yes, it turns out there is no age restriction on braces, so voila! I now have the shiny metal mouth of a teenager. And I have come to discover that just because you CAN do something doesn’t necessarily mean you SHOULD! My cheeks are shredded, my teeth are loose, and eating is a whole new adventure. In spite of this, I remain committed to my goal (cute teeth!), and in a short 23 months (!!!) I should be smiling pretty.

Meanwhile … what to eat? Since our local farmer’s market is now in full swing, I decided to try a zucchini fritter recipe – and am I glad I did! They were absolutely fabulous, and not just because they were soft enough for me to eat! Much to my surprise, my family loved them too. We had them as an accompaniment to Southwest Scrambled eggs – the details are below.

So whether you have all your teeth, none of your teeth or something in between – give Southwest Zucchini Fritters a try!

j*a*N*e

Southwest Zucchini Fritters

• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 medium potato, grated
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup dry breadcrumbs
• ½ cup minced onion
• 1 Tbsp. Simply Southwest^™ Seasoning & Rub
• ½ tsp. Garlic Pepper Seasoning
• ¼ cup flour
• Roasted Garlic Infused Oil for frying

Remove liquid from grated zucchini by squeezing it in a tea towel or cheesecloth, or sprinkle the zucchini with ½ tsp. of salt and let it drain in a colander for 30 minutes. Combine the zucchini, potato and egg in a large bowl. Stir in the bread crumbs, onion and seasonings. Mix well. Shape into 6-8 patties. Dredge (or coat) each patty with flour. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat until hot. Fry the patties in oil until golden brown on both sides.

Southwest Zucchini Fritters

Testing notes:

• Removing the liquid from the zucchini is a very important step. I put the shredded zucchini into an old tea towel and kind of wrung it out. That removed an amazing amount of water.
• I used two medium zucchini (about 8 inches long and 1½ inches in diameter), and I didn’t measure it after it was shredded. If your patties are too dry to hold together, or you have a little more shredded potato and zucchini than the recipe calls for, add another beaten egg.
• I didn’t have any trouble at all forming the patties – the dough/batter was very easy to work with. I formed patties about 3½ inches in diameter and maybe ½ inch thick.
• I put the flour in a bowl, pressed one side of a patty into the flour, flipped, pressed, then used my hands to even out the coating.
• Preparing the zucchini patties was a little futzy, but it was not at all difficult and they are well worth the effort.
• I topped the prepared patties with sliced tomato, and served them with Southwest Scrambled Eggs, refried beans and warm flour tortillas.
  • I added Simply Southwest Seasoning & Rub to the eggs before I whisked them. After they cooked, I topped them with Corn, Black Bean Salsa and shredded Cheddar cheese. Then I put the lid on my pan to let the cheese melt.
  • For the refried beans, I diced and cooked 1 strip of bacon and some chopped onion in a skillet, drained most of the bacon grease and added a can of refried beans. Delicious!
• My family loved this meal! It was so flavorful and good – we will make this often.
• We had leftover patties, which re-heated nicely in the microwave.

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