Vegan Corn and Zucchini Fritters
I found love in a hopeless place.
I love eating seasonally. Seasonal vegetables are flavorful and eating produce that’s in season is definitely more environmentally friendly. And don’t get me wrong, I LOVE vegetables, but sometimes there is only so much squash a person can eat. We get a seasonal veggie box from Goma Greens (LOVE THEM!) delivered every week chock full of fresh produce, and we’ve been getting a lot of green squash lately. The other night, my husband looked at the dish of sautéed squash, then looked me square in the eye and said, “I can’t eat this anymore.”
I was starting to feel that way too, so I decided to search for some inspiration, and channeled my inner Rhianna
to help me find a way to make zucchini great again.
The following lyrics are what accompanied my thought process, as told to the tune of RiRi’s “We Found Love”. If you want to sing this rather than read it silently (BORING!) then open this link in another window and sing along with the music.
Green zucchini on my mind
On my plate time after time
As your chopstick crosses mine
Are we living one big lie?
The way its sautéed it’s kinda covered in slime
But I’ve gotta find a way
I found love on a hopeless plate
I found love on a hopeless plate
I found love on a hopeless plate
I found love on a hopeless plate
You get the point.
After some serious soul searching and resulting embarrassment as I sang my husband this song*, I found the answer in a savory brunch dish that everyone will enjoy!
*Good thing I can cook; it distracts from my weirdness.
Corn and Zucchini Fritters (AKA I Found Love on a Hopeless Plate)
Ingredients
Fritters-
- 1 large zucchini, shredded
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 can whole kernel corn
- 1/2 C fine corn meal
- 1/2 C all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 3/4 cup coconut cream
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 flax egg (1 tbs ground flax mixed with 3 tbs water and let to set for 10 minutes)
- Corn oil, for frying
Cashew Sour Cream-
- 1/2 soaked cashews
- 2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbs water
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
Fritters-
- Add shredded zucchini to a medium mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt, mix and set aside.
- Get flax egg ready and in a small bowl. In another bowl, mix coconut cream with 2 tsp apple cider vinegar to make "buttermilk", set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in small pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic andcook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Drain the zucchini in a colander and using a spatula, press as much water out of the zucchini as you can. Add zucchini back to the bowl.
- Add sautéed garlic and onion, corn, coconut cream "buttermilk" and flax egg to the bowl. Stir to combine well.
- Add cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, pepper and nutmeg to the bowl and stir well to combine, but do not over mix.
- Heat about 1/8 inch corn oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Scooping about 3 tbs of the mixture for each fritter, pan fry in batches of 3. Cook each side for 2-4 minutes, until evenly golden brown.
- Remove from pan when finished cooking and place on baking sheet lined with cooking paper to soak up excess oil.
Cashew Sour Cream-
- Add all ingredients to a high powered blender and mix on high until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender with a spatula as needed.
Notes
Assembly-
Stack three fritters on a plate and add a hefty dollop of cashew sour cream and sprinkle with dried dill.