South of The Border Zucchini Fritters

When your garden or your local farmers’ market is teeming with summer squash, take advantage of the seasonal abundance. And when you think you’ve exhausted your methods for preparing them—steamed, sautéed, roasted, grilled, even raw!—here’s an idea what may become a new favorite: fritters! These make a great side dish served with grilled chicken or fish, but they’re actually so loaded with nutrients that they can stand on their own as a light main dish. Also, try making them with your own choice of fresh herbs and spices, or even trying a different squash. Substitute yellow crookneck with fresh mint and dill or try butternut squash with sage and parsley. These are dairy-free, but you could also change things up by adding ¼ cup of crumbled goat or feta cheese.

Makes about 12 fritters

Ingredients:

2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup diced yellow onion
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 extra-large egg, beaten
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
6 tablespoons almond flour
4 teaspoons coconut flour
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Optional:
sliced avocado
fresh lime wedges for squeezing over
chile powder for garnish

Directions:

Grate the zucchini on the medium side of a box grater. Spread the grated squash out onto several layers of paper towels. Roll up and press firmly to allow the paper towels to absorb most of the moisture. Scrape the dry squash into a small bowl and reserve.

Add about 2 teaspoons oil to a small sauté pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute more. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Mix in the salt, coriander and cumin. Stir in the onion/garlic mixture. Add the almond flour and coconut flour and stir until there are no lumps. Stir in the cilantro until well distributed. Add the grated zucchini and stir until mixture is thoroughly combined. Mixture will be thick.

With clean hands, form golf ball-sized scoops, then flatten gently into small patties, about 2-3 inches in diameter.

Heat remaining olive oil in a 10” skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add patties. Cook about 2-3 minutes on the first side, checking after 2 minutes and lowering heat if they are browning too quickly. Flip fritters and cook about 2 minutes more.

With a spatula, remove fritters from the skillet and serve immediately with sliced avocados and sprinkled with fresh lime juice and a bit of chile powder if desired.