ZUCCHINI, CARROT & PEA FRITTERS

I have made fritters a few times, however never without corn. I was initially concerned about how these fritters would cook, as all I had in my pantry was chickpea flour (besan flour). I was pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out and how little oil I needed to use (just 1 tablespoon for around 19 fritters, therefore 4 batches in the pan). I've turned down a bit of a vegetarian path recently and whilst I am still cooking and eating meat, I am loving getting creative with vegetables, herbs and spices. These vego fritters are a great option for lunch, dinner or a healthy snack. 

INGREDIENTS

• 500g or 3-4 medium zucchini, grated
• 300g or 3 carrots, grated 
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 50g reduced-fat feta, crumbled or finely chopped
• 3 eggs, preferably free-range, beaten
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs, finely chopped, such as chives, basil, parsley, corainder
• 3/4 cup of any type of flour other than self-raising, such as plain, gluten-free plain, rice, millet, besan etc - I used besan flour (chickpea flour) 
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat cows milk, or if intolerant or allergic opt for lactose-free milk, unsweetened almond milk, soy milk, rice milk. 
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
• Optional sides / toppings - avocado, baby spinach, extra herbs, tomato, cucumber, etc. 

METHOD 

1. Wrap the grated zucchini in a thin tea towel or muslin cloth and squeeze out the excess moisture into a bowl or sink. 

2. Place the zucchini, carrot, peas, feta, eggs, herbs, flour, soy sauce, milk and a pinch of ground black pepper in a large bowl and mix well to combine. 

3. Heat in a large frying pan over medium heat, add 1/2 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat. Scoop a heaped 1/4 cup of mixture out of the bowl for each fritter. Place each scoop of mixture in the pan and pat down well with a spatula. Make sure not to crowd the fritters or you will have trouble flipping them. I cook four at a time in a large frying pan. Cook on each side for around 3 minutes or until quite brown in colour. Remove from heat and repeat until all the fritters are cooked, only adding the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil if needed. Serve warm with any or all of the toppings listed above in the Ingredients section. 

Total Prep time / around 20-25 minutes (need to grate the vegetables etc)

Total Cooking time / approx. 25 minutes 

Makes / around 18 - 20 

Serves / 6 / 3-4 fritters each 

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