Zucchini fritters

 

I was really going to start out with using my spiralizer and make zucchini noodles but then changed my mind as I wanted something fried. These fritters are similar to latke’s and are so quick and easy to make. The most important thing to do is make sure there is not a lot of moisture left in the grated zucchini. Try them they are really simple and delicious.

If you do make them let me know how they turned out for you.

Ingredients

• 1 extra large zucchini (about 3 cups), washed and grated
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon red hot sauce (or any spicy sauce of your choice)
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• olive oil
• sour cream

Method

Put the grated zucchini into a colander, sprinkle with about a teaspoon of salt and let it drain for about 15 minutes. Working in small batches squeeze the grated zucchini and then place it in another bowl.

Add the flour, parmesan, cilantro, hot sauce and mix. Add the beaten egg. Add pepper and any additional salt that you may want. If you mixture is still too watery add a little more flour.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, scoop an ice cream/medium cookie scoop of the batter and put it in the frying pan. Flatten with the back of a spatula. Repeat until you have filled the pan, making sure you have place between each of the fritters.

Fry the fritters on each side until they are golden brown. Once they are fried take them off the pan and then place them on a paper towel.

Serve with sour cream or your favorite sauce.

 

Roasted butternut squash, brown butter sage and garlic sauce

I got a Kitchen aid Spiralizer and was pretty excited about it. I have made spiralized zucchini noodles with my oxo kitchen tool and it was pretty good. I so enjoyed them that I got the upgrade. So today I came home all set to make spiralized noodles but ended up just making julienne slices of the butternut squash. I must say my cutting skills came into pretty good use as I made a quick job of slicing the squash into strips. It just goes to show that while they did not look like noodles you can get short spaghetti like strips.

This is a really good and healthy dish to put together and as long as you are quick at cutting it comes together in a cinch.

The easiest way to peel the butternut squash is to cut at bulb off from the straight part. Then use a potato peeler to peel the skin. Slice the stalk into two half’s. Slice each half into strips. Make julienne slices of the strips. For the bulb portion, cut it into half’s use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Then slice in the same way.

Ingredients

Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 15 minutes, Serves 2-3 people

• 1 medium butternut squash (peeled, cored and sliced into julienne strips)
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter
• 18 sage leaves (washed and dried)
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt
• shaved parmesan

Method

Preheat your oven to 350F. Toss the julienned slices of butternut squash in olive oil on a roasting tray. Roast the slices in the oven for 15 minutes.

Put the butter into a  deep pot on medium heat. Once the butter melts keep a watch on it. You will get a lot of froth. Keep it on the heat until you get brown flecks in the butter. Lower the to medium-low and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sage, the butter will froth up. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the sage starts to get a little crispy.

Take the butternut squash out of the oven. Divide it between your plates. Top with a little of the sauce, then the parmesan cheese and sprinkle with salt.

Let me know how you enjoy it.

Roasted Purple Potatoes

Here is one more that graced the table at thanksgiving, again in my mind a healthier option and a colorful one to match. Going with my theme of spicing it up I added purple potatoes to the mix. If you do not get purple potatoes, sweet potatoes are always an option. I cut these into circles but you can even make these as chips or wedges.

Ingredients

• 5 potatoes, peeled, washed and cut into circles
• 1 tablespoon jerk paste (Walkerswood Jamaican jerk paste)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Mix the jerk paste, brown sugar, olive oil together. Toss the potatoes in the mixture and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt. Put the sheet in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring the potatoes once in between. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool a bit before serving.

 

Spiced Roasted Turnips

Don’t you think that these look just so adorably cute? Not the ones that you get pre-packaged that are all the same size, but the ones that you get at the farmers market all kind of wonderful shapes and sizes and co-joined. When you cut them in half they look so pretty to present.

In going with my thanksgiving them of spicing up almost everything :-), I added turnips to the mix. As you can tell, I bought a different spice flavor to each of these. If you are not a spice addict you can season them with salt and pepper but do give these a try spice them as lightly as you can with your favorite spice mix. You can also do the same rubs that you do for your bar-b-que! Go for it, you will not be disappointed.

Ingredients

• 15 turnips
• 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (Indonesian spice paste)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• sea salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Slice the tops off the turnips but leave a little of the stem on. Wash the turnips well and pat them dry. Cut them in half or quarters, trying to make sure that each portion has a bit of the stem and the bottom, it just an aesthetic thing – so its not a must.

Mix the sambal oelek, brown sugar and olive oil well. Toss the turnips to coat and then place on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the sea salt over. Place the sheet in the oven and back for 30 minutes on until nicely charred. You can stir it one in the middle of the baking time.

Enjoy!

Roasted Spiced Cauliflower

As you probably can tell, I love roasting vegetables. Its so not the Indian in me but OMG it is so easy to make and they taste so good and (yes I am AND’ing a lot) they are healthy and if you cannot stand soggy vegetables then these are for you. This is a regular feature on my table and if cutting cauliflower down to their florets is a pain just cut them up like steaks and roast them. The question that someone will have to still answer is ‘Why do they charge $19 for cauliflower steaks at restaurants’. Let me know either the answer to that burning question or if you tried this and liked it!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cauliflower head, washed and cut into florets
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3 tablespoons cumin powder (you can add more if you like but go easy the first time)
• sea salt, pepper to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Mix the chili powder, turmeric, cumin and olive oil. Toss the cauliflower florets in until well coated. Spread them out on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Put the baking sheet in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring the cauliflower once during that time. Test to see that you have the desired crunchiness. Someone here at home loves the charred flavor and that comes from keep them a little longer.

Let me know if you tried it and liked it.