Quinoa Veggie Fritters

I came across this recipe a couple of years ago when I was searching for recipes that would use up an abundance of zucchini. All three of us were in love from the first bite, but, as usual, I played around with it and made it better.

The first adjustment I made was to double the recipe. Seriously, unless you are cooking for one or two people, the single batch was simply not enough. The recipe below is the double batch version.

The second adjustment was to add carrot & red bell pepper. I don’t add enough to overpower the taste, but enough to add a little more nutrition. (The store was sold out of red bell peppers the day I bought the produce for the batch in the pictures. If that happens to you, just do like I did & go with an orange bell pepper. I’ve never made it with a yellow bell pepper, but I’m sure it would work, as well.)

On one occasion, I did not have enough zucchini, but I did have a yellow squash that, when added to the zucchini, was exactly the amount needed. It was good, but we definitely prefer using all zucchini.

You will want to allow enough cooking time to cook the quinoa & allow it to cool a bit. It does not have to be cold, but you don’t want it melting other ingredients or burning your hands as you mix.

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa
• 4 small zucchini or enough for 4 cups, grated
• 1 small carrot
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 6 garlic cloves , minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
• 2 cups panko crumbs
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• olive oil cooking spray to keep fritters from sticking to pan

 

Directions

• Bring water to a boil. Add quinoa. Reduce heat to a simmer & cover. Cook until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat & set aside to cool.

 

• While the quinoa is cooling, grate the zucchini, carrot, & pepper. Place them in a colander over a bowl or the sink. Sprinkle with salt & toss a bit with your hand. Allow this to set for at least 10 minutes to drain moisture from the veggies.

 

• While the veggies are setting, place the remaining ingredients into a large bowl.
• Add the cooked quinoa.
• Squeeze any remaining moisture from the veggies with you hand & place in the bowl.

 

 

• Once all of the ingredients are in the bowl, mix by hand.

 

• Place a skillet or griddle onto the stove & turn to medium heat.
• While the pan is heating, use a larger size cookie scoop to scoop the mixture. Flatten each scoop into a small round & place on a plate.
• You do not need to scoop & form all of the mixture before you begin cooking. I usually do enough for two batches, then continue to scoop & form while cooking.

 

• Once the pan is hot enough, spritz with olive oil cooking spray. Place as many fritters as will fit comfortably on the pan. Press fritters gently with a spatula to flatten slightly. Cook until golden brown. Flip, flatten, & cook the second side until golden brown. Continue until all of the fritters are cooked.

 

Serve as a side dish or with a salad for a light lunch.

 

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