Zucchini Latkes

Whether you're celebrating Hanukkah or just getting healthier, Zucchini Latkes are a tasty treat. And this version is gluten- and egg-free! (Eggs are allowed in my diet, but I wanted to post something friendly to my sister's own diet.)

I've been on my new diet for almost two weeks and I've learned a lot so far. It's been really challenging and I've certainly had ups and downs (including a lot of...unsuccessful recipe attempts). But this one is one of my favorites to date. I've unfortunately lost the original site that inspired it, but here's the modified version for your perusal.


Zucchini Latkes

Serves: 10 latkes (depending on the size you make them)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups zucchini, grated
• 1 cup onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• Chili powder to taste
• Paprika to taste
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Place vegetables in a colander for 30 minutes to drain. Wrap in paper towels and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

2. In a large bowl, mix zucchini, onion, rice flour and spices until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. Over medium heat, heat enough oil to coat a large pan .

4. Remove batter from refrigerator and pour off any excess liquid. Using a tablespoon , drop batter onto pan to form 2-inch rounds. Flatten with a spatula and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until brown and crisp.

(I found this step more an art than a science, so there was some size variation.)

5. Set finished latkes on a paper towel-covered plate and dust with additional salt. This step is optional, but I find it helpful.

They may not stay as round or even as traditional latkes (due to the lack of egg, potato and bread crumbs), but they are very yummy. I didn’t have the cumin originally asked for, so I substituted the chili powder and paprika. You could really use whatever flavors you like. Garlic would probably be a tasty addition as well. I used purple onion and it was a nice flavor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I would also like to point ya'll in the direction of Delicious Nutritious Frugalicious, a neat blog for those of you that want to eat healthier, but not quite as strictly as I do at the moment. I can't wait until my diet allows me to cook some of her yummy-looking recipes. She's got a lot of great and healthy ideas, including some recipes for household cleaners and other non-food stuff.

http://deliciousnutritiousfrugalicious.blogspot.com/

Happy holidays to all! :D