Garden Fresh Zucchini Fritters (Gluten Free)

Eating seasonally is something that I believe in whole heartedly.  Right now in my garden one of the things I am growing is zucchini.  If you have ever had a garden you know that sometimes it is a challenge coming up with new and delicious ways to use all the produce that is growing.  You can get a lot of vegetables and they can grow fast.  Zucchini is coming out of my ears!

Having a garden has been a wonderful way to subsidize some of my grocery shopping.  I have been going to the garden everyday to pick lettuce to  use in my morning green smoothies.  Herbs can be especially great to grow because they are inexpensive, you always have them on hand, and you can just pick what your recipe calls for.

I highly recommend starting your own garden.  Now is a great time of year to start in most areas.  Here are my top 5 tips for starting your own organic garden:

Start Small

If you feel intimidated by gardening or are not quite confident yet, start small.  Start with just some potted herbs or look for vegetables that grow well in pots.  Instead of trying to take on a big garden start with a small section.  You can always add on later as you get the hang of it.

Compost Compost Compost

Plants can’t grow without good nutrients in the soil.  Whether you have your own compost pile or whether you buy bags of compost from the store…it is very important.  A gardener once told me that it is better to buy the $20 bag of compost vs the $5 bag of compost.  You get what you pay for and if you are going through the time and effort to garden you really want to make sure your soil is good quality.

Grow What is In Season

The back of the seed packets can tell you a lot about the best time to grow.  Make sure you follow the guidelines.  If you try to grow zucchini in the fall or winter it just wont work.  Great summer vegetables include peppers, melons, squash, basil, tomatoes, cucumber, green beans, and corn.

Fertilize

Even though you may have added great compost to your soil it is still recommended to fertilize your plants at least once per month to make sure they have all the nutrients they need.

Don’t Give Up

Especially here in Arizona the soil can be really lacking in nutrients especially when nothing has grown before.  Not all of my plants have been successful.  The most success I have had has been with lettuce.  I am not giving up on gardening however.  I am just going to keep adding nutrient rich compost to my soil and working it until I have the best garden on the block.  Gardening is so rewarding and definitely helps keep the grocery bill in check.

I hope that you get motivated to garden if you do not already.  I would love to hear all your stories about what you grow and how you use all those yummy foods.

Like I said before I have been getting a lot of zucchini growing in my garden right now.  I would love to get a spiralizer and make zucchini noodles, which is on my list of things to do, or make zucchini bread which is a favorite in my house.  I wanted to do something a little different with this batch of freshly picked zucchini.  I have been experimenting with substitutes for breadcrumbs and knew this was my chance to show all you wonderful readers how to utilize some of them.  This recipe is made naturally gluten free with the use of ground millet.

Print

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 6

Author Sara

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini and/or yellow squash
• 2 scallions or 1/4 cup onion diced
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking powder aluminum free preferred
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper ground
• 1/2 cup millet ground in a blender or food processor into a flour
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. In a food processor with a grater attachment (or hand grater), grate all of the squash.
2. Add the squash to a fine strainer.
3. Add 1/2 tsp salt and mix.
4. Let the squash sit for about 10 minutes occasionally pressing the squash to help remove the liquid from the squash. (Don't be too concerned about getting all the water out. I get about 1/4 liquid. The recipe will still work if some liquid is left, you just want to get some of it out).
5. Add the squash to a large bowl.
6. Add the diced onion, egg, baking powder, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, black pepper, and millet flour.
7. Mix until combined.
8. In a small saute pan add just enough coconut oil to lightly cover the bottom and let it heat up to medium heat.
9. Drop about 2 tbsp of the zucchini mixture onto rounds in the hot pan.
10. Let brown on one side about 3-5 minutes.
11. Using a small spatula, flip the fritter and let brown and cook through on the other side (about another 3 minutes).
12. Add a little more coconut oil as needed between batches until all the batter has been cooked.
13. Makes about 12 fritters.
14. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

Recipe Notes

*Choose organic ingredients when possible.