Now, I have been searching for a new recipe that involves zucchini for quite sometime. There are so many benefits to adding zucchini in your diet, especially when you are trying to loose weight, get fit and healthy or starting a new health and fitness routine.
You might be thinking 'well, yeah, zucchini is a vegetable off course it's good for me'.
Yes and No. Zucchini is often considered a vegetable, but it is actually botanically classified as a fruit. -Yes, really!.
Zucchini is also very rich in several vitamins and minerals.
One cup of cooked zucchini provides:
Calories: 17
Protein: 1 gram
Fat: less than 1 gram
Carbs: 3 grams
Sugar: 1 gram
Fiber: 1 gram
Vitamin A: 40% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
Manganese: 16% of the RDI
Vitamin C: 14% of the RDI
Potassium: 13% of the RDI
Magnesium: 10% of the RDI
Vitamin K: 9% of the RDI
Folate: 8% of the RDI
Copper: 8% of the RDI
Phosphorus: 7% of the RDI
Vitamin B6: 7% of the RDI
Thiamine: 5% of the RDI
Zucchini is also rich in antioxidants, contains both soluble and insoluble fiber and may help you lose weight due to it's low calorie density.
At 3 grams of carbs per cooked cup, zucchini provides a great low-carb alternative to pasta for those looking to reduce carb intake. In fact, eating zucchini almost daily helped me loose almost 30 lbs!
I would spiralize the zucchini and sauté it with cooking in in coconut oil, a little bit of Pink Himalayan Salt and a dash or two of Parsley. It's pretty simple, but yet so tasty and super easy and quick to make.
In order to get my kids to get their greens, I usually shred the zucchini and mix in with muffins, pancakes or brownies. They eat these up without any left overs for the next day!
I do make them in small batches so that is one reason why they are gone so quickly...and I also have 3 kids who can eat 'normal' food. My youngest hasn't started eating 'regular' food yet, and she's still eating smashed and soft foods.
Anyways, one day I was browsing Pampered Chef's recipe web site and ran into this Greek Zucchini Fritter Recipe.
I was really glad that I came across this recipe because at first glance it looked really tasty, but also I was dying to try a quick and easy snack. - Not to mention I had zucchini in the fridge that I had to use before it went bad.
This recipe is perfect if you are short on time and want a quick snack. With only 10 min of prep time and 10 min of cook time, you can be eating this healthy snack option in no time!
I really hope that you enjoy this recipe as much I did. I really think Pampered Chef's recipe is one of the best I have tasted. And believe me, I've had ALOT of fails in the kitchen.
You will need a few cooking items before you get started, so make sure you have everything you need before you start cooking.
Greek Zucchini Fritters
INGREDIENTS
Yogurt Sauce
½ cup (125 mL) low-fat plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped dill
1 garlic clove, pressed
Fritters
2 cups (500 mL) packed, grated zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup (125 mL) crumbled feta cheese
½ cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour
½ tsp (2 mL) ground nutmeg
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
Oil for brushing
DIRECTIONS
For the yogurt sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate.
Set the Deluxe Electric Grill & Griddle to 'CUSTOM' for 8 minutes at 375°F (190°C).
For the fritters, combine all the ingredients, except the oil.
When preheated, brush the plates with the oil. Spoon ¼ cup (60 mL) of batter onto griddle; repeat with remaining batter to make 8 fritters; flatten each slightly with the back of a spoon.
Cook until deep golden brown, 3–4 minutes per side. Serve with the sauce.