These zucchini chickpea fritters are flour-free and flavored with indian spices such as cumin and garam masala. A perfect addition to roasted veggies, a salad, or even in a collard wrap!
Healthy food can be vibrant, satisfying, and even joyful! Seriously, look at these little patties! Cute as a button, and they hold well together without any binders, since the mashed chickpeas do the work. These zucchini chickpea fritters (vegan) are hearty, balanced in spice, full of fiber, and are a great recipe for batch cooking too. They’re elegant enough to serve for dinner guests, and un-fussy enough to heat up quickly and bring to a picnic. Or eat in a car, if you’re traveling. They’re just that flexible like that.
Two Tips for Zucchini Chickpea Fritters:
There is a way to make patties that stay together and don’t fall apart WITHOUT using any additional binders like eggs or flour.
First: Let the “batter” sit. The longer the better. Well, not a week, you get the idea. But 3 hours at least is best.
Second: Don’t move the fritters as they’re cooking. You can peek on the underside, but don’t give them a full-on flip. The secret to a good sear and un-breakability is patience. Let one side cook thoroughly and then flip only once. Excess flipping (you jugglers know who you are) will only lead to bits and pieces of fritters. If that’s the case and it actually happens, just cook those up and call it a day. They’re delicious as well.
Formulas Are My Thing
I LOVE formulas and equations. Mostly because I think a good recipe be more of a template, with many variations: beans, veggies, flavorings. Then you just change these up as you go. However, you may have to think about the water content of various ingredients, but for the most part, it is a recipe that you can play with and make it your own. I’ll give you some great tips on varying it up at the end of this recipe.
Change Up The Formula
- Before you vary the formula, just know that not all beans act the same. White cannellini beans, for example, are more watery so you may have to add a bit more oats (or just make sure they’re very dry, by patting them with a towel ~ you may have to experiment). Mung beans are more dry, so maybe add a little water when making these. But experiment, let them sit in the fridge, and don’t move during cooking. They should keep together well.
- Consider changing up the bean, like I mentioned before: white beans, mung beans, aduki beans, kidney beans, black beans, mix them up!
- Consider flavor profiles:
- Italian would include sun-dried tomatoes, basil, garlic, oregano.
- Greek would include tomatoes, red onions, olives, oregano
- Turkish could include cumin, paprika, cinnamon, parsley and mint
- Mexican would include jalapeños, onions, cilantro, salsa and avocado
- You do you – that’s why formulas work. Just plug in your individual elements!
- No matter what, just enjoy them – I love adding them to salads as a meaty topping, like this one with a mustard vinaigrette.
How To Serve Zucchini Chickpea Fritters
These zucchini chickpea fritters go really well with the following:
Corn Salsa Salad (add a pinch of indian spices to this like cumin and chili)
There’s More!
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Zucchini Chickpea Fritters
Equipment
- Bowl
- Potato masher
- Cast iron skillet.
Ingredients
- 12 oz cooked chickpeas about 1.5 cups
- 10 oz zucchini, grated about 2 cups, before squeezing
- 2 tbsp rolled oats
- salt, to taste
- 1/4 tsp turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala
- spray of oil
Instructions
- First, sprinkle some salt over the zucchini (in a colander) and set aside for about 10 minutes as it releases juices.
- In a bowl, mash the chickpeas with a potato masher to a medium coarseness (the beans should look like they hold together, but a few chuky pieces are fine).
- Next, squeeze the zucchini well releasing all of the water (this should now weigh closer to 8 oz).
- Combine the zucchini with the chickpea mixture, and add in the salt and spices and oats. Mix well. Taste for seasoning. Let this batter rest in the fridge at least 3 hours (ovenright is also fine).
- When you are ready to cook them,divide the batter into 8 portions. Using your hands, roll them into balls, and then flatten a bit.
- Heat a cast iron skillet with a little spray of oil. Add in the fritters and let them sit on one side until seared. You can also press them down a bit to help that along. Let the sit this way for a few minutes to get a good sear. Flip, and cook until done.
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