Broccoli and Zucchini Fritters
There's something about a patty or fritter that everyone just loves. I get asked to make these Gluten Free Broccoli Fritters all the time for my clients. One of my clients even eats them for breakfast every day. Full of tasty veggies and eggs, makes a great breakfast or snack. This will definitely get the kids to eat more vegetables.
These fritters are a great way to use up leftover veggies. Broccoli makes up the bulk of this fritter and the flavor, but if you have some other, similar vegetables you want to use up, you can sub that in instead of the broccoli, or in addition to. Some cauliflower would be really nice as would corn and some chopped steamed kale. They turn this gorgeous green color with the golden look of pan frying. I also add shredded zucchini in here just to ramp up the veggie content.
Gluten Free Flours in This Recipe
I use my staple gluten free flour mix to help bind this fritter. It is half brown rice flour and half tapioca starch. I always have a bottle of these 2 flours on my shelf ready to use. You can also use a little potato or cornstarch in the blend if you are low on tapioca starch. I prefer to use Bob's Red Mill brand of flours as he uses a dedicated facility for his gluten-free flours, and my baked goods always come out great.
You must Squeeze the Zucchini
When you grate the zucchini, it will help the recipe if you squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Wrap the grated zucchini in a thin tea towel, some paper towels or cheesecloth and gently squeeze over a bowl or the sink to remove as much liquid as possible, being careful not to tear the paper towels if that is what you are using. More liquid will come out than you think.
Make Extra Quinoa
There isn’t that much quinoa in this recipe, so why not make a bigger batch and have it for another recipe. Quinoa is a great grain to have around, its gluten-free and packed full of protein. If you want to use another grain instead, millet works well.
This Mediterranean Quinoa Salad makes a great side dish with your fritters!
Try this Vegetarian Quinoa Paella as a tasty replacement for rice.
There’s toasted quinoa in these Chewy Mayan Wonder Bars
How to Blanch Broccoli
The steps for how to blanch your broccoli is in the recipe card below. I’ve also written an entire post about it here, Vegetable Techniques – How to Cook Broccoli. Broccoli is one of those vegetables that is easy to meal prep each week if you follow these steps for blanching. This lightly cooks the vegetable so you can get all the prep and mess done once, and have vegetables to eat all week.
Now let’s make some fritters!
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Broccoli and Zucchini Fritters
A fun way to get your kids to eat their veggies and some protein. Makes a great breakfast or snack.
Ingredients
- 1 medium head broccoli, about ½ pound
- 1 medium zucchini
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ small yellow onion, small dice, about ½ cup
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup cooked quinoa or millet
- 1 tablespoon brown rice flour
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Small squeeze lemon juice
- Several grinds of black pepper
- Olive or coconut oil for frying
- ½ jalapeno, minced
- ¼ cup shredded cheese (parmesan or cheddar)
- Replace yellow onion with 5 green onions, thinly sliced, about ¼ cup total - if using green onion, no need to precook
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil (to blanch broccoli) While waiting for the water to heat, cut up broccoli into small florets. Peel any broccoli stems, and add them to the florets.
- Once water is boiling, add the broccoli and blanch for 3 minutes, or until a fork pierces stem easily, but broccoli is still firm. Drain broccoli and place on a paper towel to cool.
- Place a small sauté pan over medium-high heat, add 2 teaspoons olive oil, and when hot, add the onion. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is soft. Add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds while stirring. Place in food processor.
- Place a paper towel on a cutting board. Using the largest holes on a grater, grate zucchini onto the paper towel. Wrap the zucchini in the towel and gently squeeze over a bowl or the sink to remove as much liquid as possible, being careful not to tear the paper towel. More liquid will come out than you think. Transfer to the food processor.
- Crack eggs into a small bowl, give them a quick whisk and then add to the food processor along with the blanched broccoli, quinoa, rice flour, tapioca starch, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse until broccoli is broken down, but still chunky. Pour into a large bowl.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick griddle or pan, over medium-high heat.
- Using an ice cream scoop or ¼ measuring cup, scoop batter and place it into the pan, then flatten the mound slightly with the scoop or spatula. Repeat with additional batter, leaving a couple of inches between each fritter.
- Fry about 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown underneath and then flip each fritter and cook on the other side until equally golden, about another 2 minutes. Note: the egg will separate from the batter the longer it sits. Give it a good stir before scooping to help distribute the egg. I like to make smaller patties and find that using a large spoon to place the batter in the pan works just fine too.
- Transfer fritters to a paper towel lined plate or baking sheet to drain. Repeat with remaining batter. If you will be eating the fritters immediately, then transfer to a serving dish. Or place on a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200°F oven until ready to serve.
Notes
I like to have everything cut pretty small for these fritters, so if you have a hard time dicing the yellow onion and don't want to have huge pieces of onion in your fritter, try grating the onion using the largest grate.
