Gluten-Free Zucchini, Leek, and Carrot Fritters w/ Tangy Tahini Aioli
Difficulty: 2/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 2/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 10 puppies
The Challenge: Healthy, Vegan Hushpuppies
Fritters are like mini burgers for vegans. Veggies, some type of flour, panfried...yum. They are actually fairly difficult to get right though. Why? They stick to the pan. They don't come together easily when you try to mold them, and they don't have enough flavor.
I've been working on fritters for years and found some important secrets to success:
1. Drain the Water - If your vegetable mixture is too wet, it will stick to the pan and make it very hard to cook through. How do we combat that? Blend them in food processor, sprinkle with table salt, sit for 10 minutes, and squeeze out liquid in a thin cloth or with your hands. You'll be amazed how much liquid comes out.
2. Chia Eggs - Eggs are crucial to getting these mixtures together, right? ERRRRR. Chia eggs are perfect. Better for you and actually work better. If you soak flax meal or chia seeds/meal for 5-10 minutes in water for 10 minutes, it will make a consistency exactly the same as egg whites.
3. Flours - I try to avoid white flour if I can. I have a small intolerance to gluten, and I actually like the flavor of other flours better. Oat flour, tapioca flours, and other non-gluten flours are a must. Don't use too much, though. You don't want it to overwhelm.
For these fritters, we are going to use a combination of zucchini, leeks, and carrots. I love the flavors together as we get some nice base from the zuke, sweetness and earthiness from carrots, and some snap from the leeks. Additionally, we are going to pair them with a tangy aioli. Let me tell you the flavors will explode in your mouth like fireworks.
Amazing appetizer to bring to a party. Great way to start a meal or just an awesome snack to have around the house. These rule! The last person I fed these to ate them all before I even sat down.
Let's get to it!!!
Ingredients:
Fritters
- 2 large zucchini, roughly diced
- 5 medium carrots, roughly diced
- 1 large leek, roughly diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 chia eggs + 6 tbl water
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp Old Bay
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp ground bay leaves
- 2 tbl olive oil
Tangy Tahini Aioli
- 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 2 tbl tahini
- 1.5 tbl lemon juice
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp Old Bay
- 1 tbl warm water
Equipment You'll Need:
Medium Mixing Bowl . Cutting Board . Medium Slicing Knife . Mixing Spoon . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Small Bowl . Whisk . Food Processor . Thin Cloth . Large Frying Pan . Colander
Before You Cook:
- Chop fresh ingredients
1. Place 1/2 your chopped ingredients in a food processor. Pulse the processor until you have a decent breakdown of the vegetables. Remove, set aside, pulse second 1/2.
2. Your consistency should look something like this.
3. Place all veggies into a colander, salt with a tsp, and set in sink. This process will draw the water out of the veggies. Set aside for 10 minutes.
4. While your waiting on your veggies, now mix 2 tbl of chia seeds with 6 tbl of water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes as well.
5. While waiting for veggies and chia to rest, place the flour and baking powder and spices into a medium mixing bowl. You want a bowl large enough for all the veggies as well.
6. Next, we want to draw all the water out of the veggies. Place them in a thin cloth, cheesecloth, or hands. And squeeze! Do this over the sink as it will generate a lot more water than you'd think. Keep squeezing until water stops dripping and throw into the bowl.
Next, place a large frying pan on medium heat on stove. Pour in 1 tbl of olive oil. Using 1/3 cup, scoop out the mixture, put in hands and press to form a patty. Throw 5-6 on the pan and crisp on each side for 5 minutes. You'll need to do two rounds, so pour another 1 tbl of oil on the pan before second batch.
While the fritters are cooking, mix together all the ingredients for the aioli, set aside for dipping.
Get ready to enjoy! Serve and eat quicklyyyy.
