Monday saw my kiddos go back to school after the Easter holidays and truth be told I did a little happy dance. Don’t get me wrong, I love having them home with me. It’s a time for sleep ins, easy mornings, day trips exploring nature and catching up with friends. It’s also a time jam packed with sibling squabbles, noise, mess and so many requests for food. How is it that children can quite happily have one snack break and lunch at school, but at home it’s all day grazing? Maybe I need to bring some school time structure to the holidays. Who am I kidding, that’s so not me! School holidays also mean I get absolutely no work done. Zilch, zero, none. Hence my happy dance at the return to a quiet house in which I can be really productive and actually get stuff done.
Their return to school also means I’m back to making school lunches and I thought I would share with you the recipe for my cauliflower and zucchini fritters. These little babies went down a treat with my kiddos and are perfect for popping into lunch boxes. They taste great hot or cold, on their own or tucked into a sandwich. I use besan (chickpea) flour in my fritters, which makes them gluten free, and also imparts a lovely nutty flavour to them. You can substitute the besan flour for any type of flour, whatever you have to hand will work. I just have a shed load of besan in my fridge and am finding ways to use it up.
Once you get the hang of the fritter, the combinations are endless. They are really just vegetables, egg and flour at their core. You can use up whatever veg you have lurking in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Think grated pumpkin and haloumi, broccoli and carrot, spinach and pea. The idea is to get creative. The egg is important as it helps to bind everything together. If you are cooking for someone with an egg allergy, another protein may work, like mince or mashed beans, but don’t quote me on this.
I created these fritters with my eldest in mind. Zoe has decided that eating meat just isn’t her bag and has decided to give it a flick. It is a decision she hasn’t come to lightly, but she is dedicated to her new found vegetarianism. As a result of this, I have had to get my thinking hat on to make sure she gets nourishing and yummy lunches that tick all the boxes. Lucky for Zoe, her mum’s a nutritionist and a foodie!
Cauliflower and Zucchini Fritters (gluten free, vegetarian, kid-friendly)
1 free range egg
1 cup of besan flour
1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
1 tsp baking powder
1 small zucchini, grated
1/4 head of cauliflower, grated
1/2 cup of grated cheese
1 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Break the egg into a mixing bowl and whisk until it has doubled in volume. Add half of the besan flour and mix to form a paste. Add the yoghurt and stir to loosen up the mixture.
Add the grated vegetables, remaining flour, baking powder and cheese and mix well to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a generous amount of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add spoonfuls of mixture and cook for five minutes on each side until golden. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel.
I like to serve these fritters with a squeeze of lemon and a little bowl of Greek yoghurt to dunk them into.
xx Lia
LIA BURTON NUTRITION 