Zucchini Fritters & Beet Salad

Since this year's zucchini is rolling in, I thought it best to use up the frozen zucchini I saved from last year. Frozen zucchini is perfect for the obvious zucchini baked good, but it's also great for zucchini fritters.                                                                  To freeze zucchini, shred it and leave it in a strainer for several hours, squeezing as much excess water out as possible. Several cups of zucchini will fit in a gallon plastic freezer bag. Press it flat, and place in the freezer until frozen. Once it's frozen, you can stack the large squares, but refrain from stacking them until frozen. Otherwise the bags stick together.

ZUCCHINI & TOFU FRITTERS

This recipe is adapted from the Veganomicon

1 lb firm tofu 
2 medium zucchini, shredded
3 cloves garlic
3 TBSP lemon juice
1 TSP salt
1/2 cup bread crumbs, plus more for for coating
Chopped fresh oregano
Chopped fresh dill
Chopped fresh mint

I defrosted the last of the frozen zucchini, and placed it in a strainer again, squeezing out as much water as possible. This recipe is great for fresh zucchini, too. Just shred and strain as you normally would. Squeeze out the water from the tofu as well. Place in a food processor with lemon juice and garlic, and pulse a bit. It will look kinda like ricotta cheese.

Transfer to a bowl and mix in the bread crumbs and herbs. The mix should be fairly stiff. Fold in the shredded zucchini. 

Press into balls that are about an inch thick, coat with more breadcrumbs, and place on an oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, flip 'em, and bake for 15 minutes more.

BEET SALAD
2 beets, roughly grated
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Chopped parsley
Chopped tarragon
Dijon mustard
Oil & Vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Dressing: Mix vinegar and oil 2:1, add two spoonfuls of dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste. 
If the beets are young, small, and have a thin skin, no need to peel them. Otherwise, peel the beets before grating by hand or in a food processor. Add sliced shallots, dress the beets, and top with chopped herbs. The tarragon is a MUST in this salad, It really enhances the flavor of the beets. I've also had this salad with shredded carrots mixed in, and it tastes great as well. 

The beet salad only takes about 5 minutes to prepare, so I also made my go-to early summer garden salad: greens, radishes, carrots, and green onions. I made a quick buttermilk dressing using some leftover buttermilk and greek yogurt.

BUTTERMILK DRESSING
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup buttermilk
4-5 tbsp greek yogurt
Mustard powder, salt, and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh thyme 
Chopped fresh parsley
Chopped fresh chives

I'm sure you could mix this up in a bowl, but I placed everything in a mason jar and shook it. :)

This was our first meal of the season exclusively using produce from our garden--which I must say, has yet to get old.