Zucchini Feta Fritters

They stole my schtick.

Those of you who are regular followers of this blog know that I spent an entire month back in March testing cookbooks (one a day) and offering up a recipe that I had particularly liked.

Well...it turns out that two Canuck chicks had the same idea. But THEY sold it to Oprah and have a TV show. Whatever. (That's all I'll say about them. Google away and find them yourself. I ain't giving them free advertising.)

That said, I watch them. (Yes, even DVR them.) And they turned me on to The New Moosewood Cookbook, a vegetarian cookbook first published in the 1970's and updated in 1990. I'm always looking for yummy veggie recipes to try and eat a little healthier.

This one was intriguing. It didn't turn out exactly as I expected..it was a little "eggier" than I thought it would be. Which was a nice surprise. Definitely worth a try in your kitchen. (And you can experiment with this one...see the notes below.)

Zucchini Feta Fritters
Makes 4 servings.

4 eggs, separated
4 cups coarsely grated zucchini (about 4 squash)
1 cup finely crumbled feta cheese (Here's the first variation you could try. A Mexican cheese like Cotija could work. Parmesan. Maybe even blue cheese. Try it and let me know.)
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1 teaspoon dried mint (OK...I can't stand mint in a dish like this. You can use it or do as I did and try a little oregano. I bet thyme would be good too.)
Salt and pepper to taste.
1/3 cup flour
Oil for frying

Beat the egg whites until stiff.

In a large bowl, combine zucchini, egg yolks, cheese, scallions, seasonings and flour. Mix well.

Fold the egg whites into the zucchini mixture. Conserve as much volume as you can for a fluffy fritter.

Heat a little oil in a sauté pan. When hot, add spoonfuls of batter and fry on both sides until golden and crisp. Note: be prepared to do later batches in fresh oil...the zucchini sheds a lot of water and transforms the frying method into pseudo-boiling if you don't watch it.

Drain on paper towels and keep warm.

Serve topped with sour cream or yogurt. Or, as this Southern boy did, with Ranch dressing.