Courgette (zucchini) and tofu fritters with avocado, cashew and lime dip

“Westley shrugged. "Welcome to the middle of nowhere. I'm more likely to come home to find someone's left a pie on my counter than to find my television's missing. Although—" He winced.

"What?" Jaylen looked ready to fight whatever threat had made its way into Westley's home.

"Last year the zucchini crop was really good and somebody left three bushels in my kitchen."

"Oh." Jaylen deflated. So there was an enemy he wasn't a match for.

"There's still zucchini bread in the freezer," Westley offered. "If you're hungry.” 

- Ryan Loveless, Wolf Hunter

So what on earth can you do with all those courgettes/zucchinis?

Fear not. 

Here's a real crowd-pleasing recipe, with plenty of scope for modification. 

Courgette (zucchini) and tofu fritters with a creamy avocado, cashew and lime dip are tasty and satisfying and ideal for summer picnics, packed lunches, snacks and to serve as a main meal with a green salad. 

Recipes

Avocado, cashew and lime dip

Ingredients

• ½ cup cashews

• 1 small avocado

• Juice of ½ small lime

• Small pinch of salt if required

Method

1. Soak cashew nuts in water for 1-2 hours. While the cashews are soaking, prepare the courgette (zucchini) fritters following the instructions below.

2. When the cashews have finished soaking, drain them. Cut avocado in half, remove the stone, scoop out flesh and blend with cashews, adding lime juice and salt to taste

Courgette (zucchini) and tofu fritters

Ingredients

• 2 medium courgettes (zucchini) 

• 1 small white onion (grated) or 3 spring onions (scallions) (finely chopped)

• 2-3 small new potatoes

• ½ tsp salt

• 60g/3oz firm tofu

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp ground paprika

• 1 tsp lime zest

• 1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice

• 1 tsp apple juice concentrate

• 1 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 2 tbsp warm water – this acts as a binding agent instead of using egg. You could also use 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water.

• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

• 3-4 tbsp chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour (you can use regular wheat flour)

Method

1. Grate courgettes (zucchini) and onion into a bowl (or add chopped spring onions (scallions)

2. Peel potatoes and grate into bowl with courgettes (zucchini) and onion

3. Sprinkle grated vegetables with salt and allow to sit for 30 minutes to draw out the juices. Squeeze out excess liquid with your hands and put mixture in a bowl

4. Grate tofu into the bowl with the grated courgettes (zucchini), potatoes and onion

5. Add ground cumin, ground coriander and ground paprika, lime zest, lime juice, apple juice concentrate and fresh coriander

6. Carefully fold in ground flax seed and water mixture and the flour

7. Shape into small flat rounds and gently pan-fry in a good quality oil that won’t burn. I used rice bran oil; olive oil would be fine.

8. Finish making the avocado dip (see above)

Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with the avocado, cashew and lime dip and a green salad 

Nutritional information

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Quinoa, chickpea (garbanzo), avocado and olive salad

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is gaining popularity in European cuisine.  It is no longer confined to the shelves of health food stores and can also be found in most mainstream supermarkets.  The United Nations has declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa to highlight the virtues of this "golden grain of the Incas".

Quinoa is the seed of a broad leaf plant of Andean origin which is botanically related to the common broad leaf weed fat hen (UK) or lamb's quarters (US), and is often used like a grain.  It has a mild nutty flavour and is easy to cook.

Quinoa is as versatile as rice but it has a protein content that is superior to that of most grains, because it contains all the essential amino acids.  In particular, quinoa is high in lysine, an amino acid important for tissue growth and repair.  It is also a good source of manganese, magnesium and phosphorus.

Not only this, but the crop has a remarkable adaptability to different agro-ecological regions. It can grow at relative humidity from 40% to 88%, and withstands temperatures from -4 ° C to 38 ° C. It is a highly water efficient plant, is tolerant and resistant to lack of soil moisture, and produces acceptable yields with rainfall of 100 to 200 mm (FAO).  Whilst Peru, Bolivia and the USA are the main producers, it is currently being successfully cultivated in several countries in Europe and Asia.

There are more than three thousand varieties of quinoa, grouped into five main classes according to the altitude at which they can grow,  The different varieties produce seed of different colours.

Varieties of quinoa (www.fao.org)

Cooking quinoa

One of the beauties of quinoa is that it only takes 15 minutes to cook, so you can use it to prepare a nutritious meal in a hurry.

Measure 1 cup quinoa, wash it, drain it and place it in a pot with 1 1/2 cups water.  Put on the lid and cook on a medium flame until it boils, then reduce to a minimum flame and simmer for 15 minutes or until all the water has gone.  Do not remove the lid during cooking.  It is easy to tell when it is done because the seeds display a little white thread that curls around them.

When the quinoa has cooked, you can then mix in your choice of salad ingredients.  

Recipe

• 1 cup red quinoa (rinsed in cold water)
• 1.5 cups hot water
• I can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), marinated in dressing (see ingredients below)
• 1 avocado (peeled, chopped and sprinkled with fresh lime juice to prevent browning) 
• 12 olives (green, black or mixed)
• 1/2 red bell pepper (washed, de-seeded and chopped)
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper (washed de-seeded and chopped)
• 1 handful fresh basil (washed and finely chopped)
• Fresh basil to garnish

Dressing

Juice of 1 lime
1 clove garlic - pressed
1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice (grate 1 cm piece root ginger and squeeze juice out. For more details please click here)
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil

1. Combine ingredients for dressing and marinade chickpeas in it while quinoa is cooking
2. Add water to quinoa in a thick-based pan. Cover and bring to boil. Turn heat down low and simmer for 15 minutes until quinoa is cooked and water has evaporated.
3. When quinoa has cooled, mix in all other ingredients and garnish with fresh basil.


Serve as a one-dish meal for lunch or as a side dish as part of dinner.

Other ideas for salad ingredients include cherry tomatoes; carrots; spring onions (scallions); other fresh herbs like parsley, coriander (cilantro), lemon balm, oregano, marjoram; cashew nuts; and beans.  

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