Not that it was a big stretch for me to talk about food, cooking, or diabetes, as you may know, but after being contacted by Laura I did some reading on their blog and some searching online for other type 2 info, meal ideas, recipes, blogs, etc. It seems like there just isn't that much out there in the foodie blogs for folks like us, so I'm going keep posting some of the meals I've developed over the last year and a half since the diagnosis.
ZUCCHINI FRITTERS AND ASIAN SLAWAnytime I suggest to my man that I might cook some zucchini fritters, whether it's as a side dish with some spicy wings that he's making, or like in this case, as a main dish with a hefty helping of Asian slaw, he always says, "Honey, you had me at 'fritters.'" This is the perfect recipe for using up that bumper crop of zucchini from your garden this summer. And along with the slaw, the zucchini fritters make a very filling vegetarian meal and a good respite from all the meat-heavy grilling we might do over the summer months.
Fritters
4 small zucchinis (I've used 3 medium, or in this case, 1 lg zucchini and one medium yellow summer squash)
1 egg
1/2 cup oat flour (again, oat flour will be far less taxing on your blood glucose level than white flour or even whole wheat flour)
2-4 Tablespoons of dried Thai curry seasoning mix (make it yourself or store bought)
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| 1 lg zucchini and 1 med. yellow squash made this plate full of fritters! |
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon chopped green onions or shallots
Red pepper flake (to taste)
If you're using a large zucchini or summer squash, quarter it lengthwise and remove the seeds first. Shred all the squash using the largest size grater you have, whether by hand or in a food processor. Put it in a colander, salt it generously then let it sit for a few minutes in the sink. After 10 or 15 minutes, start pressing the squash with the palm of your hand to squeeze out as much excess water as you can (I realize some people like to wring out their squash in a hand towel, but that's just not my style).
Transfer the squash to a bowl and mix in the egg, the flour and the seasoning with a wooden spoon.
Put 1/4 inch of oil in the bottom of a large nonstick skillet and heat. Drop large spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil and then press gently on the top of the dollop to flatten slightly. They will be irregularly shaped with little bits of squash sticking out the sides that will turn golden and crunchy as the fritter cooks. Make sure to maintain a good amount of heat on the pan without too much smoking. Turn them once when they are toasty brown and cook til the other side is also toasty brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and stir. If you want a sweeter dipping sauce, add one squeeze of liquid Stevia or a small teaspoon of Splenda brown sugar blend.
I'll post the Asian Slaw recipe in the next post. It complemented the fritters beautifully!
