Courgette Fritters

It’s courgette season here in Northern Europe and I have been making these amazing courgette fritters on repeat because we have been getting so, so many in our local farmer’s box 🤗. When I was younger – my mum always told me that courgette (or zucchini as we call it here in Germany) is tasteless. I always, always strongly disagreed with her. Perhaps you can see from this snippet of conversation that I did not like courgettes when I was a child 😂. Luckily for me (and the content of my local farmer’s box), things have changed.

I continue to believe that courgettes are not tasteless but I have found that they greatly enhance and make dishes – like the one today 😉. These courgette fritters are a perfect summer lunch recipe. They are quick to throw together, easily fried off and they store well in the fridge for days to come. I also used buckwheat flour to hold them together, which makes them naturally gluten-free. The raita brings the entire dish perfectly together due to its cooling effects of the added cucumber.

Health benefits of these Courgette Fritters

Courgette

Is also called “zucchini” in some parts of the world is part of the summer squash family. It is technically a fruit – but often classified and used in the kitchen as a vegetable. Courgette contains a lot of Vitamin A, K, and C, as well as Manganese, Magnesium, and Potassium. Vitamin A, in particular, supports both your vision and immune system. It also contains an antioxidant called carotenoids (= plant pigments that are found in the cells of a variety of plants, algae, and bacteria). This type of antioxidant protects your eyes, skin, and heart and may also protect against certain types of cancer.

Garlic

Garlic is high in Vitamin B6, C, and Manganese. It also has amazing health and medicinal properties due to its anti-viral, anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties. Because of these properties, garlic is also thought of as a natural antibiotic. In order to get the most potency out of this superfood, finely grate or crush your garlic and let sit for about 10 minutes on the counter. This allows the active compound “allacin” to be formed, which has been found to reduce inflammation in the body and is a powerful antioxidant. Note: The compound also decreases when cooked – so try to consume raw garlic from time to time (if your loved ones can stand it 😉).

Spring Onions

Spring Onions are high in Vitamin C, B2 and Thiamine. They also contain healthy doses of Copper, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Potassium, Chromium, and Manganese. Spring onions are naturally high in Sulfur, which helps in reducing and stabilizing blood pressure levels. They contain anti-bacterial properties, which help to fight off colds and the flu. The high Vitamin C content further helps in boosting your immunity!

Ghee

If you are using ghee in order to fry the courgette fritters, I wanted to leave you with a bit more insight as to what ghee is and why it is good for you 🤗. Ghee is often-times also referred to as “clarified butter”. When butter is heated, the milk solids and water rise to the top. They are then strained out – leaving behind what is called ghee. This means that ghee is lactose-free making it a great option for people who cannot tolerate dairy well. Ghee has been used for years in both the Indian cuisine and Ayurvedic medicine. It is very heat stable and hence ideal for frying at high temperatures.

The raita is made with yogurt. I used dairy yogurt, but you could just as easily use a vegan yogurt or a blend of cashews and water. There are instructions for this alternative in the notes of the recipe. I hope you enjoy this easy lunch or weekday dinner. It is nutritious, delicious and leaves you feeling deeply satisfied. As always, if you are making this recipe please tag me on Instagram under @life_and_lemons_foodblog or leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!! 🤗

Courgette Fritters

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Ann Course: MainCuisine: Vegeterian, gluten-freeDifficulty: Easy

Servings

3

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

These gluten-free courgette fritters are a perfect and quick weekday dinner. It is nutritious, delicious and leaves you feeling deeply satisfied.

Ingredients

• For the fritters

• 1 cup (220 gr.) buckwheat

• 3 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp baking powder

• 3 medium sized courgettes (ca. 750 gr.)

• 2 – 3 garlic cloves

• 2 stalks spring onions

• 3 eggs

• Generous dash of pepper

• Ghee for frying

• For the raita

• ½ cucumber, grated

• ½ tsp salt

• 500 gr. (vegan) yogurt*

• Pepper to taste

How to

• Start by heating the oven to 100 degrees Celsius (200 degrees Fahrenheit) to keep the fritters warm whilst you continue frying
• In a small blender, blend the buckwheat into a flour. Add the salt and baking powder and set aside
• Grate the courgette and use a kitchen towel to draw out some of the excess moisture (gently pressing – skip if your courgettes do not look super ‘watery’ once grated). Finely grate the garlic and slice the spring onions and add to the courgette. Add the eggs and a generous amount of pepper. Mix everything through before adding the buckwheat, salt and baking powder. Mix once more until everything is combined
• In a pan, over medium heat, let the ghee melt and pour small portions of the fritter batter into the pan (just like you would with pancakes). Fry off on one side before flipping. Continue to fry off all of the batter
  
• Mix all the ingredients for the raita in a small bowl. Serve along-side the courgette fritters. Recipe serves at least 3 – 4. ENJOY!!

Notes

• If you do not consume dairy products and/or do not have any (vegan) yoghurt at hand – simply blend 1 cup (160 gr.) cashews with 2/3 cup (160 ml) water. Add a bit more if the desired consistency is too thick.