Zucchini cakes

Watching my garden grow this summer has really been quite the treat. It doesn't get any better than knowing that I am pampering these plants, and that they, in turn, are producing for me delicious organic produce mere steps from my kitchen (seriously, my desire to take care of people/animals/things is out of control). As expected, my zucchini has been the forerunner in production for far, but once my tomatoes start ripening, they will blow the rest of the garden out of the water... eerrr dirt ... The current count is at 60 something just between my 2 plants.

In preparing the zucchini that my garden has so graciously gifted to me, I am trying to do my best to showcase them in different ways. No hiding them in zucchini bread for me! First I had the zucchini pasta, and then I made a grilled zucchini salad (which you will see... the pictures just weren't the best)... and now we are on to zucchini cakes (Oh, so you won't hide them in bread... but you will hide them in cake. No silly, it is much more like a crab cake or a fritter. Do you even know why crab cakes taste like? No.)

In order to make these zucchini cakes an entrée, I added some quinoa to the mix, served them with a side salad... and then, ya know, just whipped up an aioli, of the garlic-herb variety, to go on top. I seriously enjoyed these immensely. The quinoa gave them a nice crunch, but the flavor was totally zucchini. And honestly? I didn't use old bay so that they would be reminiscent of crab cakes, for I am not a fan of making veg food that pretends to be non-veg food. I used old bay because a) I was trying something different and b) it has a really nice mix of celery salt, mustard, and paprika that I thought would be yummy... and I was correct! The garlic and herb aioli gives it a nice kick, and the smooth lettuce underneath cushioned all of it so gently. I will totally be making this again.

Zucchini Cakes

Materials:

For the Zucchini Cakes

• 2 medium zucchini
• 3/4 cup cooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
• 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal + 3 tablespoons water)
• 1 tablespoon vegan mayonaise 
• salt and pepper

For the Herbed Aioli

• 1/4 cup vegan mayonaise
• 1 clove garlic
• juice from 1 half lemon
• small handful of fresh herbs of choice
• salt and pepper

Methods:

For the Zucchini Cakes

1. Shred the zucchini using a cheese grater, sprinkle the shreds with salt and let sit in colander in sink for 30 minutes.
2. Squeeze out all of the extra moisture from the zucchini and blot dry with paper towels.
3. Mix the zucchini with all of the remaining ingredients.
4. Form mixture into patties of about 2 tablespoons each... recipe makes about 10 cakes.
• Be careful: they will come together... but they will be delicate.
5. Place patties in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
6. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat.
7. Pan fry in two batches, for roughly 3 minutes on either side, or until nicely browned.
• Once browned, move to paper towel lined plate.
8. Enjoy!
• Serve warm and topped with herbed aioli (recipe below).
• These are great atop a fresh salad or served inside lettuce wraps.

For the Herb Aioli

1. Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth.