Light-As-Air Chickpea and Zucchini Fritters ~ Lemon, Herbs and Yogurt

Chocolate, cookbooks and fritters rank high on the list of my addictions, although, not necessarily in that order. My love of fritters runs deep. Even the name, fritter appeals to me. Apple, corn, vegetable... I love them all! My sister does too. She makes delicious zucchini and Parmesan fritters, which I have made many times too.  But after all the holiday feasting, lighter fritters seemed like the right thing to make. Fritters that would fill me up at lunchtime, without weighing me down.

I found a wonderful Donna Hay recipe, tweaked it just a bit, making it gluten free and a little bit spicy. Donna's recipe calls for self rising flour. I replaced it with my go-to supermarket, gluten-free flour mix. But, self rising flour will work too. Fresh herbs, lemon and Fage Plain Greek yogurt round out the meal.  

I hope you enjoy these fritters as much as I did. I even heated some up the next day at work. If you're a fritter fanatic like me, check back from time to time to see what I'm cooking. There will be more.  

For Christmas this year, my family kept me happy with more cookbooks. After Christmas, I spent a quiet day with my husband reading cookbooks and relaxing.... my kind of post-holiday treat.  

Chickpea and Zucchini Fritter Recipe

(Adapted from Donna Hay's Recipe for Zucchini and Chickpea Fritters) 

Some Notes:  

For these fritters, I use Pamela's Gluten Free Baking Mix  This mix gives the fritters a moist, light and fluffy interior and a crisp exterior. Donna Hay's original recipe calls for self rising flour which will also work.

A tiny Thai green chili is added for heat. I love the spicy, slightly tropical flavor of tiny Thai peppers. They come in red and green versions. I find them in my regular supermarket.  They're very hot! A little goes a long way. You could leave the pepper out if you don't like spicy food. 

Fresh dill gives a boost of flavor and lemon adds its citrus zing. There's a pleasant balance of flavors and textures going on here. You could use basil or parsley in place of the dill or even add some crumbled feta to the fritter batter.

Enjoy them with my Lime-Kissed Persian Chopped Salad      

You'll Need:

• 1 16 oz can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained. I used lower sodium.
• 1 medium zucchini, grated. I use a box grater.
• 1 small fresh green or red tiny Thai pepper or jalapeno pepper, minced (optional). 
• 2 lemons, zest half of one and place the zest in the bowl with the grated zucchini
• 1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced. I use a microplane zester for this. Add it to the bowl with the other ingredients.
• A generous hand full of fresh dill. About 1/4 cup. Or herb of your choice. Basil would be great. 
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup Pamela's Gluten Free Baking Mix or self rising flour (see notes) 
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 large eggs
• Sea salt or kosher salt to taste
• Olive oil for cooking. I used extra virgin unfiltered.
• Greek yogurt and lemon wedges for serving.

The Rundown:

Place the rinsed and drained chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor and whiz to a chunky consistency. Don't process the chickpeas all the way down as if you're making hummus. They should still have some structure. Place the zucchini, chili, garlic, lemon zest, dill, milk, salt and eggs in a large bowl. Add the processed chickpeas. Add Pamela's Gluten Free Baking Mix to the bowl and stir everything together. Start with 1/3 cup of Pamela's Gluten Free Mix and add more if the mixture seems too wet.

Heat a large nonstick frying pan on medium high with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. I used my nonstick Scanpan for this recipe. Drop batter by 1/3 cup fulls into the hot pan. Cook until golden brown on each side. Serve with lemon wedges and plain Greek yogurt. Makes about 10 fritters. Enjoy!

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More Recipes from Jilly...

Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Tomatoes & North African Spices

Mexican Black Bean & Corn Fritters ~ Gluten Free or Not 

The Easiest Chocolate Mousse You'll Ever Make ~ Coconut Milk Mousse