Happy spring! Fall is my favorite season, but spring is a close second. After the deadness of winter, it's truly lovely to see so much GREEN sprouting out from everywhere. Speaking of green... along with grass, there are many delicious, green veggies growing this spring. Two of my favorite green, spring vegetables are zucchini and green peas, both of which debut in these Green Pea Zucchini Fritters with Creamy Dill Sauce! These vegetarian fritters are super delicious as is; the yogurt and goat cheese dill sauce is an added bonus.
Plant-Based Fritters with Spring Produce
Bring on all the spring recipes! These Green Pea Zucchini Fritters with Creamy Dill Sauce are perfect for spring. Filled with seasonal produce, plant-based protein, and flavor these vegetarian fritters contain 12 simple ingredients and come together in a jiffy.
Zucchini, peas, onions, and lemon are just a few of the essential ingredients in this recipe, and all of them are in season this spring! This means that all of these foods are at their flavor and nutrition peak right now.
If you're looking to incorporate more seasonal produce and/or veggie heavy or meatless meals into your regular meal routine, these fritters are a great recipe to add to you meal plan as both green peas and chickpea flour contain plant-based protein.
See my blog post 5 Simple Ways to Increase Your Vegetable Intake for more veggie heavy recipes and easy ways to add veggies into your regular routine.
What's In Season This Spring?
As I said earlier, there are so many delicious, green veggies growing this spring, but there are also red, orange, yellow, white, and purple fruits and vegetables making their debut this spring! See below for a list of some of the most common fruits and vegetables that are in season in the states during the spring.
For more information about fruits and vegetables that are in season this spring see here. For more on seasonal produce see here.
Greek Yogurt Sauce with Goat Cheese and Dill
If you've never tried adding plain Greek yogurt to sauces and salad dressings, you're missing out! Greek yogurt is a fabulous base for creamy dressings and sauces and this Creamy Dill Sauce is no exception. Once you try it, you'll want to spread in on everything.
Plain Greek yogurt has a nice tangy flavor that pairs perfectly with the fresh dill, zesty lemon juice, and savory goat cheese in this sauce. Unlike traditional bases for creamy sauces and dressings (namely mayonnaise and sour cream which are mainly high in saturated fat), Greek yogurt is rich in a variety of beneficial nutrients including protein, calcium, and probiotics (read more about probiotics in my blog post The Perks of Probiotics) which actually make yogurt easier to digest than other dairy products. Similarly, goat cheese is rich in calcium and protein and is lower in lactose and casein than cow's milk cheese.
When you *generously* spread this Creamy Dill Sauce on your freshly made Green Pea Zucchini Fritters, you'll not only add killer flavor, but also a boost of protein, calcium, and beneficial probiotics.
Serving Suggestions
For a delicious, balanced, vegetarian meal, pair these Green Pea Zucchini Fritters with Creamy Dill Sauce with:
What’s in This Recipe?
Egg – contains protein, choline, antioxidants, and fat soluble vitamins
Zucchini – contains vitamins, minerals, fiber, and carotenoids
Green peas – contains complex carbohydrates, fiber, and plant-based protein
Red onion – contains the antioxidant quercetin
Fresh dill – adds flavor, contains vitamin C, manganese, folate, and iron
Spices and seasonings – garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper
Chickpea flour – gluten free flour that contains fiber, plant-based protein, hon-heme iron, and potassium
Avocado oil – contains monounsaturated fats, has a high smoke point (520oF) making it ideal for high heat cooking
Plain Greek yogurt – rich in protein, calcium, and probiotics; easier to digest than other dairy products due to fermentation
Goat cheese – contains calcium and protein; lower in lactose and casein than cow’s milk cheese
Lemon juice – contains heart healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs)
Notes: Both the fritters and sauce recipes are gluten free. The fritters are also dairy free, but the Creamy Dill Sauce is not dairy free. This recipe is best served fresh.
Green Pea Zucchini Fritters with Creamy Dill Sauce
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 fritters (2 servings)
Fritter Ingredients:
1 large egg
1/2 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed dry
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh dill, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chickpea flour
Black pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
2 tbsp. avocado oil or another high heat cooking oil
Sauce Ingredients:
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. fresh dill, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. crumbled goat cheese
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Black pepper to taste
Directions:
Add the egg and shredded, squeezed zucchini to a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix until combined.
Add the onions, dill, spices, and chickpea flour to the bowl. Stir until combined, then mix in the frozen peas.
Bring a nonstick pan to medium high heat. Add the avocado oil.
While the oil heats, form the fritter mixture into 4 patties (about 1/2" in thickness).
Once the oil is heated (shiny and thin but not smoking), add the patties to the pan, spacing them apart so that they don't touch. Cook on each side for 4-5 minutes.
While the fritters cook, make the sauce by combining all sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
Once the fritters have finished cooking, transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.
Serve the fritters topped with sauce as desired.
Store any extras in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. When you make this recipe, tag me at @hope.for.balance and use the hashtag #hopeforbalance for a chance to be featured in my Facebook or IG stories. I LOVE seeing your creations!
Comments