30-Minute Zucchini Patties – Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free

There are many healthy reasons to eat zucchini: it’s a good source of fiber, calcium, minerals, and vitamins. But let’s face it, I love these 30-minute vegetable patties just because they taste amazing. Dairy-free cheese makes them moist and red pepper flakes give them a little kick. Dip them in some marinara sauce and serve with more veggies and rice. You can make 16 cakes if you want them for appetizers, but I make 8 big ones and have 2 for dinner.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 6-12 minutes (6 minutes a cake)

Servings: 8 cakes

Ingredients

2 medium ZUCCHINI (3 cups)
3 EGGS, beaten
1 small ONION, chopped
3 cloves GARLIC, chopped
3/4 cup gluten-free ITALIAN BREAD CRUMBS
1/4 cup gluten-free ALL PURPOSE FLOUR (or gf baking mix)
1/4 cup dairy-free PEPPERJACK CHEESE
1/2 cup dairy-free CHEDDER CHEESE
1/2 teaspoon KOSHER SALT
1/2 teaspoon RED PEPPER FLAKES
2 tablespoons VEGETABLE OIL

Directions

PREPARE zucchini
- SHRED 3 cups of zucchini. I use a food processor which makes it quick and easy.
- SALT zucchini and place in a colander for 10 minutes
- PRESS down on the zucchini with paper towels to express all the excess liquid into the sink. Getting out as much moisture as you can will improve the texture of the patty.
- PAT dry with a paper towel
In a medium bowl, BEAT the eggs
ADD the onion, garlic, gluten-free flour, dairy-free cheeses, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste. MIX well.
STIR zucchini into the mixture and mix well
PLACE bread crumbs in a flat bottom baking dish
Wet your hands slightly and fORM the zucchini mixture into patties
ROLL the patty into the bread crumbs, making sure to coat each side fully
In a large skillet, HEAT the oil over medium-high heat
Place the patties into the skillet and COOK for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden brown
REMOVE patties from skillet and DRAIN/BLOT on a plate covered with a paper towel
SERVE with marinara sauce for dipping
STORE in foil in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. FREEZE for 90 days.

Gather ingredients
Shred zucchini
Salt and let zucchini sit to drain excess moisture
Beat eggs
Mix everything but zucchini
Now add zucchini
Prepare to bread patties
Roll patties in breading
Fry 3 minutes each side
Flip until golden
Drain patties on paper towels
Serve with marinara sauce, rice, and veggies

Inspired by Allrecipes.com Zucchini Patties

My Maryland Crabcakes – Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free – Fried or Broiled

Living in Maryland makes me a blue crab snob, for sure. Trying to get Gluten Free Crabcakes anywhere but in my own kitchen, is close to impossible. Most people use bread crumbs for filler, so I created a gluten-free and dairy-free crabcake with just the right amount of Old Bay seasoning that is both moist and flaky. As a condiment, I make my own cocktail sauce, which far surpasses anything in a bottle. My family loves crab and even the non-gluten-free people are in love with these cakes, Note that this recipe for 4 only fed 2 for dinner at my house. Some options to extend it might be to double the recipe (but right now lump crab is $70 a pound), make them smaller and use them as an appetizer, or extend them with a pound of claw crab meat. I updated this recipe in June 2021 to add a broil option for those that like it that way as well as changed around the order of mixing, because it works better.

Preparation time: 10 minutes + (minumum)1 hour in refrigerator

Cooking time: 8-10 minutes per cake

Servings: 4 (8 cakes)

Ingredients

1 pound fresh LUMP CRAB (Maryland jumbo lump or backfin)
1/4 cup MAYONNAISE
1-1/2 teaspoon DIJON MUSTARD
1-1/2 teaspoon OLD BAY seasoning (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon WORCESTERSHIRE sauce
1 teaspoon LEMON JUICE
1/4 teaspoon KOSHER SALT
1/4 to 1/2 cup Italian style gluten-free BREAD CRUMBS (start with 1/4)
1 teaspoon PARSLEY
1 EGG, lightly beaten
1/2 cup VEGAN BUTTER

Directions

DRAIN crab, if necessary, and PICK through for shells. The good-quality jumbo lump should not have shells. Place cleaned crab meat in a bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, WHISK together mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and salt.
FOLD in the crab meat gently, trying not to separate the lumps. Combine well.
SPRINKLE the parsley and breadcrumbs over the crab mixture and mix gently but fully, once again trying not to break the lumps. Be careful not to mash them too much, you want the lumps to be whole.
In a small bowl, BEAT the egg lightly and pour over the crab/breadcrumb mixture folding gently with your hands. (Don’t over mix.)
COVER the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (I put them in the refrigerator usually a few hours before cooking.)
When ready to cook, take the bowl out of the refrigerator and with clean damp hands, FORM the chilled crab mixture into 8* cakes, about 3-inches wide by 1-inch thick (kind of like flat baseballs). Place the formed cakes on a clean plate.
- Or make 12 2-inches wide by 1-inch thick cakes and serve as an appetizer
TO FRY
- HEAT a large skillet on medium-high heat. ADD butter and heat for about 2 minutes until the butter becomes frothy.
- ADD the cakes to the pan. (8 1-inch cakes should all fit into a 12-inch skillet.)
- FRY the crab cake on medium-high for about 4 minutes until golden brown then FLIP the cake and reduce heat to medium-low for another 4 minutes, until the other side is golden.
- SERVE cakes immediately with cocktail sauce (or tartar if you prefer).
TO BROIL
- PRE-HEAT the broiler in your oven.
- PLACE the formed cakes on a parchment paper-lined backing sheet.
- Slightly SPRINKLE them with Old Bay seasoning.
- BROIL the cakes for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
STORE leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2 days.

Inspired by Classic Maryland Crab Cakes Recipe by Susie Middleton, Fine Cooking Issue 99

Baked Zucchini Chips – Gluten-Free & Vegan

When I am out with friends at an Italian restaurant, I really miss having that tasty fried zucchini stick appetizer, so I decided to make my own healthy gluten and dairy free version. The thinner you slice the zucchini rounds, the crisper they will be. These babies are baked, not fried, so eat as many as you would like. Try them with some warm marinara sauce and vegan parmesan cheese. MANGIA!

Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 large ZUCCHINI, sliced very thin
1/4 cup CASHEW MILK (or any alternative nut milk)
SEASONING
    1/2 cup gluten-free FLOUR (almond works nice)
    1/2 cup NUTRITIONAL YEAST
    1/2 teaspoon GARLIC POWDER
    1/4 teaspoon HIMILAYAN SALT
    Ground CAYENNE PEPPER to taste (1/4 teaspoon)
PARCHMENT paper
Paper TOWELS
Spray can of OLIVE OIL
Optional: Vegan PARMASAN CHEESE

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 425 degrees F
PREPARE ZUCCHINI
- PLACE paper towels on a plate or flat baking pan
- SLICE zucchini as thin as possible (1/4″ or less). You can leave the skin on.
- LAY zucchini slices on the paper towels and SPRINKLE with salt
- Let the slices sit for about 10 minutes to draw out excess liquid
- PRESS rounds with a paper towel to BLOT up any excess liquid
- PUT dried zucchini rounds in a bowl (call this Assembly Step #1)
While the zucchini is doing its thing to get out the excess water, in a gallon size plastic bag, PREPARE seasoning mix of flour, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to taste. (You can use a bowl but I find the ‘shake’ method covers nicely.) Set to the side. (Assembly Step #2)
POUR milk in a medium bowl (Assembly Step #3)
PREPARE a baking pan (I reuse the one I dried the zucchini on) with parchment paper (Assembly Step #4)
ASSEMBLE
- MAKE AN ASSEMBLY LINE of all the ingredients starting with Step #1 the bowl of zucchini, Step #2 the bowl of milk, Step #3 the bag of seasoning, and finally Step #4 the baking pan
- With a sharp fork (or a clean hand), DIP the dried zucchini in the milk
- Then TOSS the milked zucchini into the seasoning bag and flip around until the slice is coated on both sides
- With a sharp fork (or a clean dry hand) remove the zucchini slice from the seasoning bag and LAY it on the parchment paper in the baking pan
- Repeat steps 1 through 4 until all the slices are coated.
- LIGHTLY SPRAY each slice with olive oil, ensuring not to remove seasoning
BAKE for 15 minutes
TURN over each slice and LIGHTLY SPRAY again if needed
BAKE another 15 minutes until everything is golden brown. NOTE: cooking time will vary depending on how thin you sliced your zucchini rounds, so keep an eye on them so that they don’t get burnt.
COOL the rounds on the parchment paper for a few minutes before removing
SERVE hot with your favorite tomato sauce and optionally sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese
Note: Try to eat them all while hot because they got soggy when they cool