Zucchini Fritters with Poached Eggs and Tomato Salad

Every Tuesday there is a mini farmer's market at city hall for all the officey folks who want pretty flowers and amazing produce.

A co-worker of mine brought me back a bouquet and $10 in vouchers in honor of my birthday.  I came back with two pints of heirloom golden cherry tomatoes, a bunch of parsley, a bunch of basil, three zucchini and a quart of strawberries.

The zucchini are a bit large to use as a traditional vegetable, but grated works marvelously!  For breakfast I though some zucchini fritters, topped with poached eggs would be super yummy.  I have never made either of these before.  I used Martha Stewart's recipe (below) for the Fritters, and followed the method I watched my Dad use for years and years and years to poach eggs with some minor changes.

I thought the plate looked a little plain and had the tomato salad already made and marinating in the fridge for a dinner application (next entry).  I rounded out the meal with a dark chocolate cappuccino and a berry banana yogurt smoothie.

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Poached Eggs

2 Eggs

1 tablespoon Vinegar

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Pepper

-Nonstick pan with sides

-Slotted Spoon

-Water

 Fill the pan with 2 inches of water.
Add the vinegar and salt to the water
 Heat the water till just a simmer over medium heat

--The next part can be done a couple ways.  You can crack the eggs into a bowl and slip them into the water, or you can crack them right into the water--

Cook the eggs until the whites are opaque, sprinkle with pepper.
Use the slotted spoon to carefully turn the eggs over and cook until the yolks are set to your preference
Carefully remove eggs from water with the slotted spoon and serve over fritters or english muffins.

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Zucchini Fritters

Martha Stewart Living, March 1999

http://www.marthastewart.com/261922/zucchini-fritters

 

1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (1 lemon) plus
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges (optional)
10 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, stems removed and leaves finely chopped, plus more sprigs for garnish (optional)
1 medium clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

 

Using the large holes of a box grater, grate zucchini into a medium bowl. Add the salt, lemon zest, chopped parsley, garlic, pepper, and eggs. Mix well to combine. Slowly add flour, stirring so no lumps form.
 

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the oil sizzles when you drop a small amount of zucchini mixture into the pan. Carefully drop about 2 tablespoons zucchini mixture into pan; repeat, spacing fritters a few inches apart.
 

Cook fritters until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium. Turn fritters, and continue cooking until golden, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer fritters to a plate; set aside in a warm place. Cook remaining zucchini mixture, adding more oil to pan if necessary. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges, if desired; serve.

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Smoothie:

1/2 cup Plain Green Yogurt

1 1/2 cups mixed frozen berries

1 medium banana (peeled)

1 tablespoon almond butter

3/4 cup milk

Blend everything except milk together in a blender or food processor.  Add the milk slowly through the top spout until the mixture is of smoothie consistency.  

 

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Cupcake Madness!!

So I've been playing with my baking a lot more lately and found this AMAZING recipe for a "juicy" Lemon Cake with a Raspberry Buttercream.  I changed it up a little bit as the original recipe called for a lot of artificial ingredients (lemon extract, raspberry flavoring, and food coloring) that I then substituted natural whole ingredients for.

I have since modified the Raspberry Lemonade Cupcake and made a Strawberry Lemonade Cupcake and can see this really working for any citrus fruit... I have dreams of a Cherry Limeade or an Orange Dark Chocolate.... mmmmmm.....

I've included some alternates in the original recipe that you can try:

Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Makes 24 standard cupcakes, 48 mini cupcakes

1 cup butter at room temperature 

6 ounces cream cheese  (alternates: sour cream, yogurt)

Zest of 3 Lemons

Juice of 3 Lemons

1 1/3 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt   

1 cup butter at room temperature

2-4  tablespoons fresh raspberry puree (Alternate: Strawberry puree) (also I strained the seeds out, you can leave them in)

4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar 

48 Raspberries for the filling (12 strawberries)

1/2 cup cornstarch

1. Preheat over to 325. 

2.  Beat together the butter, cream cheese, lemon zest and sugar, then beat in eggs and extract until smooth.

3. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. 

4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the cheese mixture and beat with your mixer on low speed until just combined.

5. Divide the batter evenly between 24 cupcake cups that have been lined with paper cupcake liners.

6. Toss berries gently in the cornstarch to coat them lightly

7. Press berries (2 Raspberries or 1/2 Strawberry) into the center of each cupcake until they are covered.

8. Bake for 25 minutes until firm to the touch.

9. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan- then transfer to a wire rack.

10. Frost when cooled.

For Frosting:

Beat butter with an electric mixer until it is fluffy and pale. Gradually add in powdered sugar and mix in low speed until it is thick and paste-like. One tablespoon at a time, add in the raspberry puree until the frosting as reached a good piping consistency. (If it is still too thick, you can add it 1 tsp of lemon juice, but mine was fine!)... I also did this by hand with a whisk, but a mixer would be soooooo much better!

Note: These are garnished with sparkly pink sugar and a colorful drinking straw. I also made mini's so they only had 1 raspberry pressed inside (1/4 slice of strawberry). I also could sooooo see these baked inside fun paper (dixie) cups.