Baked Zucchini Fritters

Clean the living room, dust, vacuum, clean the kitchen, put away the dishes in the dishwasher, change the sheets on the bed, sweep the hallway, clean the bathroom, go back to the kitchen and eat all the produce in the fridge that's about to go bad, and then take out the trash. That's how it goes in our house the night before we leave to go somewhere. That way everything is nice and clean when we get home. Unfortunately, it also means we return to an empty fridge.

The husband and I have spent the last couple of nights scavenging for dinner food. We had meat we could thaw (thank you, Da, for the venison!), but sides required a bit more imagination. Lucky for me, Momma grew about a hundred zucchini. Why I only brought one home is beyond me. Maybe I didn't want to look greedy. Or maybe I only snagged one because the husband isn't always a fan of this versatile vegetable, as evidenced by his "What are you doing with that?" inquiry when he saw me making these for dinner.

"I'm making something up," I told him.

The husband got out a bag of microwavable rice and veggies and made his own side.

I'll admit I wasn't really sure where I was going with my baked zucchini fritters – or what I should put in them, how I should cook them or how they'd turn out, for that matter – but your options are severely limited when all you have in the fridge is half a zucchini and eggs. I made due. And the husband even approved of my resourcefulness, once he agreed to try one: "These are really good. Did I just say that?"

Next time, I'll bake them a little longer and perhaps even turn up the heat a bit. I think I'll make more, too, so I'll have some for the husband. But that'd require more zucchini, wouldn't it? Alright, note to self: Next time you're offered free produce, take it. You won't look greedy. Seriously. Take more than one zucchini. It won't go to waste in this house.

Baked Zucchini Fritters
Serves 1-2

1 small zucchini or 1/2 medium zucchini

1 egg white

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

cooking spray

1 teaspoon Parmesan, for serving, if desired

fresh ground pepper, to taste, 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. (I started my oven at 350 and turned it up as I went. I think 375 would be a good starting point.)

Whisk the egg white in a small bowl.

Julienne the zucchini and add it to the egg white. Sprinkle in the garlic salt and onion powder, and stir until the zucchini is well-coated with the egg white and spices.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Use your hands to form small zucchini fritter rounds on the pan. I made five rounds, but make them as big or small as you'd like.

Bake for about 10 minutes. If the egg white seeps out of the fritters a little, just form it back around the zucchini cakes. Once the little cakes have baked for a while, flip.

Bake the fritters until they're golden brown or done to your liking. You may want to turn the broiler on for the last couple of minutes to help them brown.

Serve with butter or Parmesan, if you'd like.

Enjoy!