Greek Zucchini Fritters – Kolokithokeftedes with Tzatziki Sauce

Last weekend, I got a little carried away grating fresh zucchini to make a Pineapple-Zucchini Cake-- which my husband and son ate with great relish!  I don't like to waste food,  so I pondered what to make with the leftover grated zucchini.  I must read dozens of recipes a week, so my subconscious mind reminded me of "zucchini fritters".  I've never made them, but it seems like a great idea.  My google searched found several versions for Greek Zucchini Fritters.  Some of my favorite Greek ingredients are feta cheese and lemon.  I try to keep Greek Yogurt in my fridge, at all times.  I zeroed in on a new blog (to me) called "Whipped".  I love this version, because of the panko crumbs.  That was it!  I began by making my tried & true very quick Tzatziki Sauce.

Mix Greek yogurt ( find that the nonfat version works great), a grated clove of garlic, cucumber, the juice of 1 lemon and ½ teaspoon cumin. That's it!  I do add fresh dill-- but I held back on that because I was putting it into the fritters.   I also serve this sauce with my Ground Gyros recipe-- which is also very flavorful and one of my husband's favorite quick week night dinners.

I show you how I grate zucchini in a food processor, and how I use a ricer to drain all the excess water right here.  Otherwise, use a box grater for the zucchini, and it's important that you squeeze the excess water with your hands, or by wringing it with a tea towel or cheese cloth.  Soggy zucchini makes soggy fritters and that is not very appetizing!  NOTE: Use young zucchini, not ones that have grown to the size of a baseball bat! The younger, the sweeter. The older, the more bitter (hmmm, sounds like me!) Chop some green onion.  Add some Feta Cheese. For the herbs, you can use fresh mint and fresh dill.  My husband doesn't like mint, so I cut fresh dill (from my Spring garden) and flat leaf parsley.

Add one beaten egg, about 1/2 cup of flour (I added less, figuring I could add more if I needed to), 3-4 Tablespoons Japanese panko crumbs and combine this with a fork.  Easy!  The batter should be wet enough to bind together. I didn't need a full 1/2 cup of flour.

I like to use an ice cream scoop to make my patties even.  There!

I heated enough olive oil* to evenly coat the skillet-- make sure the oil is very hot and shimmering. Cook the patties for 3-4 minutes, or until they are golden brown.  *For those of you who fear cooking with oil as being "fattening"-- olive oil is the healthiest choice because of the Omega-3 in it. It's my #1 choice of cooking oil.

Flip them over and cook for 3-4 additional minutes.

Drain on a paper towel lined plate....

Serve with a dollop of Tzatziki Sauce...

Mmmmm...  the creaminess of the feta cheese, subtle flavor of dill... and a refreshing and tangy tzatziki sauce...wow!  Craig and I enjoyed these as our TGIF Happy Hour.  We washed it down with an ice cold beer.  These were great appetizers, but they'd also be a nice side dish.  These are fast and easy to make.

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Enjoy!