Trevor's Kitchen

Trevor's Kitchen

Veggie Cakes

Veggie Cakes

About the Recipe

Veggie cakes are a tasty way to get more vegetables into your diet, especially if you have picky eaters. They are small enough for little hands and they make a great addition to your work lunches during the week. 
The most important helpful tip I can offer to anyone making veggie cakes for the first time is this: drain the vegetables really well. Don’t skimp on this step, you’ll regret it later.
Veggies like zucchini and spinach have quite a bit of liquid in them and if you don’t squeeze out as much moisture as possible, the veggie cakes will be mushy. Green vegetable cakes are delicious and made from nutrient-dense veggies, they just need to be squeezed dry first.
If you prefer to bake them instead of cooking them on the stovetop, you can bake them at 350°F for about 20 minutes until they are crispy, and the vegetables have cooked through. A light dusting of breadcrumb on the outside will help them crisp up in the oven.
Recipe by Cheryl – Pook’s Pantry
Servings: 30

Ingredients:

2 cups broccoli, grated
3 large zucchini, grated and drained
6 large carrots, grated
1 onion, diced and sautéed (optional)
1 cup corn kernels
5 eggs
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup breadcrumbs, I used panko
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
oil for pan

Getting it done:

1. Grate zucchini, sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and set in a fine mesh strainer. Place a bowl or plate on top of the zucchini and weigh it down. I stacked 3 cans on diced tomatoes on top and that did the trick.
2. Let it sit for AT LEAST 30 minutes, up to 1 hour. After it has drained, wrap it in a clean kitchen towel or a piece of cheesecloth and SQUEEZE! Even more water will come out, we want it as dry as possible!
3. Set the drained zucchini aside.

Make the Cakes
1. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, breadcrumb and cheese together. Add all the vegetables and toss to combine, making sure to break up the zucchini and coat everything with flour mixture.
2. Crack eggs into a small bowl, give a little whisk and pour over veggie mixture. Mix to THOROUGHLY combine.
3. Heat a saute pan (skillet) over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil (a teaspoon or so) and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.
4. Using a scoop (or a large spoon), drop mixture into the hot pan and flatten out with your fingers to form a patty.
5. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes on each side, turning down the heat if they begin to brown too quickly.
6. Remove from pan to a cooling rack set inside of a sheet pan, or a paper towel lined baking sheet.
7. Repeat until mixture is gone!

Zucchini is very watery and needs to be drained well, otherwise your cakes will end up a soggy mess. It loses most of it’s volume once it’s drained (think spinach! you start out with a full pot and it cooks down to nothing)
I topped these with a bit of lemon zest and juice stirred into sour cream, it was delicious!
To freeze: place squares of parchment paper between the cakes and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or slide into a freezer zippy bag.
A cast iron skillet works the BEST, but any skillet will do!

Ingredients:

2 cups broccoli, grated
3 large zucchini, grated and drained
6 large carrots, grated
1 onion, diced and sautéed (optional)
1 cup corn kernels
5 eggs
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup breadcrumbs, I used panko
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
oil for pan

Getting it done:

1. Grate zucchini, sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and set in a fine mesh strainer. Place a bowl or plate on top of the zucchini and weigh it down. I stacked 3 cans on diced tomatoes on top and that did the trick.
2. Let it sit for AT LEAST 30 minutes, up to 1 hour. After it has drained, wrap it in a clean kitchen towel or a piece of cheesecloth and SQUEEZE! Even more water will come out, we want it as dry as possible!
3. Set the drained zucchini aside.

Make the Cakes
1. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, breadcrumb and cheese together. Add all the vegetables and toss to combine, making sure to break up the zucchini and coat everything with flour mixture.
2. Crack eggs into a small bowl, give a little whisk and pour over veggie mixture. Mix to THOROUGHLY combine.
3. Heat a saute pan (skillet) over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil (a teaspoon or so) and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.
4. Using a scoop (or a large spoon), drop mixture into the hot pan and flatten out with your fingers to form a patty.
5. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes on each side, turning down the heat if they begin to brown too quickly.
6. Remove from pan to a cooling rack set inside of a sheet pan, or a paper towel lined baking sheet.
7. Repeat until mixture is gone!

Zucchini is very watery and needs to be drained well, otherwise your cakes will end up a soggy mess. It loses most of it’s volume once it’s drained (think spinach! you start out with a full pot and it cooks down to nothing)
I topped these with a bit of lemon zest and juice stirred into sour cream, it was delicious!
To freeze: place squares of parchment paper between the cakes and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or slide into a freezer zippy bag.
A cast iron skillet works the BEST, but any skillet will do!

About the Recipe

Veggie cakes are a tasty way to get more vegetables into your diet, especially if you have picky eaters. They are small enough for little hands and they make a great addition to your work lunches during the week. 
The most important helpful tip I can offer to anyone making veggie cakes for the first time is this: drain the vegetables really well. Don’t skimp on this step, you’ll regret it later.
Veggies like zucchini and spinach have quite a bit of liquid in them and if you don’t squeeze out as much moisture as possible, the veggie cakes will be mushy. Green vegetable cakes are delicious and made from nutrient-dense veggies, they just need to be squeezed dry first.
If you prefer to bake them instead of cooking them on the stovetop, you can bake them at 350°F for about 20 minutes until they are crispy, and the vegetables have cooked through. A light dusting of breadcrumb on the outside will help them crisp up in the oven.
Recipe by Cheryl – Pook’s Pantry
Servings: 30

Nutritional Info

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