Baked Zucchini Latkes- vegan, gluten free, zero waste
Nothing quite compares to enjoying latkes on Hanukkah. I have early memories of my mom making latkes and how no store or restaurant version compared to hers. (I think it’s because she put so much love into cooking them!) While I don’t have anything against a white potato, I wanted to make a comparable latke with zucchini as the base. And I DID IT! You’re going to love this veggie heavy, vegan, gluten free baked version of a Hanukkah staple. All ingredients are zero waste, meaning I purchased them without any packaging! These are so amazing that you’ll definitely be making them year round! Top tip: For crispier latkes, I suggest grating the zucchini and letting it sit in a dish towel for 20 minutes with some salt to remove excess moisture.
BAKED ZUCCHINI LATKES (makes ~30 small latkes)
Ingredients
4 cups grated zucchini (~4 medium zucchini)
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 tbsp filtered water)
1 onion
1 cup brown rice flour
5 tbsp nutritional yeast
Avocado oil
Salt and pepper
Toppings (optional): unsweetened apple sauce, coconut or cashew yogurt
Directions
Use a food processor or hand grater to grate the zucchini and then place a dish towel in a large strainer. Transfer the grated zucchini into the strainer and sprinkle with some salt. Let sit for 10-20 minutes. (Note: the longer is sits, the less wet the mixture, the crunchier the final result). Then, squeeze the zucchini using the dish towel to remove excess moisture.
While the zucchini is drying, make the flax eggs. Combine 2 tbsp of ground flaxseed meal with 3 tbsp of filtered water in a small bowl. Mix and set aside.
Then, chop the onion and add it to a large bowl with the brown rice flour and nutritional yeast. Mix together.
Add the grated zucchini and flaxseed meal to the bowl and mix until combined. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper.
Cover the surface of two baking sheets with avocado oil (the best oil to use at this high temperature).
Time to make the latkes! Using your hands, take a small handful of the mixture (it will be sticky and a bit wet), make into latkes (like a patty), and place onto the baking sheets with a bit of room between each. If you’re having trouble forming the latke, you can wet your hands with a bit of water (not too much though!).
Place the baking sheets in the oven at 400F for 25 minutes. Then, flip them and bake for another 20 or so minutes, longer if you want them crispier.
Take a deep breath before enjoying these delicious, zero waste zucchini latkes. Serve with apple sauce or coconut or cashew yogurt.