These indulgent zucchini patties highlight the sweetness of this popular late summer vegetable.

If the word “fried” scares you don’t run screaming after step 3. Yes, you will need to fry these zucchini patties once they are assembled but it’s just a flash fry and most of the oil will drain off on paper towels. These patties are the perfect starter to your light late summer meal. If you’re serving a salad for dinner, start with fritters to delight your guests as they assemble individual lettuce wraps.

Use a box grater to get nice thick strands of zucchini and don’t be afraid to mix up the herb selection. I’ve used parsley and green onions in this particular version but cilantro, dill or even basil would be delicious. I serve them with a very simple yogurt sauce and wrap the patties in lettuce leaves, but they are also delicious on their own.

Zucchini Patties with Lemon-Yogurt Sauce 

Makes about 12 fritters

Ingredients

2 medium-sized zucchinis
¼ cup feta cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup chopped Italian parsley
3 scallion (green onion) stalks, finely chopped
1 lemon
¾ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup Greek yogurt
12 baby lettuce leaves

Directions

1. On the large holes of a box grater, shred the zucchini into about 2 cups of strands. Add to a large bowl with the feta cheese, egg, scallions, flour, parsley and salt.
2. Zest the lemon and add about ½ teaspoon of the zest to the zucchini mixture. Then slice the lemon in half and squeeze half of the juice into the mixture and squeeze the other half into a small bowl and combine with the Greek yogurt. Set the yogurt mixture aside.
3. In a medium-sized skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and place paper towels three layers thick on a plate within arm’s reach of the skillet.
4. Form the slider-sized patties with your hands, squeezing excess liquid out before gently placing in the hot oil. The patties should fit snugly in your palm.
5. Fry the patties, 3-4 at a time, cooking for two minutes on one side before flipping and cooking for an additional two minutes. Remove the patties from the oil carefully and drain on the paper-towels.
6. Serve the patties with a dollop of the lemon-yogurt sauce wrapped in a lettuce leaf.

Related on Eco Salon

Zucchini and Goat Cheese Sliders 

Vegan Leek and Zucchini Gratin 

Eggplant Zucchini Lasagna 

Photo credit: Ally Jane Grossan

The post Zucchini Patties Recipe with Lemon-Yogurt Sauce appeared first on EcoSalon.

Many of us would like to lose weight or at least maintain our weight, which can be particularly challenging during the holidays. Thanksgiving dinner is one thing, but then friends start bringing by the requisite homemade holiday fare – banana bread, gingerbread cookies, and peanut brittle to name a few. It’s not surprising that many of us start feeling weighted down, low in energy and spirits from all those buttery and sugary (mind you, delicious) snacks. (I’m partial to those little miniature pecan pies- which are deliciously dangerous.)

Let’s face it – we need to counter-balance all this rich wonderfulness. And what better way to boost your metabolism and your mood than to make it a habit to eat a salad for lunch or dinner all winter long? I’ve gathered together a list of 12 salad recipes that incorporate metabolism-boosting ingredients to help us all offset the mound of tasty treats that’s certain to grow over the coming weeks.

1. Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

Grapefruit is an excellent way to spur the metabolism. Luckily, winter ’tis the season for citrus fruits, so now’s the time to embrace these flavor bombs. Avocado is a “good fat” option, and paired with grapefruit over a bed of watercress, you’re bound to feel satisfied. (And satisfaction is key to healthy options.) Try this recipe: Grapefruit and Avocado Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing.

2. Fennel and Citrus Salad

I’ve made this incredibly flavorful and zesty Fennel and Citrus Salad recipe from the NY Times on numerous occasions. It’s also great for entertaining.

3. Spinach, Apple and Pecan Salad

As the old saying goes (and Rule #26 in Michael Pollan’s book, Food Rules): “Drink the Spinach Water.” Spinach, like most dark, leafy greens, will have your metabolism humming along in no time. Plus, it’s packed with anti-oxidants and loads of other vitamins. What’s not to love. This Spinach, Apple and Pecan Salad combines the value of spinach with apple- another known booster.

4. Classic Spinach Salad

The classic Spinach Salad includes boiled egg, and eggs are also considered a good way to speed up the metabolism. This classic recipe includes bacon, which if you’re worried about the extra calories, you could leave out, or simply reduce the amount you include. After all, a little bacon goes a long way.

5. Kale Caesar Salad with Anchovies

If you’re feeling adventurous, try this Kale Caesar Salad with Anchovies. I was once skeptical of kale “salad” until I had the occasion to try one at Bar Tartine in San Francisco. The key is a punchy dressing to counter the potential bitterness of the kale. This grilled kale version looks like a great healthy and hearty option.

6. Baby Spinach Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts, Pear and Parmesan

Not to overkill on the spinach, but I couldn’t resist including this recipe for Baby Spinach Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts, Pear and Parmesan from Food52 as it looks like such a great variation. Pear much like apple is supposed to kick the metabolism in high gear.

7. Green Leaf Lettuce, Pomegranate, and Almond Salad

Raise your body’s metabolism with almonds’ essential fatty acids in this Green Leaf Lettuce, Pomegranate and Almond Salad from Epicurious.

8. Spinach and Bibb Lettuce Salad with Apple, Almonds and Creamy Lemon Dressing

Spinach, apples and almonds, oh my! This Spinach and Bibb Lettuce Salad recipe from Food and Wine is a triple metabolism speed racer rescue. Note: the dressing does call for a tablespoon of mayonnaise, which I’m personally not a big fan of. However, if you had some homemade aioli at home, now that would be something else.

9. Romaine, Radish, and Cucumber Salad with Tahini Dressing

Cucumber is a hydrating, low calorie, vitamin-rich vegetable. Paired with radish, and you’ll be feeling fine in no time. This Romaine, Radish and Cucumber Salad recipe is originally from Gourmet magazine.

Mâche Salads

I hear mâche is the new foodie green. Try any of these three mâche salads to keep your energy high. If you can’t find mâche, feel free to use watercress (of the same family) or arugula.

10. Mâche Salad with Persimmons, Pomegranate Seeds and Spiced Nuts

The Organic Authority website has this Mâche Salad with Persimmons, Pomegranate Seeds and Spiced Nuts recipe that sounds intriguing. To keep things simple, substitute toasted pecans or walnuts for the “candied spiced nuts.” Or go big! Spicy nuts are festive.

If you’re not sure what’s up with persimmons, this post might shed some light on the matter.

11. Mâche with Feta and Beet Salad

Beets are linked to many health benefits – lowered blood pressure and cholesterol for starters. Sounds like a good holiday-food-corrective to me! I might substitute freshly boiled or roasted beets for the pickled in this Mâche with Feta and Beet Salad recipe. Then again, if you can pick up some pickled beets from a Brooklyn market, than I’m not one to argue.

12. Mâche Salad with Creole Vinaigrette

There’s also this simple, but interesting sounding Mâche Salad with Creole Vinaigrette from Epicurious that looks worth investigating.

Images: TheDeliciousLife, dailyfood, stu_spivack, ccharmon, nick kindelsperger, jules:stonesoup, dumbonyc, pizzodisevo, Becoming Green, House of Sims, michael_reuter, mynarmeisharsha

The post Holiday Eating Weighing You Down? 12 Salads to Boost Your Metabolism and Your Mood appeared first on EcoSalon.

I am one of those people who is extremely suggestible, bordering on hopelessly gullible. If I read something or hear it in passing, there is an excellent chance that it will take root in my head and I will believe it forever. To this day, I firmly believe that green M&Ms are an aphrodisiac, and that alligators run wild in the New York City sewer system.

So when I first heard a rumor that organic lettuce was more likely than conventionally grown lettuce to harbor e-coli bacteria (thanks to organic farming’s use of fertilizer made from animal manure) I knew that my days of buying organic salad greens were probably over.  If that sounds like an over-reaction to you, it is probably because you have never experienced a painful and gut-wrenching bout of full-on food poisoning. I have had that experience – and it changed the way I look at food forever. Ever since that horrific illness I think of myself as a “cautious consumer” when it comes to food, although I have been described in other, less charitable ways (“hysterical, neurotic twit” is a perennial favorite).

To ward off food-borne illnesses I am alert to every possible threat: I treat raw chicken with a DEFCON 2 level of caution that most people reserve for weapons-grade plutonium. Armed with bleach, antibacterial spray and my own galloping paranoia, I wage a tireless pursuit against salmonella, scouring the poultry juices off my cooking surfaces with a fierceness you would never guess at from the rest of my housekeeping skills (the dust bunnies under my bed are free to reproduce at will but my kitchen counter is so clean you could perform coronary bypass on it.) I am similarly on guard against botulism, unpasteurized dairy products and any rogue food item that may have briefly wandered over 40 degrees Farenheit. Some people, I am sure, describe food that’s been left out of the fridge for an hour as “room temperature.” I refer to such items simply as “garbage.”

And then there is the e-coli terror, which is brutal and grips me pretty much any time I eat a raw vegetable. I have tried to overcome this fear, since I realize that organically grown produce is good for the environment. Still, I can’t quite bring myself to eat organic lettuce – irrational or not, I fear that fecal matter may be lurking in every bite, just underneath the Wishbone Zesty Italian dressing. To compensate for this neurotic behavior, I am attempting to conquer my other food-related phobias. Recently, and with great fanfare, I took the courageous step of eating a cherry tomato that had been left unrefrigerated for almost 45 minutes. I also ordered a Caesar salad based solely on the waiter’s assurance that there was no raw egg in the dressing (ordinarily I would insist he confer with the chef, the maitre d’ and the Atlanta Center for Disease Control).These are baby steps, to be sure, but at least I’m trying.

If there was any justice in the world, my raging food phobias would have rendered me alluringly thin and waif-like by now. This I can assure you, is not the case. Because the simple fact is that unless you count all that pesky heart disease and diabetes, no one, in the history of the world, has ever gotten sick from an Entemann’s All Butter French Crumb Cake.

Image: The Boreka Diary

The post My Greens? Not So Green. appeared first on EcoSalon.

In thinking about salad greens we know and love, and those we don’t know so well but might also love, I wondered how best to compare them. Should I rate different salad staples according to my own opinions? I thought back to the obsessive watercress phase I went through or my fondness for crunchy, butterleaf lettuce during the previous spring.

Perhaps I could traverse the menus of restaurants in our favorite cities to see what’s hot or not. Remember when dandelion greens were all the rage, and wild nettles were obligatory pizza toppings? Then I actually began researching menus, and the (not-so-surprising) favorites turned out to be the classic standards – romaine, arugula, mixed greens and spinach. But what about those other greens that show up on one’s plate at gourmet establishments and foodie havens?

In the end, I couldn’t help but take a look at a large swath of greens in the garden patch. Ultimately, foodie green inspiration should mainly come from the freshest, seasonal greens that can be found. Without further ado, let’s review.

1. Watercress

Watercress gets high marks from me. Why? It may stem from the fact that my local corner market sells it in its entirety – leaves and roots in water – so it’s absolutely fresh when I’m ready to use it. I can pull it from the fridge and cut the stems as though it were from my garden outside. Also, watercress is “leafy” enough to feel like a salad, but “stemmy” enough to look fancy.

2. Arugula

What’s not to love about arugula? OK, it’s true, it might seem too “spicy” for some, and it can get bitter if it’s not picked when the leaves are still young. Still, come ON, it’s so versatile, and oh-so-tasty! Plus, it’s incredibly easy to grow yourself. Here’s a recipe for an arugula salad with cherry tomatoes, fresh corn and carrots.

3. Little Gem Lettuce

Little gem lettuce could be described as a combination of romaine (crispy) and butterleaf (sweet). It’s smaller and more tender than romaine. Often when served in restaurants the focus is on each leaf standing alone in all its magnificence paired with carefully selected complements, such as cheese, nuts or fruit. Other times, the head of the lettuce is sliced in half lengthwise and served on a plate thus.

4. Mâché

Mâché, also sometimes referred to as Lamb’s Lettuce (and also corn salad or field lettuce), has European origins and is usually found in the springtime. It’s pronounced “mosh,” and is often sold bunched with its roots, much like watercress. For a plethora of mâché inspired salads, check out epicroots.com.

5. Mesclun Mix

Staple, staple, staple. The term “mesclun mix” originates from Southern France and is a mix of tender, baby greens. Nowadays, you’ll probably find this as simply “mixed greens” at the grocery store. Mesclun mix does sound much more exotic than mixed greens, though, doesn’t it? At least, to those of us without French connections. I like to think a true mesclun mix would be of a wilder variety than what’s sold in most markets today.

6. Looseleaf Lettuce

Always lovely, lovely, lovely. Red and green lettuces with larger leaves than mixed greens. Best from the farmers’ market. (But then again, what isn’t?)

7. Radicchio

Radicchio is a red leafed, Italian variety of chicory. Its leaves are somewhat bitter, so the leaves are often grilled or served wilted. The raw leaves are often chopped and added to other salad greens for color and crunch.

8. Mizuna

Now this is something I could get excited about. Mizuna is described as mildly peppery on par with mustard greens. It is often mixed with other greens. Tatsoi makes a favorite pairing. I’m thinking this is a good candidate for growing in your own garden. Petaluma Seed Bank (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds), here I come.

9. Tatsoi

An Asian green that grows well in winter and can be eaten raw or cooked. The Asian version of spinach, if you will.

10. Baby Spinach

Spinach salad. So healthy. So tasty. Kitchn food blog rounds up 7 versions of spinach salad here.

11. Dandelion Greens

Dandelion Greens. I thought these were going to get a lot more play when perusing restaurant menus. I feel like their hey-day came and went. Strange considering what promise they seem to offer. Dandelion greens are apparently the most nutritious of any greens offering up more vitamins than broccoli. These bitter leaves can be eaten raw, but are often lightly sauteed and served wilted. Traditionally a part of the mesclun mix and more favored in France from what I hear.

12. Frisée

I’m going to publicly admit this – I’m not a big fan of frisée, a curly endive in the chicory family. Many of you may beg to differ, but it’s more of a nuisance in my mind. I’ll begrudgingly allow it can look pretty and adds a different texture when mixed in with other greens. But really, it’s more decoration than sustenance. And it’s hard to eat. I suppose I’ll come around eventually. I usually do. But I’m still waiting for the revelation. Inspiration, anyone?

13. Butterleaf Lettuce

Admittedly, a favorite of mine. Especially in the springtime. Crunchy, yet tender and sweet.

14. Peashoots

True, pea shoots are mostly a garnish. But they could be mixed into a salad too. And they’re just so cute and adorable, fresh and young.

Images: startcooking kathy & amandine, Girl Interrupted Eating, GottaEat!, Bob Duran, Girl Interrupted Eating, balise42, thebittenword.com, thebittenword.com, smittenkitchen, MMChicago, Food Blogga, thebittenword.com, yumsugar, foodistablog, kthread

The post Salad Days: A Review of 15 Popular Foodie Greens appeared first on EcoSalon.

Perhaps I could traverse the menus of restaurants in our favorite cities to see what’s hot or not. Remember when dandelion greens were all the rage, and wild nettles were obligatory pizza toppings? Then I actually began researching menus, and the (not-so-surprising) favorites turned out to be the classic standards – romaine, arugula, mixed greens and spinach. But what about those other greens that show up on one’s plate at gourmet establishments and foodie havens?

In the end, I couldn’t help but take a look at a large swath of greens in the garden patch. Ultimately, foodie green inspiration should mainly come from the freshest, seasonal greens that can be found. Without further ado, let’s review.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

1. Watercress

Watercress gets high marks from me. Why? It may stem from the fact that my local corner market sells it in its entirety – leaves and roots in water – so it’s absolutely fresh when I’m ready to use it. I can pull it from the fridge and cut the stems as though it were from my garden outside. Also, watercress is “leafy” enough to feel like a salad, but “stemmy” enough to look fancy.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

2. Arugula

What’s not to love about arugula? OK, it’s true, it might seem too “spicy” for some, and it can get bitter if it’s not picked when the leaves are still young. Still, come ON, it’s so versatile, and oh-so-tasty! Plus, it’s incredibly easy to grow yourself. Here’s a recipe for an arugula salad with cherry tomatoes, fresh corn and carrots.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

3. Little Gem Lettuce

Little gem lettuce could be described as a combination of romaine (crispy) and butterleaf (sweet). It’s smaller and more tender than romaine. Often when served in restaurants the focus is on each leaf standing alone in all its magnificence paired with carefully selected complements, such as cheese, nuts or fruit. Other times, the head of the lettuce is sliced in half lengthwise and served on a plate thus.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

4. Mâché

Mâché, also sometimes referred to as Lamb’s Lettuce (and also corn salad or field lettuce), has European origins and is usually found in the springtime. It’s pronounced “mosh,” and is often sold bunched with its roots, much like watercress. For a plethora of mâché inspired salads, check out epicroots.com.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

5. Mesclun Mix

Staple, staple, staple. The term “mesclun mix” originates from Southern France and is a mix of tender, baby greens. Nowadays, you’ll probably find this as simply “mixed greens” at the grocery store. Mesclun mix does sound much more exotic than mixed greens, though, doesn’t it? At least, to those of us without French connections. I like to think a true mesclun mix would be of a wilder variety than what’s sold in most markets today.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

6. Looseleaf Lettuce

Always lovely, lovely, lovely. Red and green lettuces with larger leaves than mixed greens. Best from the farmers’ market. (But then again, what isn’t?)

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

7. Radicchio

Radicchio is a red leafed, Italian variety of chicory. Its leaves are somewhat bitter, so the leaves are often grilled or served wilted. The raw leaves are often chopped and added to other salad greens for color and crunch.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

8. Mizuna

Now this is something I could get excited about. Mizuna is described as mildly peppery on par with mustard greens. It is often mixed with other greens. Tatsoi makes a favorite pairing. I’m thinking this is a good candidate for growing in your own garden. Petaluma Seed Bank (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds), here I come.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

9. Tatsoi

An Asian green that grows well in winter and can be eaten raw or cooked. The Asian version of spinach, if you will.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

10. Baby Spinach

Spinach salad. So healthy. So tasty. Kitchn food blog rounds up 7 versions of spinach salad here.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

11. Dandelion Greens

Dandelion Greens. I thought these were going to get a lot more play when perusing restaurant menus. I feel like their hey-day came and went. Strange considering what promise they seem to offer. Dandelion greens are apparently the most nutritious of any greens offering up more vitamins than broccoli. These bitter leaves can be eaten raw, but are often lightly sauteed and served wilted. Traditionally a part of the mesclun mix and more favored in France from what I hear.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

12. Frisée

I’m going to publicly admit this – I’m not a big fan of frisée, a curly endive in the chicory family. Many of you may beg to differ, but it’s more of a nuisance in my mind. I’ll begrudgingly allow it can look pretty and adds a different texture when mixed in with other greens. But really, it’s more decoration than sustenance. And it’s hard to eat. I suppose I’ll come around eventually. I usually do. But I’m still waiting for the revelation. Inspiration, anyone?

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

13. Butterleaf Lettuce

Admittedly, a favorite of mine. Especially in the springtime. Crunchy, yet tender and sweet.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• »

• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14

14. Peashoots

True, pea shoots are mostly a garnish. But they could be mixed into a salad too. And they’re just so cute and adorable, fresh and young.

Images: startcooking kathy & amandine, Girl Interrupted Eating, GottaEat!, Bob Duran, Girl Interrupted Eating, balise42, thebittenword.com, thebittenword.com, smittenkitchen, MMChicago, Food Blogga, thebittenword.com, yumsugar, foodistablog, kthread

The post Salad Days: A Review of 14 Popular Foodie Greens appeared first on EcoSalon.

When I was growing up, I never wanted salad on my sandwich, salad being the operative word for lettuce. Clearly, I had yet to learn about one of the greatest vegetables on earth. Luckily, I decided to plant some in my garden for the first time last year and that’s when my lettuce education truly began. I discovered that lettuce is very easy to grow, it grows quickly, and it’s much more divine straight from the garden to the table. Come it think of it, it’s almost as easy as planting an herb garden!

I recommend growing several different varieties. This is because you can pick a few leaves from each plant as they’re growing. (You don’t have to wait for the full head of lettuce to grow before taking off some leaves.) This makes for fabulous mixed leaf salads every night that will last you throughout the week.

It’s easiest to begin with small starter plants that usually come in packs of six. Lettuce grows best in cool weather so early spring is a great time plant. Place starters about five inches apart and water frequently, even twice a day if the weather is hot. I also planted new ones after a few weeks, in order to have a fresh crop of younger leaves growing simultaneously. I suggest growing romaine, butterleaf and leaf lettuce varieties.

Eventually, lettuce will “bolt” meaning that it “goes to seed.” In other words, plants will grow a long stem in the middle that flowers. When this happens, the plant will grow fewer leaves and the leaves will taste bitter. At this point, pull out the lettuce, as it’s no longer of use.

Be forewarned! I told a friend about my lettuce success and he quickly followed suit. However, all his lettuce was immediately devoured by some local varmint. So, you may need to fence in your lettuce or try growing it from window planter boxes above the ground depending on your particular (bunny) situation. I’m happy to say, I’ve never encountered this problem.

Image: Hey Sam

The post Let Us Grow Lettuce appeared first on EcoSalon.