October 27, 2016
(last updated October 4, 2019) 
Maya Sozer’s blog, Dreamy Leaf, has become one of my favorite places to peruse simple, yet beautiful, food. Maya has a knack for taking a handful of ingredients–always plant-based, always nutritious–and turning them into a dish that feels so much richer and bolder than the sum of its parts. Her photos are moody and shadowy, with food that bursts colorfully into the foreground. Take a few moments to check out her recent posts, and you’ll see exactly what I mean.
Now Maya has written a book that I think perfectly embodies her approach to food. It’s called Easy Vegan Breakfasts & Lunches, and the title says it all: this book is a collection of fast, simple, and very wholesome vegan breakfast and lunch food.
Part of what makes the book unique is that in spite of the “quick and easy” theme, Maya doesn’t rely too much on packaged ingredients or shortcuts. To be clear, I have nothing against packaged ingredients or shortcuts: I’m not sure where I’d be without ’em right now. But it’s always impressive to me when a person can devise recipes that are both expedient and from scratch, and that’s exactly what Maya has done, eighty times over, in this collection.
Maya’s idea of a quick lunches are chickpea tacos (above), flavorful udon noodles, green lentil patties, or coconut curry polenta. Her idea of snacking on-the-go is to roast up perfect bite-sized baked tofu. And her easy weekday breakfasts include “good morning tiramisu,” quinoa porridge, and even an easy chocolate swirl cake. All of the recipes follow through on their promise of simplicity, but as you can see, this food is bold and generous in spite of being fast. It takes a lot of talent to strike that balance; it’s a recipe development skill that I’m still trying to master!
Today, I thought I’d share a recipe that embodies Maya’s no-nonsense, sensible, yet artful approach to cooking. These zucchini fritters are the perfect plant-based fast food: fun to eat, flavorful, fast. As Maya notes in her recipe headnote, they have a big flavor that you might not always associate with zucchini or summer squash. And they can be served so many ways, from pita pockets to rice bowls to salads.
Maya Sozer's Vegan Zucchini Fritters
Author -Yields: 2 -3 servings
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup 16 g fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup 15 g fresh dill, chopped
- 4 green onions chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tbsp 24 g hemp seeds (optional)
- 1/2 cup 65 g whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp 16 g cornstarch
- 1 tsp 5 g baking powder
- 2 tbsp 28 ml olive oil
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini into a bowl, toss with salt and wait for 10 minutes. Squeeze the zucchini with your hands to get the excess liquid out and place in a dry bowl. Add the herbs, onion, garlic, lemon zest and hemp seeds.
- In a small bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch and baking powder with salt and pepper to taste (there is already salt in the zucchini, so don’t add a lot here). Combine with the zucchini mixture.
- In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Put 2 tablespoons (28 ml) of the zucchini batter in the pan and spread into a circle. Make sure it is not too thick, so that it can cook thoroughly. Cook on both sides for about 3 minutes per side and continue until all the batter is cooked.
I love how Maya sneaks hemp seeds into this mixture–not exactly an ingredient one would think to put in fritters, but such a great way to bind the zucchini and add a dose of protein and nutrition. Her recipes are full of little touches like that: small additions of foods that are both functional and a means of increasing nutritional value.
This is a great collection for anyone who hopes to make everyday vegan cooking just a little simpler. And I hope it might also serve as an introduction to Maya’s work, which continues to grow each day on her blog. Maya has a heartfelt, generous approach to sharing recipes, and I love what she contributes to this space.
Would you like to check Easy Vegan Breakfasts & Lunches out for yourself? Happily, Maya’s publisher is generously offering a giveaway copy to one US or Canadian reader. Enter below to win, and I’ll be announcing the winner in a week.
Good luck! And I’ll be back this weekend, with the usual roundup of links.
xo
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Categories: Recipes,
Side Dishes
Method: Stovetop
Dietary Preferences: Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Method: Stovetop
Dietary Preferences: Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Leave a Comment
love the vegan fritters
I used these as burgers and they were great. I also used them as kabobs instead of making them flat. They hold together really well if you precook them before you skewer them.
About 95% of weekdays at work, I have a big salad topped with beans, grains, roasted tofu/tempeh, nuts, seeds, veggies, sprouts, etc. I make dressing for the week on Sunday and throw whatever I have handy in my bowl each morning. I never get bored!
i love wraps with spinach, roasted or sauteed zucchini & cauliflower, hummus, and nutritional yeast!
My go to easy vegan lunch is a veggie wrap with homemade chipotle hummus. Easy and delicious!
Gena, it looks like a beautiful book, full of inspiring ideas and photos. And we all need simple and fast recipes that don’t compromise on taste. I bet your fritters are so wonderful with all that dill, parsley, and scallions. I’ve always made zucchini fritters with eggs so it’s nice to know there’s a vegan alternative that cooks up just as well. Those tacos look SO good as too!
These zucchini fritters look amazing, I have to try this recipe!
As someone with Celiac who loves zucchini, I am going to attempt these with oat flour replacing the wheat and baking them instead of frying them…I have a good feeling!
My go-to easy lunch is a big giant kale salad! I can use up whatever leftovers I have in the fridge. I usually top mine with tempeh or chickpeas, avocado, tomatoes, toasted nori and a miso-tahini dressing that I make in batches. Can’t go wrong!
These look fantastic!! My go-to lunch is a mash up salad of whatever I’ve batch cooked served over greens. The greens can be anything (kale, spinach, chard, romaine). I like to add a grain (quinoa, rice, couscous, freekeh), legume or tofu, and lots of veggies – fresh in the summer, roasted in the winter.
I like to make a lentil stew with whatever greens and veggies I can find in the house, and top it with some pickles (green tomatoes or green beans from my garden!) for a bit of contrast.
My favorite easy lunch is toast spread with hummus and topped with spinach, red onion, sliced tomato and nutritional yeast.
This may be juvenile, but a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is my go to vegan lunch. It reminds me of being a kid and is definitely a comfort food for me. Heck, it’s delicious, too!
I am so looking forward to trying this recipe and looking at a new(for me) vegan cooking blog.
Savory oats with tofu, whatever leftover veggies I have on hand, and lots of hummus!
Definitely added to my list of recipes to try! Yum!
Nourishing Amelia | Food, Health and Lifestyle Blogger
Leftovers or veggies and hummus since I’m always running around!
These are beautiful! I love the photos + thoughtful ingredients 🙂
I rely heavily on leftovers for weekday lunches, or a big salad!
yum! but i find it really hard to know how much 3 small zucchinis is! i wish we could get the amount in cups or weight or something!
my favorite is to shave cooked beans available for any use–mashed into a hummus or burrito filling, over a grain, over quickly rehydrated wakame, warmed up with leftover leafy greens…
Sweet potatoes stuffed with anything you have laying around! 🙂 and lots of fresh fruit to go with it
A nice green smoothie but I could use some ideas.
Beans or lentils, of course, and fruits and vegetables (raw or roasted, they’re all good!).
My go to easy vegan lunch is a tortilla filled with hummus, grilled or raw red peppers & onions, lettuce, salt & pepper. Would love to win a copy of your book, that is so generous!
My go-to vegan lunches are usually salads or veggie/grain bowls in the warmer months and soups in the colder months .
Oh wow I can’t wait to try these!! I have 3 zucchinis in my fridge waiting to be transformed into fritters! Yumm can’t wait for lunch time!
My go-to work lunch is leftovers from the dinner before. 🙂 I live on my own, but always make extra servings. Makes packing lunch very easy!
Wow, this sounds like a winning recipe even I can’t mess up! I’ve got all the ingredients so I hope to give it a go tomorrow night. Thanks for sharing!!!!
I love salads with leftover grains, beans and whatever veggies I have. Roasted root veggies are a nice addition and bring lunch to a whole new level. All tied together nicely with a lemon tahini dressing.
lentil soup!
My go to vegan lunch (or dinner) is roasted veggies with tomato lentil sauce. I find both are easy to prepare, don’t need a lot of active in the kitchen time and can be made in big batches for times when I want to cook once and eat twice.
Zucchini is a common vegetable in everywhere, so it gives us protein and nutrition. Very good item you made using of zucchini.
Cook up 10 minute grains from trader’s. When they’re done simmering I toss in a big handful of greens to steam. Then mix it all with hummus and hot sauce!