These wholesome little patties pack in so much flavor using simple ingredients, and they are carb/gluten free! You can enjoy them as a light snack or lunch, or alongside a lean protein for a healthy meal. The delicious dill cream adds a bright contrast to the savory patties. Hope you love them as much as my hubby and I did!

 -Mel

Health tips: Low fat, low carb, diabetes friendly, heart healthy, anti-inflammatory 

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 3 medium zucchini, grated
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup quinoa
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup parmesan, grated; extra for garnish
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme or Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Dill Cream

• 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• Salt/pepper, to taste

Steps

1. Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Toss the grated zucchini with ½ teaspoon salt and place in the strainer. Allow zucchini to sit about 12 minutes, then press and squeeze all water from zucchini. Repeat the process, tossing with an additional ½ teaspoon salt and allowing zucchini to sit an additional 10 minutes. Again, press and squeeze all water from zucchini until as dry as possible. You’ll see a lot of bright green liquid at the bottom of the bowl. You may need to ring the zucchini in a towel or cheese cloth to get the last bits of water out.
2. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the quinoa and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes (go by instructions on package). The quinoa is cooked when the spiral germ becomes visible around the grains. Make sure all water is absorbed as quinoa needs to be dry as well for patties to form.
3. While quinoa is cooking, mix together all the dill cream ingredients. Set aside in the fridge to cool.
4. In a mixing bowl, stir and combine zucchini, quinoa, parmesan, eggs, thyme/Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper. Scoop small handfuls of the zucchini mixture and form small, round ¼-inch thick patties. Make sure they are packed pretty tightly, squeezing out any excess liquid.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Arrange the patties on the pan so that none are overlapping (working in batches if necessary).
6. Allow patties to cook until edges begin to turn golden, about 4-6 minutes. Flip with a spatula and cook about 4 minutes more. Leave each side to brown without interfering with it, so that a solid crust forms on each side and they can be easily flipped. Serve immediately with a dollop of dill cream and sprinkling of parmesan on each patty. Enjoy!