Zucchini Fritters

I was a little worried for our garden this year, I had to replant after everything died from the first attempt but the perseverance paid off and we are starting to enjoy a bounty of zucchini.

Fried food isn't usually a part of our normal diet but I'll indulge in these fritters once in a while! This is from a Pinterest recipe I found last year and it is easily adapted to be gluten free using a gluten free all purpose flour mix.

Zucchini Fritters 

2 c. grated zucchini (squeeze dry with towel)

1/4 tsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 c. onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 egg

1/2 c. parmesan cheese (I subbed cheddar)

3/4 c. flour

Oil for frying

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. I omitted the onion and cayenne pepper because I was out of both! Heat the oil in a pan and spread a 1/4 cup of the batter per fritter. Mine took about 5 minutes on each side but I don't think I had the oil hot enough. Let cool on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.

These are great topped with avocado, tomato or sour cream but I decided to whip up a cilantro yogurt topping to try. It wasn't too bad for just throwing it together. Here's a "recipe" for the dip.

Cilantro Yogurt Dip

1/2 c. of greek yogurt

1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients and top those fritters!

Here's one last quick recipe that is not edible one! Just wanted to share my laundry soap recipe! I'm a DIYer when it doesn't involve too much brain power, so trust me, this is a piece of cake! This tutorial is from another Pinterest find.

The website I got this from does a great job breaking it down step by step but here are my instructions with a few tips I've learned from making this a couple times.

Liquid Laundry Soap

1 bar castile soap 

1 c. borax

1 c. washing soda

40 drops essential oils (optional)

1. Grate the soap- I like to use the zester side of my grater so it breaks the soap into tiny pieces that melt better
2. Fill a large pot half way with water and heat to a boil
3. Slowly pour the grated soap into the hot water and stir continuously until all the soap is melted
4. Reduce the heat and let the soap dissolve for about ten more minutes in the hot water
5. Slowly stir in the washing soda
6. Slowly stir in the borax then remove from the heat
7. Fill a five gallon bucket halfway with hot water
8. Pour the soap into the bucket with water and stir
9. Fill the bucket the rest of the way with hot water and let it sit to cool for a couple hours (make sure to cover the bucket if you have pets or munchkins around)
10. Add essential oils when the soap has cooled if desired- I use about 20 drops of lavender and 20 drops of tea tree

I made my last batch about 3 or 4 months ago and I use about a cup per large load of laundry. I know some people can get theirs to last longer using less but that's what seems to work to get our clothes clean.

Oh, and one last picture of this kid who thinks he's a big guy using a spoon all by himself!