Welcoming July 4th with so much excitement and gratitude! It’s such a great day to take the time to be outside, be with the ones we love, and celebrate our lives. We start to welcome the summer season, the warmth, the activities, and the foods that come in abundance at this time. This is a day to really celebrate our freedom, so wouldn’t it be nice to find that freedom from guilt with the food we end up eating on this special day?
Sometimes during holidays, we tend to go against the foods that work for our bodies and with that it tends to lead to guilt, obsession, mental fog, stomach aches, etc. and usually the next day we are left with deprivation in order to make up for that feeling of “guilt.” The day usually ends with exhaustion, some bloat, maybe some gas, a head ache, and there a perfectly joyful day of celebration turns into not the best night and usually not the best rest. I created this recipe with the thoughts of wanting to offer something that would be gentle to the gut, be completely enjoyable, and would give the taste buds their own show of fireworks.
These fritters are made with grounding vegetables that even someone with poor digestive fire can handle, nourishing spices, and cooling properties. Not to mention I paired them with a new cashew pesto that is absolutely divine. These would be a great pair with some baked vegetables, a summer salad with fresh organic herbs and vegetables, and some kind of delicious nourishing dessert. I hope you all have a safe and wonderful fourth of July. Enjoy!
Vegetable Fritters
(Makes 9-11 fritters)
1 small- medium sweet potato shredded
1 small zucchini shredded
Handful of kale finely chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic finely chopped
¼ cup white medium cheddar shredded * nutritional yeast if cant do dairy
½ cup almond meal
1 stem rosemary finely chopped
¼ cup cilantro chopped
2-3 eggs *flax eggs if vegan 3-4 tbl flax 6/7 tbl water
Coconut Oil or Ghee for frying
Salt and pepper to taste
(For shredding the vegetables, you can use a large cheese grater.)
First start by shredding zucchini and then placing it in a bowl with 1 tsp of salt sprinkled on it for 10 minutes, set aside. In the meantime, prep the rest of the ingredients. Start to shred the peeled sweet potato, chop the kale, garlic, rosemary, cilantro, almond meal, and cheese and place in a large mixing bowl. If using egg or flax egg, mix in separate bowl first. Mix everything first with spatula or by hand then set aside. Going back to the zucchini, take a paper town and try to squeeze most the water out of it. Then add to the bowl, mix and then add the eggs. The batter should be sticky enough to where you can make a ball and it would stay together. Heat a non-stick pan that has some taller sides for the oil to create a little pool. I start with 2 tbls of oil. Depending on the size of the pan, start adding ¼ cup size balls of batter into the oil then tap them down gently with a spatula. Medium to low heat for 2-3 minutes before flipping gently to the other side. Once done, place on a plate with paper towel to let them dry out slightly. Repeat until the batter is fully gone. Note that if the batter is too dry, add more egg of flax egg. If it needs to bind more or to wet, add more flour.
Cashew Pesto
1 cup cashews unsalted and raw soaked for at least one hour
A handful of fresh arugula
1 very packed cup of basil
¼ of olive oil
half of a lime with the skin
Salt and pepper to taste
- First soak the cashews for at least 1 hour, then strain and place into a high-speed blender. Add the remainder of ingredients and blend until completely smooth. If it’s to dry add more oil, if you want more basil I always say add more. If you want more citrus, add another ¼ of a lime.
- Top with either freshly chopped basil or spirulina crunches which can be found at any health food market.
About the Cook
Chelsea Shapouri, currently in Ventura, California, is an entrepreneur with the love for holistic health, yoga/meditation, herbal medicine, travel, and the outdoors. Her aim is to help people achieve their true authenticity, move away from stress and into balance using her knowledge with Holistic Living. Chelsea currently is teaching “Yoga Medicine” at local studios and indoor rock climbing gyms, creating a cook book, taking photos with her favorite companions, hosting workshops locally, and enjoying the ocean and trails on her days off. To learn more about her mission and offers you can go to her website; Thegrainsoflife.com or email her at; thegrainsoflife@yahoo.com. Join the team to spread this awareness of happiness as well as taking care of our earth and people.
