Tofu Zucchini Patties

bluemoon downunder's Note:

These tasty Tofu Zucchini Patties have been adapted from a recipe I found in The Australian Women's Weekly's 'The Health Cookbook'. When I've made them for friends, as a casual luncheon dish, they've always been popular - including with those more conservative diners who had never previously eaten tofu! I've suggested serving them specifically with Greek yoghurt - as that's what I generally use - but I've also served them with tzatziki. If you're looking for a recipe for tzatziki, it's hard to beat Ravenseyes' Tzatziki or Kittencal's Tzatziki (Greek Cucumber and Yogurt Salad). BTW, Australian brown onions are what Americans call yellow onions. The original recipe specified "1 cup packaged breadcrumbs" which I've left in the posted recipe but when I've made these I have used processed fresh breadcrumbs. If you find it easier, you can also process the onion and garlic. I've made the herbs optional as you may prefer some other herb combinations, and if you like your food spicier, feel free to modify the recipe so that it best meets your taste preferences.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 12.0 Tofu Zu ...

• 300 g firm silken tofu, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice or 1 1/2 cups leftover cooked rice
• 3 medium zucchini, coarsely grated and squeezed to remove excess moisture (360g or about 111/2 oz)
• 1 medium brown onions (150g) or 1 medium one yellow onion, finely chopped (just under 5oz)
• 1 cup packaged breadcrumbs (100g or approximately 31/2 oz)
• 1/4 teaspoon rosemary (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon sage (optional)
• 1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 -2 garlic cloves, crushed or 1 -2 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, for pan-frying, probably less if you use a non-stick pan
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges
• salad greens or baby spinach leaves, to serve
• Greek yogurt, to serve

Directions:

1. Blend or process tofu until smooth; transfer to a large bowl and add rice, zucchini, onion, breadcrumbs, rosemary, sage, walnuts, eggs, parsley and garlic; mix well and shape into 12 patties.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan, preferably non-stick and cook in batches for about 3 minutes on each side or until browned and heated through; drain on absorbent kitchen paper.
3. Serve with the lemon wedges, salad greens or baby spinach leaves and Greek yoghurt or tzatziki.
4. NOTES: 2/3 cup (130g/just over 4oz) raw brown rice is needed for this recipe.

Reviews

[Chef #1501872]

Big disappointment. My BF and I both like tofu, and we were looking for a tofu veggie dinner. Very bland, boring. Took a lot of prep for lame results. We will use the leftover patties to make an egg breakfast scramble. Only modification was using regular (not silken) tofu, but that wouldn't have altered the taste, only the texture- which wasn't the issue.

[kittycatmom]

This is a good recipe and a nice texture. Just not sure on the combination of spices. I will need to play with this to get the flavors just right for my tastes. I think this would be great with a little shredded carrot. Thanks bluemoon! Made for 1.2.3 Hits

[Lynne the Pirate Queen]

These are really nice! I already had leftover cooked (white) rice on hand, so apart from grating the zucchini it was snap to put these together. I couldn't find *firm* silken tofu anywhere, so I went ahead and used the extra-firm regular tofu that I normally have on hand. It worked great! I'll play around a bit with the seasonings to get the flavor just right for my tastes, but this is a very versatile recipe that will lend itself to many great combinations. Thanks for giving me another great item for my meatless menus! :)