There have been several turning point moments in my life, when the Lord has brought women to challenge and encourage – calling me into more with Jesus. Rachel Logan is one of those such women. We shared a room with 3 other girls back in 2002 in Switzerland, and oh the stories we could tell! Rachel is a true ‘foodie’ in my opinion. She has a knack for finding the food that is both beautiful and delicious, and then capturing that moment in a photograph.
With the return to school just a few weeks away for our little ones, this month we will be bringing you some fresh recipes suitable for those lunch boxes. Rachel really kicked off the ‘Lunchbox Series’ with style! It’s SUCH A JOY to feature her on CommunityEats today, and I’m dying to get in the kitchen and try out this mouth watering recipe!
By Rachel xo
'Before I had a child I thought about food a lot. You could nearly always find me with a copy of Bon Appetit in my hand and if that wasn’t the case, you could look at whatever restaurant just made the San Francisco Chronicles’ top 100 list, I would probably be sitting at a table near a window with my iphone posed carefully over my dish, ready to post to instagram as soon as I found the right filter. I would spend my weekends climbing epic culinary mountains, taking eager family and friends along with me on the journey. I was living it up. These were the last years of my twenties and with their passing came what we hoped would be a new wave of responsibilities and a whole new way of life.'
'Now we have a wonderfully silly, energetic toddler. The days of last minute dinners and quiet moments with a colorful Bon Appetit have passed but we still think about food, maybe even more so now that our food choices are shaping a little boy’s life. Our meals are sometimes hectic and more often than not, happen somewhere other than our table. Lunch in particular has become something we eat under a tree or with a friend in their living room. I have had to change the way I think about meals in more ways than just the mere substance but about completeness, balance, portability and if a toddler will happily share it with me. It’s an exciting challenge and one that I believe is making me a better cook, which is something I did not anticipate coming out of this journey of motherhood.'
'Because our son is still small, I like to make his snacks fit his stature. He has little hands and so I try to accommodate when I’m making something meant to be handheld. One of our favorite mini snacks are fritters. They tend to take on whatever personality is present in our fridge at the moment. Left over vegetables, cooked grains or seeds and some variety of cheese usually make the cut. Fritters are easily adaptable to what you have on hand and can be made with virtually no planning. For those of us who wait to do this sort of thing until nap time, you’ll be happy to hear they cook up pretty quickly too. You may even be able to get to that new Bon Appetit while sipping a cup of (re-heated) coffee.'
For a full lunch on the go, I pack these fritters with a tin of fresh fruit and usually some cheese because my kid can not get enough of it. Make sure to pack enough fritters for everyone, they are certainly thoroughly enjoyed by adults, too.
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
3 medium zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup ricotta
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup crumbled feta (sheep milk feta if possible)
zest of 1 small lemon
2 cups kale, finely chopped
5 scallions, sliced - both white and green parts
1/2 Tbsp kasher salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp walnut oil, for cooking (or other high heat oil such as grape seed or ghee)
Instructions
Bring one cup of water to boil and add the quinoa. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
Place the shredded zucchini into a clean dish towel and squeeze as much water out as you can.
Add the zucchini to the quinoa and mix in the rest of the ingredients (except the oil) until they are fully combined. Allow the mixture to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Using an ice cream scoop, make balls that are about the size of a large egg. Shaping them between your hands, squeeze out any excess water while rolling into a ball. Flatten them slightly, placing them on a large plate (I tend to do the shaping step in two batches). Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Working in batches, place fritters in the pan, spacing them about an inch apart. Cook on one side until well browned, about 4-5 minutes (make sure to not flip them until they are well browned or they will have a tendency to fall apart when flipped).
Flip them over and brown the other side, about 3-4 minutes. Repeat with remaining batches.
Cool on a wire rack, or enjoy warm. To store, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week.
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