Sometimes you have a little too much of a good thing and it starts to go bad…but not when its herbs or veggies in the fridge! For fear not, this is a simple and tasty recipe that deliciously saves the herbs and zucchini that may have seen better days. Plus, the more herbs and colorful veg you include, the more they look like petite rainbow party cakes!

Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 zucchini(known as courgette in Europe)
• 1 large carrot
• 2 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 Tbl basil, minced
• 1 Tbl parsley, minced
• 2 Tbl dill, minced
• Salt/Pepper
• 2 eggs (1 egg + 1 egg white, beaten)
• 2- 3 oz panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tbl rapeseed oil or grapeseed oil (liquid or spray)
  • (Yes, as confirmed with my Mother, rapeseed and grapeseed oils are two different oils. England is a large producer of rapeseed oil so its very popular in this part of the planet although grapeseed oil is more popular in the USofA. As long as your oil is light in flavor, low in saturated fat & high in smoke point then any comparable oil will do!)

OPTIONAL: minced red chili or chili flakes (to your taste)

Equipment:

• Cutting board
• Chef’s knife
• Medium bowl
• Small bowl
• Whisk or fork
• 1 baking sheet
• Flat spatula

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to broil at 375F/190c
2. Clean and cut zucchini and carrots into uniform pieces. I recommend either large dices or spiralizing into long, curly threads. Cut threads into 3-5 inch sections. Place in medium bowl.
3. Clean and finely slice 2 scallions – white part only, and add to bowl mixture.
4. Rinse herbs and pat dry. Mince into tiny, uniform pieces. Add to the veggie mixture with Salt and pepper to taste
5. Mix veggies until thoroughly combined and ingredients evenly distributed.
6. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and 1 egg white together until smooth and creamy. Pour over the veggie mixture. Using clean hands or a spoon, mix the egg into the veggie mix until all ingredients are coated with egg. This is used to help the cakes to bind together as the veggie release moisture during the cooking process.
7. Sprinkle 2 oz of the bread crumbs over the mixture and stir until combined. You are looking for the texture of the mix to be that the breadcrumbs help to hold the veggies together but not so much that it is crumbly. A great test is to add the bread crumbs, mix and let it sit for 5 minutes so the breadcrumbs can absorb the egg and adhere to the veg. If the texture still seems too wet, slowly add the remaining bread crumbs until the composition is easy to work.
8. Take your baking sheet and coat with ½ Tbl of rapeseed oil. Place next to the bowl.
9. With clean hands, take a 2 oz/1/4 cup portion of the mix and, using the palm of your hand, pat into a cake patty. Make sure to press firmly so any extra moisture may go back into the bowl and the cake is firm. This is important because you don’t want the cake to fall apart during cooking. Be aggressive! They can take it!
10. Repeat until the mixture is gone, placing cakes on the baking sheet an inch apart from each other. Spray or brush the remaining
11. Place the baking tray of cakes approximately 6-4 inches below the broiler. After 10 or so minutes, the outside coating will start to brown on top, take the baking sheet out of the oven and turn the cakes so the other side is facing upwards towards the broiler. Replace the baking sheet under the broiler and wait another 4 minutes or until the coating crisps and browns.
12. Once both sides are nice and toasted and steam has stopped sputtering from the cake, then you are done! They are ready to serve and to be eaten piping hot!

NOTE: The cakes will release a fair amount of steam as the courgettes cook so wait to turn the cakes until the cake has stopped steaming and the egg has had a chance to bind. If it looks like the cake may burn in this process, turn off the broiler and keep the cakes in the oven to cook on the residual heat for 5 minutes or so. Once they are ready to flip, take them out, turn the broiler back on, flip the cakes and return to the oven to continue to cook.

NOTE: You can pan fry these in a hot skillet also. Take ½ of the rapeseed oil and heat until it ripples. Add cakes in the pan making sure that they are separated from each other and not overcrowding the pan. Do not touch the cakes as they cook until the cakes are easily moved around the skillet. This indicates that the cake has formed the toasty crust on the underside and is no longer sticking to the pan. Flip the cakes and do the same on the other side. Once the cakes are easily to move, remove the cakes to a serving dish. Add the remaining oil, wait for it to get hot and repeat the cooking process with the remaining cakes.