Good afternoon!

J'ai de bonnes nouvelles! (I have good news!) I am down 3 pounds; fifteen to go!  (So encouraging given all I ate when I made chocolate chip cookies with my boyfriend yesterday!  We made plans for that before I embarked on my current quest.  But, he's gonna try and help me out too from now on.  Allies! YES!)

Yesterday morning I made zucchini-onion fritters for breakfast.  This recipe hails from Languedoc-Rousillon, in the south of France.  For those of you who aren't fan of veggies, I bet this recipe will turn you on to them. Also, very little carbs in this recipe ... the simple ones come from the veggies, and the only complex ones come from the flour.  I used organic flour. Thinking like the French: no artificial ingredients or preservatives. :)  Bonus: loaded with vitamins and potassium!

Here's how to make them:

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

4 zucchini (about 1 pound)

1/4 yellow onion

1/4 cup of all purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 large egg

Extra-virgin olive oil for cooking

Trim the stems from the zucchini and coarsely  grate them.  Peel the onion and grate also.  Using your hands, gently squeeze the zucchini and onion to remove as much liquid as possible.

In a bowl, stir together the grated zucchini and onion, the flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper.  Add the egg and mix well.

Line a plate with paper towels.  In a frying pan over medium high heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Working in batches, drop the zucchini mixture by heaping teaspoons into the oil, spacing them about 1 inch apart.  Using the back of a wooden spoon, press down gently on the fritters and fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes total.  Using a slotted spatula, transfer to the paper towels to drain.  Arrange the fritters on an ovenproof platter and keep warm in the oven while you fry the remaining fritters.  Repeat with the rest of the mixture.  It should yield 12 to 16 fritters.

Recipe taken from "The Essentials of French Cooking" by Georgeanne Brennan

NOTE: I use an entire yellow onion in this recipe to add flavor; the natural sugars in onion carmelize and add a nice sweetness to the fritters.  If you really want to make them lighter, use non-fat no-calorie olive oil cooking spray as a sub for the olive oil - very little of the oil is called for anyway, and the fritters are just as good!  Best part?  So low in calories, you could eat 4 big ones (medium-large pancake size) for only 200!  (I make my fritters bigger - they take longer to cook on both sides, though.)  Another suggestion: instead of table salt, go all-out mediterranean and use sea salt!

Tonight: shrimp and asparagus a la francaise!  Recipe on the way later ... as well as my own delish take on goat cheese and salads!

What's next? Well, it's July 4th week.  What does that mean?  Family Party up in Northern Indiana, where I will almost have no control over the food I will have available to me.  New goal this week: maintain my current weight.  I leave tomorrow morning bright and early and then I come back on Sunday, when I plan to go full throttle again with my eating plan.  Wish me luck!