Zucchini Carrot Bread Recipe With Fresh Carrots And Zucchini

Zucchini – Carrot Burgers Ingredients:

2 large whole wheat pitas
1 cup whole wheat crackers, stone ground
1 cup zucchini
½ cup carrots, shredded
1 cup fresh basil, snipped
¼ cup green onions or scallions
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ small cucumber, thinly sliced
1 small tomato, thinly sliced
1 cup green leaf lettuce
¼ cup frozen or refrigerated egg product, thawed or 1 whole egg, lightly beaten
½ cup plain yogurt, fat free
½ teaspoon lemon peel
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Combine the lightly beaten egg or thawed egg product along with 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, and dried oregano in a medium size mixing bowl. Add the zucchini, shredded carrot, crushed whole wheat crackers and green onions to the egg mixture in the mixing bowl. Mix well and using your hands form 4 round patties from this vegetable mixture, each about 3 to 3 ½ inch thick in diameter.
Heat the 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the prepared patties carefully in the hot oil and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes on medium to low flame or until the patties are golden brown in color from both the sides, turn all the patties once halfway through the cooking process to ensure even cooking and browning on both sides.

For sauce: Combine the low fat or fat free plain yogurt along with the fresh lemon peel and minced garlic in a small bowl. Mix well and leave aside.

To serve: Cut the pita bread into two equal halves. Place one patty each in the pockets of all the pita halves. Spread the green leaf lettuce, cucumber slices and tomato slices evenly among all the pita pockets over the patties. Drizzle the vegetables and patties with the prepared sauce and serve immediately. This recipe makes 4 servings.

Health Tip:

• Zucchini carrot burgers is a healthy recipe especially for the kids as the vegetable patty in the recipe is a great way to include different kinds of vegetables in your child’s diet, especially if your child normally avoids eating vegetables.
• This burger recipe provides only 284 calories, 41 gm carbohydrates, 6 gm dietary fiber, 10 gm proteins and 10 gm total fats per serving.
• If you want to increase the protein value of this recipe then you may even add cooked and mashed legumes to the vegetable patties mixture.
• Another innovative idea used for dressing is use of low fat yogurt instead of heavy mayonnaise based burger dressings.