Recipe: Zucchini Sliders

In May, after a long day of teaching, running Brennan to batting practice and visiting Bryan's gravely ill grandmother in the hospital, I realized I needed to fed my family dinner. It was late and there was still a lot to do before bedtime so we decided to stop by Ruby Tuesdays for a quick bite to eat. Our "safe restaurants" are limited due to Brennan's food allergies, but Ruby Tuesdays is simply wonderful with meeting his needs. If you are  in the St. Charles area and have dietary concerns, the Ruby Tuesdays on Mid Rivers Drive is a good option.

Usually when we go out to eat my choices are limited (although I could technically eat anything on the menu, unlike my sweet boy). I usually order a baked potato, salad, steamed veggies or a wrap minus the meat. As my eyes scanned the menu I noticed they had zucchini mini cakes. I happily ordered my dinner, excited that I had a new option.

These zucchini cakes were awesome! Shredded zucchini, red bell pepper, feta cheese....YUM! They were served on a slider bun with lettuce, tomato and a pickle (I opted to not add the mayo) and the sides were a salad and fries. I was stuffed and happy. I decided that I had to find a copy cat recipe to make at home and so my search started. I finally found a recipe and gave it a go tonight.

My kids refused to eat these sliders because they saw what went into them! The sight of red pepper and zucchini about sent them into a tailspin so I can officially say these are probably not kid-friendly unless you have a big veggie lover in your house. Bryan loved them and I thought they were OK; not Ruby's level, but I will most certainly make these again with substitutions here and there. The recipe I found called for parmesan cheese and I am not a big fan of it. I think it tastes and smells like vomit. I will use feta next time just like the Ruby version. I will also omit the salt because I thought the other spices were strong enough for my liking. Here is a modified version, a version I will make next time.

• 3 cups (2 medium) zucchini, coarsely grated
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I will omit this)
• 1 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I will use feta)
• 1 egg
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning (or substitute below)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or plain yogurt
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I didn't use this as I didn't have any on hand)

Old Bay Substitute

• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp dried leaf oregano
• 1/8 tsp dried thyme

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray baking sheet with canola oil. (I lined my sheet with foil and spritzed the foil with oil, much easier clean up!)
• Grate zucchini on the large holes of a box grater.
• Squeeze grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel. Zucchini should be fairly dry, and you should have about 2 cups after removing it from the towel.
• Place zucchini and remaining ingredients in a bowl; mix well.
• Form into 12 patties (approximate 2-inch diameter), and place on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Then turn each cake over and bake for another 8 minutes.

I wish I knew where I found this recipe so I could give credit, but I just saved it onto my computer the night I stumbled upon it. Thank you to the original owner of this recipe! I ate my zucchini slider with lettuce and tomato and a small amount of ranch dressing. Bryan added a small amount of cheese on top and just ate it plain. They are a good alternative to a traditional meat slider. In addition to the zucchini sliders we had steamed spinach, baked potatoes and a fruit salad. It was a healthy, easy, filling dinner. The boys were content with everything other than the sliders and I was OK with letting them just eat potatoes, veggies and fruit.

Happy eating!