Zucchini Sausages—Tastes Better Than Meat!

Now there’s a clickbait title if ever there was one.  Seriously.  But that’s the only name I could find on the Youtube video for this dish.

Why do so many vegetarian recipes claim to taste as good as or better than meat?  If vegetarians find meat so repulsive, why are they trying to mimic it?  Inquiring minds wanna know.

We’re not vegetarians here; complete abstention from meat isn’t entirely healthy.  And besides steak and bacon are tasty.  However, escalating prices for meat and reduced availability in the future suggest the need for using alternatives once in a while.  Even if that weren’t the case, finding a new way to use zucchini is always good.  (At least, we hope it is.)

Zucchini Sausages

1 zucchini, shredded

1 carrot, shredded

1 potato, shredded

2 eggs

½ cup shredded cheese

¼ cup oatmeal, whirled in blender to a powder

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon herbs de Provence

1/8 teaspoon paprika

¼ cup flour

Oil for frying

Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons yogurt

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 tablespoon dill

1 teaspoon dried garlic

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

After the zucchini is shredded, place it in a bowl and salt it.  Let it sit for 15 minutes and then squeeze it really well to remove as much juice as possible.  (This is the most difficult part of the whole recipe.  If you use frozen zucchini shreds, drain them really well before proceeding.  If you use dehydrated or freeze-dried shreds, don’t rehydrate them completely.)  Stir in the carrot, potato, eggs, cheese, and oatmeal.  In a separate bowl, combine the parsley, garlic, salt and pepper, herbs de Provence (I used a substitute of 1/4 teaspoon thyme, rosemary, oregano, ½ teaspoon basil) , and paprika.  Then sprinkle over the zucchini mixture and stir in well. 

Oil your hands well and form the zucchini mixture into fat sausages, just a little longer and wider than commercial link breakfast sausages.  Immediately roll each one in flour and set aside.  Fry in oil over medium-low heat, about 4-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

For the dipping sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. 

Serve hot with the dipping sauce. 

Family reviews:  The Youtube zucchini sausages looked delicious, far better than mine.  (Of course, she had practice.  And she used orange carrots.  I was still working through the purple carrots my neighbor gave me.  So far, they’ve imparted an unappetizing color to every dish I’ve used them in.  I’m now sure I will never grow them.)  So mine didn’t look great, and appearance is rather crucial to my husband, unfortunately.  I was pretty sure these were going to be a pass for him.  But surprisingly, he had quite a few and said he would eat them again.  I also enjoyed them.  Well, enjoyed might be a little too strong here, but they were really pretty good.  I don’t think I would serve them to company pre-collapse; it might look like I was a little desperate to use up zucchini or something like that.  But post-collapse?  No problem, other than they are a little time-consuming to put together.  And they need to be served hot.

Links to related posts:

Making Thicker, Creamier Yogurt  

Making Mayonnaise in Challenging Circumstances  

The Incredible, Edible Zucchini  

The Medicinal Uses of Pumpkins and Other Squash  

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjJFxSeffEY&t=380s