I want to dive more into some of these particular events or adventures at a later date, but this is just a round-up of what life has been like in the large and quirky city of Austin thus far. Followed by a new recipe I came up with in the hopes of getting Wade to eat more Summer zucchini. Here's a hint: he actually liked it!
Where to begin? Well, as far as our apartment goes we love love LOVE the location. Living on the West side of Austin is like living in a completely different state than the rest of the city. Rolling hills filled with ample greenery and wildflowers, less traffic and noise, darker skies where you can actually see the stars at night, and conveniently close to Lake Travis. I am thankful we were able to secure an apartment in this area.
When life throws challenges at you, try and meet them head on as best as you can. Our entire first weekend of Austin was spent with no bed (luckily one of Wade's friends he works with was able to lend us a large blow-up mattress), limited clothes and bathroom items, and my worst nightmare: NO cooking or kitchen items of any sort!
At least we had Howard the houseplant I brought along with me to bring a bit of life to our bare apartment. But we managed to get through it and our shipping container finally arrived safely on Monday.
Hiking up Mount Bonnell was at the top of our list since we do not live far from this reportedly highest point in Austin. The views were stunning.
I plan to do a more extensive post later to tell you guys all about Cars and Coffee Austin.
Zucchini are clearly in season as they are popping up everywhere at the farmer's markets. I don't think there's any way you can prepare zucchini and I would not eat it. The trick was finding a way to prepare some fresh, Summer zucchini so that Wade would actually enjoy it as well.
That's how these zucchini fritters were born. Even without a good food processor to shred the zucchini and having to use a handheld grater, these came together in no time. If you're ever trying to find a way to prepare zucchini for a picky eater, this may do the trick. Wade loved them! Success!
Zucchini fritters
Ingredients:
2 large zucchini, shredded
3 tsp. coconut oil
2 large eggs
5 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
1 Laughing Cow swiss cheese wedge (or 1 Tbsp. other cheese of your choice)
1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (or 1 Tbsp. other cheese of your choice)
1 tsp. minced garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Directions:
Shred 2 large zucchini by hand using a hand grater OR with a food processor. Place shredded zucchini into paper towels and squeeze all of the moisture you can out of the shredded bits.
Add shredded zucchini, eggs, whole wheat flour, Laughing Cow swiss cheese wedge, nutritional yeast, minced garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper to a large bowl and mix until well combined.
Heat skillet to medium heat, add in 1 tsp. coconut oil per batch of zucchini fitters. Scoop large spoonfuls of the zucchini mixture out of the bowl and place gently into the heated skillet. Flatten out to a pancake-like form. Cook each fritter 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip, cooking for 2-3 minutes more on the other side or just until golden brown.
Remove from skillet. Serve immediately.
What is your favorite way to prepare zucchini?