Zucchini Cakes

I finally got organized enough to get back in the kitchen and make myself a few paleo treats. One new, one a favorite with a new twist.

The new recipe is zucchini cakes, sent from Annette, one of my first friends in Raleigh and a recent convert to Crossfit at Crossfit RTP. She has been experimenting with new paleo recipes and we exchange thoughts on crossfit and paleo cooking regularly. When she sent this recipe, she said the cakes came out a little bland. I took this thought and doubled the garlic and added cayenne pepper to give it a little more kick. I then cooked it in bacon grease, leftover from breakfast. Each of those ingredients can make most dishes better and all three made the zuchinni cakes delicious.
Here's my version of this recipe.
2 med zucchini's shredded
1 tsp salt
2 green onions, finely chopped
4 gloves garlic minced
1 egg
1/2 cup almond flout
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
bacon grease for cooking

1. Shred the zucchini, and place in a bowl with the salt for 10 minutes. Apparently, this draws the water out of the zucchini, which helps with the cooking. (I'd never tried this, so I was as surprised as the orginal recipe said I'd be.) After 10 minutes, drain and squeeze excess water from the zucchini.

2. Place the remainder of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix.

3. Create small patties, 2-3 inch diameter and place in the pan with the preheated bacon grease.

4. Cook for 2-2.5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

5. Remove from the heat and cool.

I made these after breakfast, but they went really well with pork chops at lunch, so they can really be a nice side dish for most meals. Use as a substitute for hash browns or an alternative to grilled zucchini with lunch or dinner.

The second dish I made was the pumpkin carrot muffins. I've improved these so they don't stick to the muffin tin as much. Originally, I piled as much mix into the  muffin cup as possible, which led to them not cooking thoroughly. Now I fill them to the top of the cup and use the remainder of the mix in a 9x9 baking pan to make bars. Both cook for the same amount of time, 30 minutes, and come out delicious. Today I added chocolate chips to make them a little sweeter and  dessert like. Next time I may add bacon.