I enjoy experimenting with various seasonal veggies and presenting them in different forms like these gluten-free, vegan, vegetable patties. These summer vegetable patties with carmelized sweet Maui onion dip are so easy and quick to make with seasonal summer vegetables like zucchini, carrots, corn, cabbage, onion and jalapeno, ingredients that you'll find in most CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes. It's a symphony of natural flavors and textures.  The fresh corn and sweet Maui onion give the sweetness and crunch.  The cabbage also provides the crunch.  The squash and carrot provide the color and body and the jalapeno gives the patties that extra kick.  I use Sammy Wong's umami seasoning, because it enhances all the different vegetable tastes without masking any flavor. SO good!

This recipe uses regular rice flour as a binder.  This results in a lighter pancake.  However, if you prefer to have more protein, chickpea flour can be substituted for half of the rice flour which enhances the nutritional value of these patties, because chickpea flour is very nutritious, gluten-free and has a high protein content.  However, the chick pea flour does tend to make these pancakes more dense.  I serve these vegetable patties with a sweet Maui onion dip which is delicious with ANYTHING! (Not vegan!)

My original recipe uses chickpea flour which adds protein to the pancakes, but these pancakes are light and crispier. Learn the secret to making crispy patties in my tips! 

Tips for making summer vegetable patties.

Light and crispy patties

To make light and crispy patties, the mixture should not have any gluten and should be kept light and really cold (35-40 degrees F). To achieve this:

• Use ice cold seltzer water to allow the water bubbles from the carbonation to quickly evaporate when it hits the hot pan, creating an airy texture. (Thermal shock!)
• Don't overmix the ingredients.  Just coat the ingredients with the batter.
• The summer vegetables used will wilt with the seasoning, so work quickly and keep the mixture cold!
• Keep the mixture cold either by placing your work bowl  on on ice or keep it refrigerated.
• Use 2 frying pans to make more patties at once.

Rice flour

Many asian recipes use rice flour as a binder.  The result is a lighter, airy pancake, because it does not contain gluten.  Use the regular rice flour rather than the glutinouse rice flour.

Chickpea flour

Chickpea flour is ground, dehydrated chickpeas.  It is a healthy option to incorporate more protein, vitamins and minerals into the patties. Compared to corn meal, chickpea flour is more nutritious.  Chickpea flour can be found in most major supermarkets, especially middle eastern markets.  I prefer to go to a supermarket like Sprouts that sell bulk ingredients and scoop out the quantity that I need. Chickpea flour will make your patty dense.

Vegetables

For this recipe, shredded zucchini, carrots, diced onion, chopped onion, chopped jalapeno and grilled fresh corn are used.  For quick preparation, use a food processor and shred the zucchini, carrots and cabbage.  For colorful and festive patties, use rainbow carrots.

Although very tempting, do not send the onion and jalapeno through the food processor.  The onion becomes bitter and the purpose of the onion and jalapeno is to provide the crunch!

When shredding the cabbage, use the medium thickness blade, thin enough for the cabbage to cook easily but thick enough so that the cabbage won't become soggy and lose all its moisture.

Frying

Fry the patties for about 2 minutes on each side in a pan coated with cooking oil.  I prefer using avocado oil. Level the patties to form "pancakes" to ensure uniform cooking.