Vegan Fritters & Accidental Risotto

Making these fritters reminded me of how much of a Type A personality I have.

(DISCLAIMER: As someone with a psychology degree [in advanced levels], I don't like using these terms such as "Type A," "anxious," or "paranoid" without being literal, but I figured using that term is something with which most people could relate.)

Ahem, anyway, I cracked out the Veganomicon because I was on a quest to use up some of "The Ukrainian"'s perishables. Magically, I found a recipe that used many of the fresh ingredients he had!

It took me until I tasted this fritter that I even remembered what a fritter even is: a crispy cheesy thing people usually eat with salad. Sophisticated I am not.


Above: Here are most/all of the ingredients required in the recipe. Zucchini, mint, and tomatoes were the used-up perishables.

I subbed almonds for walnuts. I had to defrost that tofu... it got really... meaty(?) in the freezer after draining the water. The package of tofu had said "DO NOT FREEZE," but apparently, "The Ukrainian" had his own ideas. Oh well... all's well that ends well... right?...


Above: ...Except that this may not have ended so well. Check out the un-smoothness of this mixture, versus what the recipe indicated. The new food processor hasn't quite been set up yet, so I had to use other methods of getting this mixed. This is when I started to freak and contemplate scrapping everything.


Above: I opted to bake rather than fry. Getting these on a baking sheet was no good, either. Too crumbly. "Anxiety" was soaring...


Above: My "anxiety" was so high that I was neglecting the quinoa I had cooking on the stove. Plus, I had added too much water to it. And I ended up accidentally creating a quinoa risotto (apparently already invented) using the last of the pesto I made.


Above: I was so distraught by all these cooking mishaps that I didn't get close-ups of the fritters. But "The Ukrainian" had nothing but nice things to say about the fritters AND risotto. He thought they went well together, and the fritters really did taste like cheese (for the most part). He even went back for (heaping) seconds!

And that risotto actually tasted really good. I haven't had that dish in a long time, and having a vegan version of it was even better.

I guess the moral of this dinner is that I need to roll with the punches that come along with being in the kitchen. I think I always have this vision of a "perfect meal" coming out of my efforts, though I think my definition of that is beyond what it needs to be.