This time of year brings a need for lighter meals and simpler eating. For the most part, big, hearty meals are out of the question as we feel cravings for cleaner food.
These kale and spinach fritters with mango salad are something that can be prepared relatively quickly and with little fuss. They are also light and refreshing, with plenty of colour to brighten up the table. A wonderful juxtaposition of hot and cold, and of cooked and raw, you can enjoy these either for lunch or as a main meal. I’ve used gluten-free flour in the recipe, but you can switch to regular plain flour if you would prefer.
Prep time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: 8 minutes per batch.
Makes about 16
Gluten-Free
Ingredients:
For the Filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
4-5 kale leaves, washed, stalks discarded and leaves thinly sliced
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
100g baby spinach, washed
For the Batter:
250g gluten-free plain flour
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
400ml plant milk
3 tbsp tomato puree
3 tbsp plain vegan yoghurt
A dash of black pepper
Olive oil for frying
For the Salad:
1 red/orange pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 ripe mango, diced
½ cucumber, diced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
The seeds from ½ a pomegranate
A drizzle of olive oil
A drizzle of balsamic vinegar
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Method:
To make the filling, heat the olive oil in a pan and gently cook the kale leaves for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the chopped garlic and cook for another minute, then put in the spinach leaves and cook for 2 minutes more, or until the spinach and the kale have both wilted. Turn off the heat and set aside.
To make the batter, put the flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Slowly add the plant milk and whisk until you have a smooth batter. Stir in the remaining batter ingredients until completely incorporated, then mix in the kale filling.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan that is large enough to hold 4 fritters at once. As soon as the oil is hot, spoon about 1 ½ tablespoons of the batter into the pan to create one fritter. It should sizzle as soon as it hits the oil. If it does not, then wait a little longer before adding any more fritters. Fit 4 fritters into your pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until they are golden and risen. Keep each batch warm in a low oven while you cook the next lot.
To make the salad, put the pepper, mango, cucumber, red onion and pomegranate seeds into a mixing bowl. Drizzle on some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and stir to combine.
To serve, stack 3-4 fritters onto a plate and top with some of the salad. Serve immediately.
