Easy Cheesy Apple Butternut Fritters
Children in this country consume an estimated 12 percent of their calories from fast food and 20 percent of all American meals are consumed in a car! The consequences are predictably unhealthy. Competing schedules in the day-to-day lives of a busy modern family make it difficult to share a home-cooked meal together, but possible. In fact, with a little planning, cooking together can become a fun family event and learning opportunity. This feature will focus on providing a child or a group of children, working together under the supervision of an adult, with one uncomplicated, healthy, and delicious side dish recipe. The dishes, focus on seasonal fresh produce items and will always contain tasks that allow even the youngest kitchen helper to contribute to the family meal. Parents should always read each recipe carefully to judge the division of labor based on age and ability as well as to identify where adult attention might be especially needed.
Many of the recipes presented here will seem extremely basic, this is by design. These simple preparations will provide the culinary foundation and confidence to inspire kids to try more challenging recipes as their experience and confidence in the kitchen develops. Melissa’s encourages parents to find the time to gather as a family unit at least once a week for a dinner that everyone pitches in to prepare. It is a wonderful way to teach a child some basic culinary skills and, more importantly, cooking with your children will build memories in all your hearts forever. Enjoy your kids in the kitchen, they will be grown & gone before you know it! “No one is born a great cook; one learns by doing” – Julia Child.
Here’s a fun recipe with tasks for the whole family to help prepare and a great way to show kids that a dish with both a seasonal fruit and a few vegetables in it can be cheesy good! Fritters are any food coated in the dough and fried. They can be found in many forms in cuisines around the world. The early Romans enjoyed a deep-fried dough that was probably the precursor to the doughnut, which is technically a fritter. We know there were apple fritters in medieval times because there was a widespread belief that apple fritters had to be eaten while still hot or evil things would happen. Evil apple fritters (?) No wonder that period was called The Dark Ages!
Despite this “dark” history, apple fritters continue to be a popular snack and even serve as a to-go breakfast for many in this country. However, an Apple Fritter is just a glazed doughnut on steroids – a luscious, deep-fried donut filled with apple-cinnamon filling. Unfortunately, any health benefits from the fresh apple ingredient are negated by a high fat, sugar, and calorie content. The apple fritters offered at this country’s most well-known national doughnut shop contain 470 calories, 28 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 410 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, and 17 grams of sugar. Not the best way to start a day or snack between meals!
In this fritter recipe, a small amount of white flour is used more as a binder than the primary foundational ingredient, which is replaced with shredded, nutrient-packed butternut squash. Also, rather than surrounded in a fatty dough, shredded apples are blended into the squash. This makes for a wonderful flavor combination as both ingredients really complement each other well. A sharp cheddar cheese also pairs nicely with both these components that adds another flavor layer to the mix! Butternut squash and sugar? NOT! So, the high sugar content in a regular dough-based fritter is eliminated in this recipe.
This makeover of the traditional apple fritter is fine, so far, but the nutritional devil is in the details. The value of creating a healthier version of the fritter using seasonal fresh ingredients would be compromised if this new group of ingredients were then deep-fried, as is the tradition. Trans fats can form when unsaturated fats are hydrogenated, which happens when oils are heated to elevated temperatures or when manufacturers use high pressure and hydrogen gas to increase the shelf life of oil. Reusing oil for frying can also increase the trans-fat content of fried foods. Trans fats are associated with an increased risk of heart-related diseases, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Instead, use less oil and a little more wrist action to cook the fritters on both sides.
Use just enough oil to cover the bottom of the frying pan and then employ a spatula to flip each fritter to cook the other side, aka it’s-all-in-the-wrist method. Sure, it is a lot more efficient to just deep fry the fritter all at once – if trans fats are desired. The fritter should be golden brown crunchy on the outside with a creamy cheese-flavored center. Healthy comfort food goodness! With this simple flick of the wrist prep to complete the cooking process, a sugary dough-based fritter can be turned into a healthy and deliciously crunchy serving of butternut squash, apples, cheese, onion and eggs that the whole family will enjoy!
Cheesy Apple Butternut Fritters
Yields approx. 15 fritters
Ingredients
4 cups shredded butternut squash
1 1/2 cups shredded Granny Smith apple (about 2 apples)
1/2 of a large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons sage
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup flour (plus additional flour if required)
2 eggs
Salt & Pepper to taste
Canola, grapeseed or other neutral oil, for pan-frying
What the supervising adult should do:
Shred the squash and apples with a box grater.
What the kids can do:
Dice the onions, chop the sage; measure out the cheese and flour-baking powder.
Crack the eggs into a large bowl and scramble lightly. Add in all the ingredients except the flour and baking powder.
Add the flour mix to the egg mixture a small portion at a time until thoroughly blended. The mixture should be slightly wet and slightly loose. Season with salt and pepper.
What the supervising adult should do:
Heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. The kids can hand-off an ice-cream scoop filled with about 1/4 cup of the mixture to an adult for the stovetop fry. Flatten and shape each scoop into round patties. Cook about 2-3 minutes per side on medium heat until golden, transfer to a paper towel lined platter and repeat with the remaining batter. The fritters should be crisp on the outside and slightly custardy on the inside. Yum!
