Lentil Fritters with Lemon Dill Mayo

Will has been taking epic naps lately, so I’ve been able to get some things done.  Today: finished up a new batch of thank-you notes, went through the huge tupperware bin from the basement full of hand-me-downs and organized them by age in these huge ziplock bags, started The Gods of Heavenly Punishment, spent a few hours letting Will take a nap in my arms (he usually sleeps in his moses basket, but once in awhile I just have to hold his sweet little self).  Even did some yoga.  Things that did not get done today:  take a shower, change out of pajamas, put contacts in.

Also, Will has been hooking his little arm firmly around me when I carry him around. I literally cannot handle how adorable it is.  I honestly might die of joy at any moment because of this darling baby.

Anyway, this is my favorite recipe (well, this and any kind of quiche/frittata) for using up huge amounts of greens and other vegetable odds and ends.  With our CSA this summer, I have had to cook up things like this every weekend to make room for our new batch on Sunday. (Another good way to use stems and leaves that might not get eaten is to use them in place of basil to make pesto– just follow any basic pesto recipe with spinach, chard, kale, some stems, etc.)

These fritters are a nutritional powerhouse (and a perfect food for pregnancy), packed full of lentils, greens, garlic, onions, and eggs.   (Please read this about what happens to male chicks in industrial egg production and find eggs sold from a local farmer.  Please, please, please.  It is worth it, I promise.)

For these fritters I followed the basic template of this recipe from 101 Cookbooks, but I used lentils instead of the quinoa; and swiss chard, green onions and some stems of beet greens instead of the kale and herbs.  I also threw in the rest of the gorgonzola cheese from the other day.  (Also, whenever I make these I try to make a double batch because these get eaten really fast around here– I’m hoping these will last me most of the week.)

These fritters really need a bright, tart sauce to make them shine.  I almost always just mix lemon or lime juice with mayo and add a dash of cayenne pepper, but this time I mixed in a big handful of fresh (CSA) dill, and it was basically perfect.

Lemon Dill Mayo

1 c. mayo (Not low-fat, please I beg of you. It will taste disgusting and not be worth eating!  Instead of mayo you can use an equal amount of sour cream or plain whole milk yogurt or, for a vegan sauce, an avocado.)

1/4 c. finely chopped fresh dill

2-3 T lemon or lime juice

pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste

Mix until everything is evenly incorporated.  Use as dipping sauce for these fritters, or for roasted potatoes, on top of falafels, burgers, fish….