Ricotta Fritters with Mango & Beetroot Marinated Zoodles

I don't know about you but my appetite is hugely affected by the temperature outside. When it's hot I love light, fresh meals that don't take too long to prepare and that can be enjoyed outside under a tree on a blanket or on the side of the pool, or even at the beach. I take any opportunity to include summery flavours like mango, coconut, pineapple, watermelon, basil, coconut...oh wait I already said coconut. Yep I love coconut. I sneakily incorporated it into this dish, along with mango and a few other unusual ingredients. The combination might sound a bit strange, but this one is a winner! We had this on a balmy summers evening last month when there was no breeze when I quite frankly would've been quite happy to eat a bowl of watermelon (if I lived by myself). This was the next best thing...

Ingredients (makes 2 to 3 large serves):

2 zucchinis 1 fresh ripe mango 1 fresh whole beetroot 3 tablespoons shredded coconut 1 bunch fresh basil (roughly chopped) 400g form ricotta (IMPORTANT: ricotta must be firm otherwise the fritters won't hold shape) 1 egg Half a cup of flour (I used oat flour) 40g grated parmesan cheese Zest from one lemon

Method:

Marinated Zoodles - Using a julienne vegetable peeler, make "noodles" or "pasta" from the zucchini. If you are unsure of how to do this, here is a helpful video to help you and link of where you can buy the vegetable peeler:

Video - how to make zucchini noodles

Buy the vegetable peeler here

Combine fresh mango, whole beetroot, and coconut in a high speed blender until smooth. Cover the zoodles in the marinade, stir through half the basil and set aside.

Fritters - Combine the ricotta, egg, flour, parmesan, lemon zest, and the rest of the basil in a mixing bowl. Form into tablespoon sizes fritters and roll in extra flour if desired. Heat non-stick pan on medium heat and add a small amount of oil. Add the fritters to the pan and fry for 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden and crisp.

Arrange the marinated zoodles in the centre of a pasta bowl and top with the ricotta fritters. Enjoy!