Vegan Corn Fritters With Just 4 Ingredients
This week, I decided to dial back my cardio for the season and focus more on building muscle.
Running is still the love of my life. I've logged thousands of kilometers along the Tel Aviv promenade (the Israeli city's waterfront path), in the heat and cold, and raced more times than I can count, both in Israel and abroad.
But right now, I want something different.
I want to put on a little size and focus on strength.
And apparently winter heard me, because it decided to show up just in time to make me eat a little more than usual.
Why would eating a little more be a good thing?
Because muscle growth, or hypertrophy, happens most readily when we're in a calorie surplus.
In plain English: eating more energy than we burn.
Of course, there are plenty of other variables to consider, including carbohydrate and protein intake, your training routine, and more.
But broadly speaking, that energy balance is a key part of whether you're building muscle or leaning out.
So why am I telling you all this?
Because the start of winter—have you looked out the window lately?—feels like a pretty good time to eat a little more and put in the training to work toward the goals we've set.
For me, that means building muscle and cutting back a bit on cardio.
Don't worry. You'll still spot me running along the promenade now and then. Just not as often as before.
What Does Any of This Have to Do With Fritters?
Even though I'm aiming for a calorie surplus, I'm still picky about fueling my body with nutritious foods and quality ingredients.
Sure, I could make classic fried potato latkes.
Or I could make oven-baked corn fritters.
I used cornmeal for polenta, which provides minerals, quality carbohydrates, and dietary fiber.
For this batch, I cut fresh corn kernels off the cob. Fresh corn works well, and canned corn with no added sugar is an option, too. Just give the canned corn a thorough rinse.
To hold everything together, I used Tuscan-style soy cheese spread from Tnuva (a major Israeli dairy and soy brand), who also collaborated on this recipe. Their plain or garlic-dill flavors work, too.
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How to Serve Them
Serve 3–4 fritters with a big vegetable salad for a nourishing dinner.
They're also great to pass around when friends come over to light Hanukkah candles.
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Nutrition Facts
Per 30 g (about 1 oz) fritter, from a batch of 20:
65 calories
4 g protein
9.5 g carbohydrates
2 g fat
0.5 g dietary fiber
Vegan Corn Fritters
Ingredients
- 100 g (3.5 oz) corn kernels 1 cup
- 200 g (7 oz) cornmeal for polenta 2 cups
- 250 g (8.8 oz) Tnuva Tuscan-style soy cheese spread
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
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Combine the corn, soy cheese spread, and 1 cup of the cornmeal. Mix thoroughly.
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Add the remaining 1 cup of cornmeal and mix well.
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Grease a baking sheet with half of the olive oil.
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Using your hands, shape the mixture into fritters and place them on the baking sheet.
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Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tops.
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Bake for about 10 minutes.
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After those first 10 minutes, flip the fritters and bake for about 10 minutes more.
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Serve immediately.
