When my friend Chris casually referred to zucchini as “Satan's eggplant”, I was appalled.

But since my usual approach is "show, not tell," I refrained from telling him he was wrong.

Instead, I whipped up these creamy, crispy Greek zucchini fritters.

His response? “I refuse to believe these have zucchini in them because I've eaten eight of them.”

They’re inspired by Greek kolokithokeftedes and loaded with fun flavors, courtesy of fresh dill and cooling mint, warm cumin and freshly-grated nutmeg, plus vegan feta for that signature salty creaminess. Good enough to win over even the most ardent zucchini haters.

Dip these crispy-edged delights in some vegan tzatziki and thank me later. 😍

PS: Check out the YouTube video to see Greek members of my audience make these fritters and their unfiltered reactions to!

👩‍🍳 "Life-changing in so many ways"

Today we're kicking off a new series, Subscriber Spotlight, where we sit down with members of the Meal Plans by Rainbow Plant Life community to talk about their kitchens, their routines, and how our meal planning service fits into real life.

If you're not familiar, Meal Plans by Rainbow Plant Life is the meal planner we designed to eliminate all the logistical headaches that come with weekly cooking and meal planning: finding recipes to make, figuring out what to meal prep, building a grocery list, etc.

First up, we're talking to Paige O., who's been a meal plans subscriber since 2024.

Thanks for sitting down with us, Paige! I’d love to kick things off by learning a bit about you.​
​Hi Nisha! I’m Paige. I’m a 34 year-old nurse living in coastal North Carolina with my husband Joe and our two rescue pups Layla and Martha.

What was meal planning like for you before you started using Meal Plans by Rainbow Plant Life? ​
​My job is pretty demanding — I work 12 hour shifts — so if I’m being honest, I was pretty disorganized in the way I cooked. I would often go to the store to shop without a set plan, and end up buying way more than I needed. This led to a ton of waste, stress at the grocery store, and a lot of wasted time trying to come up with a meal with what I had on hand.

How has your weekly routine changed since you started using Meal Plans by Rainbow Plant Life?​
​Meal Plans have truly been life-changing in so many ways. It has been saving our family money for a variety of reasons.

First, I am not buying extra ingredients that I won't need, and will eventually end up wasting. Second, the plans are economical. They are mostly whole foods like veggies, nuts, grains, seeds, legumes. And lastly, these meal plans save me so much time shopping and aimlessly deciding what to make day after day.

Do you have any favorite RPL Meal Plans recipes? ​
​Some of the meals we frequently repeat include the chickpea salad sandwich, tofu scramble, or the tofu egg salad for lunch. On a more recent note, we absolutely loved the Halal Cart-Style Soy Curl Bowls, especially with a fresh summer heirloom tomato!

If you were talking to a friend who was on the fence about trying the service, what would you say?​
​These meals are unlike anything you will get with any other service. The plans take the think-work out of your weekly shopping trip and save you endless time on planning your week of meals.

In the first month your grocery budget will decrease, your food waste will decrease, and you will see an improvement in the quality and interest of meals you’re eating. This will make you feel better, and free up so much time in your busy week!

Thanks for taking the time to share your story, Paige — we appreciate you!

Put down the spiralizer!

My least favorite trend of the 2010s was “zoodles” masquerading as pasta. In-season zucchini deserves so much better! Try one of these recipes instead:

• ​Recipe #1: “I’ve never been a huge fan of zucchini in most contexts, but this recipe along with Nisha’s equally amazing Zucchini and Corn Casserole have changed my mind completely … Call me a convert to zucchini love!” ~Lori
• ​Recipe #2: “This recipe came across my inbox in a work wellness e-mail. Initially, I almost discarded it because I do not like mushy (overcooked zucchini). Still, because I am familiar with RPL recipes and they have never disappointed me, I decided to try it. It was easy and delicious! It was so good that once it was done and I gave it a taste, I ate a plateful without even waiting for my husband to get home from work. He was running late, and when he gave it a taste, he understood 😊” ~Lynn
• ​Recipe #3: “Nisha, you can do no wrong. I am eating this dish as I type this. So yummy, so flavorful. The texture of the zucchini is perfect. This screams summer. So easy to put together. This is yet another winner!” ~Astrid
• ​Recipe #4 (← NYT Cooking gift link!): “I learnt that zucchini doesn't have to be boring and slimy! I love making a big batch of this and serving it with whatever I'm having through the week - works as a side with basically everything.” ~Willow

Wishing you a lovely week ahead!

xo,
​Nisha @rainbowplantlife​

Let's be friends!

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