Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Zucchini Pancakes


Hi! It has been quite a long time since I've posted - I apologize! (I know you were all waiting on pins and needles until I posted again!) ;-)

My husband and I discovered a couple of years ago that we love potato pancakes, but we don't always love how heavy and full of carbs they can be. So we thought up a great alternative - Zucchini pancakes! These little guys are delicious and nutritious, and a good alternative to heavier potato pancakes. Here's what to do:

Ingredients:
1 large zucchini
1/2 onion
1/3 - 1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1 tsp garlic powder
enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan
salt and pepper

First step - in a large mixing bowl, shred your zucchini up the same way you would potatoes, perhaps using a cheese grater. Mince the onion and add it to your zucchini.


Add the egg, flour, garlic powder and a few shakes of salt and pepper. Stir this until you have a real thick paste. You can always add more flour or egg or even a bit of water until you think the consistency looks good - adding these things won't negatively effect your pancakes, as long as you arrive at a really nice and thick consistency for frying. The mixture should look something like this:


Next, pour enough oil into a large frying pan to generously coat the bottom and set the heat at medium. Let the oil heat up for a few minutes before your start frying. This will prevent the pancakes from absorbing too much oil, and help them to brown nicely. When the oil is ready, dollop the zucchini mixture onto the pan and let the them fry for a good 5 minutes on each side. You'll really have to watch them, though, because every pan and every stove are slightly different! You want a nice golden brown on each side. You'll see the pancake get slightly plump and set as it cooks.


If your batter seems to fall apart in the pan and not stick together to form a pancake you may not have enough flour and egg in the mixture. The thing to remember about cooking a recipe like this is that the term, "large zucchini" is very subjective! SO don't be surpirsed if you need to adjust the ingredients to get the correct consistency. To me, that's what cooking is all about - being flexible and adjusting as you go.

In the end, you'll have delicious zucchini pancakes to enjoy. Serve warm with ketchup or sour cream, or just enjoy with salt and pepper. What a great way to eat your veggies!

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