ZUCCHINI PANCAKES!

Showy zucchini!

Zucchini: an easy grower and over-achieving producer! Our garden zucchini plants are huge and loaded with blooms. I know Farmer Ray and Rose Creek Farms are having good luck with their plants as well. I’ve been searching for recipes because these green veggies seem to grow by the minute! Hubby must be diligent to check daily, or they will grow too big.

I ran across several recipes for zucchini pancakes. I was curious: are they truly “pancakes” to be eaten with syrup? Or are they more like savory fritters to maybe dip in a sauce? The answer is YES and YES. They can go either way!

Perhaps the best thing about zucchini is its mild flavor. It can be sweetened up or seasoned up – depending on your mood. And that’s exactly what you can do with this recipe.

The recipe poster describes them as “a great vegetarian pancake, easy to make and delicious. This recipe was passed to my mother over 100 years ago and has been a favorite of the families.”

After reading the reviews (58!)  with so many flavor suggestions, I had to give this recipe a try. I followed the posted recipe exactly with plans to try some of the flavor combinations.

The grandchildren love pancakes and always expect them for breakfast when spending the night. I was inspired by one reviewer who said, “With all the eggs and zucchini, we got a serving of veggies and protein, better than the average pancake. Plus it used up 2 whole cups of zucchini from our overproducing garden!”

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 cups finely shredded fresh zucchini (2 med. size zucchini)

4 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

WHAT YOU DO:

Wash and shred zucchini on a fine grater. There’s no need to peel. Since I wasn’t sure how these “pancakes” were going to turn out, I decided to use one zucchini and halve the recipe; however, that one zucchini yielded 1.5 cups, so I did ¾ of a recipe which forced me to use those math skills!

Finely grated zucchini!

Several reviewers suggested letting the grated zucchini drain, so I followed that suggestion.

Draining grated zucchini

Look how much liquid seeped out!

Almost 2 ounces!

While the zucchini drained, I preheated a non-stick electric skillet to 425 degrees as directed. That seemed high to me, but I followed directions, and they cooked up perfectly. If using a heavy duty frying pan, heat to medium-high heat; adjust heat if necessary.

Combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, and then add oil.

Beating, draining, and heating!

Using a fork, add drained, shredded zucchini and mix well.

Grated green-ness!

Stir in the dry ingredients, but don’t over mix. That will make your pancakes flat and tough. The recipe doesn’t state this, but I always let my batter rest a minute or two to allow the baking powder to activate.

Let batter rest a minute.

Now you’re ready to cook! Before spooning batter onto the hot griddle, I sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray. Cook as you do for traditional pancakes – until bubbles appear on top. Flip! DO NOT press down on the pancake. Use a light hand, and you’ll be rewarded with light pancakes!

Puffy goodness!

When done, brush pancakes with melted butter and place in a preheated 250 F oven to keep warm until the remainder are cooked, or serve immediately.

Brush with melted butter.

I was anxious to taste these, so I broke one open for a bite. Naturally Hubby had to check out the progress in the kitchen.

I said, “I’m not sure if it is supposed to be sweet or savory.”

He took a bite and said, “It can go either way! It’s light and puffy like a pancake and will easily accept syrup, but I can see how you could add onion or garlic or jalapeno and go the other direction.”

Green dots!

When I saw those green dots inside, I instantly thought of a favorite book of our children and now of our grandchildren. They often request it at bedtime.

Favorite bedtime reading

It’s the story of a silly family who believes they are all seriously ill because the baby girl painted green dots on the bathroom mirror.

When each family member sees himself covered with green dots, all end up in bed. Even the doctor who comes to treat them believes he has been infected and joins the family in the sickbed.

All is saved when Grandma is summoned and comes to help (Hooray for grandmothers!) She prepares her famous chicken soup and does a little “tidying up” while the soup simmers.

You guessed it. She mops the floor, dusts the furniture, and polishes the mirror and then serves the soup. Everyone instantly feels better! And the spots are all gone!

Our little ones love this story. Our little ones love pancakes. I see a new family tradition in the making: the book at bedtime; the green-dotted pancakes at breakfast the next morning!

for breakfast, brunch or just as a snack anytime

REVIEWER SUGGESTIONS:

*  Serve with your choice of jams or syrups

* Use half applesauce and half oil to cut down on the fat; add a bit more sugar or cinnamon to the batter.

* Serve with sour cream or yogurt

* Replace 1/4th of the zuke with chopped/seeded/drained meat of garden tomatoes, 1/4 cup grated feta and some chopped crispy bacon. They taste like Denver omelettes and are very tasty

*  Add grated parmesan cheese

*  Serve with sour cream and ranch dressing as appetizers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SQUASH CROQUETTES!

I opened up the current edition of  Tennessee Farm and Home magazine and saw this recipe! What perfect timing with the garden and our CSA box brimming with these yellow jewels. I don’t normally fry, but I was curious about this quick side-dish, so I whipped up a batch.

Hubby walked by, grabbed one, popped it in his mouth and said, “Wow! That is good!”

That’s all I needed to hear.  I knew I had to share this recipe with you.

Simple ingredients!

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 2 cups yellow squash, finely chopped
• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• vegetable oil

WHAT YOU DO:

Prep the squash. The recipe says “chopped” squash, but I wanted finer pieces, so I used a grater.

This size yielded 2 cups grated squash.

Chop the onion. I used the green onions from our CSA box. That way I was killing two birds with one stone: I had white onion AND the green tops to replace the fresh chives called for in the recipe. I did not use a full cup of onion.

Green onions add flavor and color!

In a large bowl, combine squash, onion, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well. Stir in flour.

The egg acts as a binder.

In a skillet, heat ½-inch oil over medium-high heat. I used grape seed oil. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls into oil. Cook about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown, turning once.

Fry 3 minutes per side.

Drain croquettes on paper towels. You should get 10-12 croquettes.

Crispy squash croquettes!

I always read recipe reviews and made note of these ideas:

* you can use most any type of squash; try mixing different types of squash together

* add grated cheddar, minced jalapeno, a banana pepper, or a green tomato, chopped fine

Colorful squash croquettes!

* serve with a dipping sauce like ranch or honey mustard. You can make your own honey mustard sauce by mixing together ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons honey and 2 tablespoons dijon mustard.

Add this recipe to your “squash recipe” stash. You won’t be disappointed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Spring radish salad with (gluten free) fried goat cheese medallions

As it gets warmer out I love doing a big refreshing salad as a dinner entree. The CSA lettuce and radishes help to make up this springtime salad. Adding fried goat cheese medallions gives us a healthy protein and makes this dinner complete. And, yes, a fried medallion CAN be healthy!! Instead of the traditional frying method using unhealthy oils and refined flours, I use grape seed oil (which is ideal for high heats), almond flour, and chopped walnuts. Grape seed oil is rich in good fats that our bodies need to thrive, and also a great source of vitamin E.

Ingredients

dressing:

• 1 C extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 C red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic pressed
• Chopped fresh basil to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Goat cheese medallions:

• 1 log of goat cheese frozen for 1 hour
• 1/4 C grape seed oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 C almond meal
• 1/2 C finely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Salad:

• CSA lettuces washed and dried
• 1 sliced yellow or orange bell pepper (lightly roasted if desired)
• CSA radishes thinly sliced

 

Prepare your dressing first by adding the oil, vinegar, garlic, and seasonings. I usually use a jar and then shake well to blend the ingredients. Set the dressing aside.

Next, in a skillet, heat the grape seed oil over medium high heat. In three separate bowls, place the almond meal (mixed with all the seasonings), the whisked egg, and the chopped walnuts. I usually eyeball all the spices when I season the almond flour, so you can just use these measurements as a suggestion, and feel free to add more or less of the seasonings.  Slice the goat cheese log into 1/2 inch medallions. Dip each medallion (fully coating) in the almond flour mixture first, then the egg, and then into the walnuts. Once the medallion is fully coated with all three, place it into the skillet. Let each side fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Using a slotted spatula remove the medallions and place onto a paper towel covered plate to absorb the excess oils.

Chop your lettuce and add your sliced radishes and sliced pepper. Top with your goat cheese, drizzle the dressing over the salad, and enjoy eating a guilt free fried food!!

 

 

 

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