Zucchini Pancakes
All right so I’m showing my North East PA roots with this one. My mom gave me the idea when I told her I had a zucchini the size of a baseball bat.
When I was a kid hitting the church bazaars, potato pancakes where always a favorite. Shredded potatoes a bit of onion and batter, deep-fried. 
Nothing like a heart attack on a plate drenched in oil and smothered in salt.
Ahhh the good old days. ;~)
- About 1 and 1/3 cup grated zucchini (I used the large side of my cheese grader and about 1/3 of the baseball sized zucchini)
- ¼ cup whole-wheat flour
- 2 egg whites
- About ¼ of a large sweet onion diced small
- Salt and Pepper
- Non-stick cooking spray
First we need to remove some moisture from the zucchini. I laid down a few paper towels, spread out the grated zucchini and pressed down with a few more towels. Like a paper towel and zucchini sandwich. It took 2-3 times but I was pretty successful.
Wisk the flour and egg whites together for form the batter.
Add the zucchini and onion. Mix well to combine all the ingredients.
Heat a non-stick frying pan or griddle over medium high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Form the zucchini batter into patties. Depending on how successful you were removing the water you may have a very moist batter. That’s ok, form it in a patty and plop it in the griddle and press it down a bit, it will hold once it starts to cook. Before you flip generously sprinkle with salt (and pepper if you like) Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until cake becomes a nice brown, flip sprinkle a bit more salt and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.
This was my first shot at it and they came out delish. I will be experimenting with water removal techniques for the shredded zucchini and I may add a bit more onion but over all I’m super happy with the way they came out. Even the toddler had a few bites!
The best part is the WHOLE recipe is only about 240 calories, 2 g of fat and 9 g of fiber. I made 4 larger cakes (1 is missing from the picture – I ate it. ;~)
Next Day Update:I made them again today, this time after I grated the zucchini I seasoned it with a bit of salt to help draw out the water. Then I put it in the Potato Ricer I got for my birthday. Squished with just enough pressure to get the water out. It worked like a charm! I knew that ricer would come in handy. ;~)
Another Update:I've been making them a lot recently and discovered the extra moisture is not that big of a deal. They still hold together nicely. I just do one run through the papertowels and that's it.
Labels: BreakfastIdeas, DinnerIdeas
posted by Roni
at
6:36 PM
21 Comments :
I just made Zucchini Bread for the WW cookbook and I grated the zucchini pretty thin, then layed two paper towels on the counter and squeezed out each handfull over the sink and put them onto the towels then once i had enough I squeezed them in the towels... I wish they made a machine for that :)
Jennis
...
Jennie
Yummy zucchini, i add Old Bay seasoning to the pancakes and it taste like "Crab Cakes"
By the way i add the shredded zucchini to my colander and add a bit of salt, let it sit for 15-20 minutes and then press down with my hands so the water drains
What part of PA are you from originally?
@swizzlepop - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Area
My husband is from PA and I've totally heard of both Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. He's from the York County area but has familly in Harleysville and surrounding areas. I love going back to visit but it is so hard to stay OP because MIL cooks very heavy PA Dutch style foods. I swear everything has a cream sauce of some sort.
Mmm... I've made these before, and they are AWESOME. I microwaved the zucchini and continued to pat with paper towels to remove moisture... would probably work even better with a lil salt, then you wouldn't even need to season when cooking.
Okay, I have a couple of comments.
One: Have you had Old Forge Pizza? My dad's family is from there and it's a family favorite.
Two: I make these zucchini pancakes and add a little reduced fat mozzerella cheese and top with tomato sauce. I make mine with Reduced Fat Bisquick 1c, 2c zucchini and one egg white. I also make them without seasonings and onions and then top them with light syrup. Try them.
@Maura - Of COURSE! My hubby is a huge fan. I'm not originally from the area I'd rather New York Style myself.
This is an awesome idea! Not only for me, but for my one year old. I've made veggie burgers with steamed carrots, brocolli, oats, egg whites and flax seed and mixed all of that with applesauce to see how the baby liked it. She thought they were cookies! Im always interested in new ways to eat vegetables so thank you
Do you think this would work with carrots? If I'm feeling gutsy, I may try it. Thanks for the great recipes!!
I made these - and they were a tasty treat!
I made these last night and loved them. I'll try Maura's idea and add a little tomato sauce and cheese.
Great dinner for these HOT August days.
I made these last night and I was very pleased. Can someone tell me how to grate an onion? I use the box grater and it was all stuck on the front. In between tearing and trying to get it out I was very frustrated.
therese - I just grate it and then scrape the onion of the inside of the grater. You could just chop it if you like the chunks.
I add a bunch of basil to mine. I found my recipe in a low carb cook book a few years ago and have been making them ever since for hubby.
And I don't worry too much about the water in my zucchini when it comes to breads and cookies and such...the moisture allows me to use less fat.
Roni, I tried these this weekend and they were great. We were wondering what to put on them as I'd shut the 'puter down. After a nibble, both hubby and I knew they needed nothing. The kids didn't go for them, but that was OK, hubby and I gobbled them up. I will definately make these again.
Candace - I actually dig catsup with them. :~) But yeah I could eat them straight up.
Oh my goodness......these zucchini pancakes are fantastic!!!! My picky husband even liked them. Great recipe!
I tried to make these today and my toddler liked them! He gobbled them up. I think I will put some salt in it next time because it kept falling apart... I am thinking it is the moisture from the zucchini. I will do paper towels and salt next time to see if it is a difference.
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