Savory Zucchini Spelt Pancakes

Pancakes

I have been a little stuck with savory dishes lately since I have been quickly planning my weekly meals. I am hoping to get more baking done this weekend especially since we have a pool party. I am bringing a dessert and at this moment I am thinking cupcakes. Ryan has been requesting my lime cupcakes so I will probably work on those.

Anyone have grand plans this weekend besides preparing for kids going back to school? Ryan starts his job this next week and I have to say that I am going to miss him terribly. I am spoiled having him at home during the summer so when fall comes around the house sounds so quiet. Not only this but he ends up being lots of help with Julianne.

I am sure I am not the only one but I am trying to create a weekly schedule that balances morning and afternoon outings so that Julianne and I do not feel so enclosed in our homes. I was successful finding mom groups in Michigan to connect with but it is a little more challenging here. Facebook has been helpful but then I am finding that most groups require a yearly fee.

I feel like I am in a sorority or club and in high school all over again. I tend to rush things along but I know that it will take time getting to know people in our area. In the meantime, we have been meeting our neighbors and Ryan and I are planning on having people over for dinner so that is always good.

Back to food though, this week I worked with whole wheat spelt. The last few recipes had me using the white spelt flour but now I opened my big bag of whole wheat spelt and finished up using my ginormous zucchini. I love how it is in season but seeing that I am the only one who likes it in our house, besides having it in the chocolate bread, then I pick and choose recipes.

Savory Zucchini pancakes

I have been wanting to make zucchini pancakes for a while and have had Ina Garten's recipe pinned. I was not convinced that the recipe was going to cut it and I wanted to make some modifications. I wanted to try and vegan version and a vegetarian version to see what the flavors would be like.

I made Ina Garten's recipe to start and thought it was VERY bland. I substituted the flour for the whole wheat and I added some spices. Ryan tried the first pancakes and also thought there was something else missing. Once I added my ingredients we both had a vegan and vegetarian version and they were both equally delicious and a lot MORE savory.

Savory zucchini pancakes 1

SCORE! Don't you just love tinkering with recipes? I certainly do. I also miss my chemistry lab classes because I always like mixing different chemicals for our experiments. I guess that is why I like modifying recipes. I feel that a recipe can always be a little better. Is this pretentious? I think it is exciting, but I might be wrong.

So how do you eat these pancakes? I had them for lunch with a large green salad. YUM! We also just had them for breakfast with some diced tomatoes on top, fruit on the side and coffee for a complete breakfast. You can also have them for dinner with another side veggie or salad. There are so many possibilities. I did not venture into the sweet and savory but if you feel like pouring some fresh maple syrup, you go on and try it and let me know how you like it!

Enjoy this recipe!!

Savory Zucchini Spelt Pancakes

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 min total

Ingredients (18-20 pancakes)

4 cups zucchini, grated (1/2 a large garden zucchini)
1 medium white onion, grated
2 garlic cloved, minced
3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten / OR 4 flax "eggs" (4 Tablespoons flax seed meal + 12 Tbsp warm water)
1 cup whole wheat spelt flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

Instructions

Grate zucchini and onion in a food processor or box grater. Place in a bowl and add seasonings, flour, and baking powder. Mix well.

Add beaten eggs to the mixture and let it sit for 5 minutes/ OR to make VEGAN, prepare the flax seed meal with the warm water and mix well. Let sit for 5 minutes then add to the zucchini.

In a non-stick pan or griddle pan, add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake and let it cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. The pancake will rise and be golden brown. Flip to the other side and it will finish cooking in 1-2 minutes.

Serve on top of a salad or with marinara.

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Labels: breakfast, brunch, eggs, flax seed, healthy, in-season, lunch, pancakes, savory pancakes, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, veggies, Vita-Spelt, whole wheat spelt flour, zucchini