Zesty Zucchini Pancakes

Happy Sunday my healthy and wealthy friends.  I hope wherever you are you are feeling good,

looking good and enjoying the day, no matter what!  I wanted to do something a little different today for breakfast/brunch.  Instead of the usual smoothie, protein shake or veggie omelet, I decided to see what had been sitting in the vegetable bin and put it to use.  I found a very large green zucchini squash begging to be eaten.  I didn't want to grill, saute' or stir-fry as usual.  My taste buds wanted pancakes, but not traditional ones.  So I whipped together a batch of zucchini pancakes, which were simple and oh, so good!  Zucchini is also very good for you too.  Check out the nutrition content and health benefits:  

Nutritional Value in Zucchini

Given below is the amount of nutrients present in 135 gm, raw zucchini:

 

• Calories: 17
• Protein: 1.4 gm
• Carbohydrate: 3.6 gm
• Total Fat: 0.17 gm
• Fiber: 1.5 gm
• Vitamin C: 11 mg

Health Benefits of Zucchini

• Zucchini helps cure asthma, as it contains Vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties.
• The vegetable is known to help prevent diseases like scurvy and bruising, caused by the deficiency of vitamin C.
• Regular intake of zucchini effectively lowers high homocysteine levels in the human body.
• The vegetable can help prevents risk of having multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Zucchinis have high water content (over 95%), high nutritious value and contain a very low amount of calories, so they make the perfect snack item for people on diet.
• The vegetable contains useful amounts of folate, potassium, and vitamin A, necessary for proper functioning of the human body.
• Zucchini contains Vitamin C and lutein, both of which are known to be good for the eyes.
• The vegetable is a good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, manganese and a lot of other nutrients.
• Eating zucchini is known to help the body in supporting the arrangement of capillaries.
• Regular consumption of the vegetable can help protect the body against colon cancer.
• Zucchini is believed to be beneficial in preventing heart disease and related symptoms, such as high cholesterol.
• The rind of zucchini contains the nutrient beta-carotene, which is known to be full of antioxidant properties and thus, helps protect cells against oxidation damage.
• The vegetable proves to be a good source of magnesium and phosphorus, the nutrients essential for building and maintaining healthy bones.
• Zucchini is rich in vitamin C, another powerful antioxidant that can provide protection against cardiovascular disease

Now for the simple and easy to follow recipe:

2 medium zucchini
2 tablespoons grated red onion
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten (I only had medium eggs, so I used 4)
6 to 8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking power
1 teaspoon kosher salt (I used Himalayan salt - it's unprocessed and good for you too)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
unsalted butter and vegetable oil (I have switched up and only use coconut for cooking)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Grate zucchini into a small bowl using the large grating side of a box grater.
Stir in the onion and egg.  Then stir in 6 tablespoons of flour, the baking powder and salt and pepper.  If your batter is too thin, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour.

Heat a large saute' pan over medium heat and melt 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon of oil.
When the butter and oil are hot, but not smoking, lower the heat to medium-low.  Drop heaping soup spoons of batter into the pan.  Cook the pancakes about 2 minutes on each side until browned.  Place the pancakes on a sheet pan and keep warm in oven.  Use more butter and oil in the saute' pan between batches if necessary to keep pancakes from sticking.

Serve warm and top it with just about anything you want!

I tried them drizzled with a tablespoon of raw, organic honey.  I also tried them with a few shakes of my favorite Mexican hot sauce.  You could dollop some sour cream or Greek yogurt on them too.  Sky is the limit when it comes to your taste buds and creativity.

Bon Appetit!