Zucchini Pancakes

I love vegetable pancakes, and they are so easy to make! It was "Girls Nite" this past Saturday evening, as hubby was out partying (he's a tropical destination wedding DJ, complete with the best "green" LED lighting system in the Florida Keys. Check out his videos. He puts on a great show.).

Anyway, while hubby is also enjoying all this organic produce from our buying club, he is a carnivore at heart. The little princess and I love our vegetables. When Daddy is DJing, that's usually when I plan a more vegetarian dinner. Last Saturday's dinner was delicious Zucchini Pancakes :)

This one is a lighter version of one found on Allrecipes.com. I decided to cut out the mayonnaise binder, substituting for milk and some Japanese panko breadcrumbs instead. If you haven't tried panko, you're missing out! They are so light, and delicate. They're great for frying, as they don't absorb much oil at all. The breadcrumbs helped hold some of the moisture from the zucchini, while adding some texture, without making the pancake too dough-like. I also fried ours in olive oil, instead of butter. No sour cream needed - these pancakes were a stand-out all by themselves :)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup panko
1.5 cups grated zucchini
1 green onion, diced
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan/Romano cheese blend
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat.

Beat the egg and milk in a large bowl. Stir in the zucchini and green onion. Mix well and set aside.

In another bowl, blend together the flour, panko, grated cheese, herbs, and salt and pepper. Pour in the wet ingredients, and combine, careful not to over-mix.

Heat two tbsp olive oil in the skillet. Carefully ladle in the zucchini mixture and flatten to form individual pancakes. Do not overcrowd the skillet. Fry each pancake until golden brown; about three minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

Enjoy! :)

Photo courtesy of Allrecipes.com