Zucchini Pancakes -- easy and healthy breakfast! (or lunch, dinner, snack...)

This weekend a new friend blessed us with a whole BIG bag of zucchini - 16 of them! They were fresh out of her moms garden, and I'm determined to use every bit and not let any go to waste!
(I'm especially thankful because we have a mystery pest in our own garden eating the leaves of all of our squash! ....and cucumbers ....and parsley)

I was going to whip up some zucchini fritters, but discovered just before breakfast that we had no eggs.....sooo, I went to Pinterest to find a "zucchini-breakfast-with-no-egg" recipe.  Not as easy as I thought, but I came across this recipe for Zucchini Pancakes and decided to try it -- SO glad I did!  I made just a few changes and they were fantastic!

They were a perfect texture - not too fluffy, not too dense, just right....and really filling!  They had just a hint of sweetness, and while we tried it with some butter and real maple syrup, the boys said they both preferred it without the syrup (yay)! It would be great to make a big batch, freeze the extra, and have on hand for a quick and easy breakfast when school starts.  They're perfect to grab on your way out the door.

It was just me and the boys at home this morning and they loved them!  Here are some quotes from breakfast....
Lucas (3), after taking one bite:  "Make again!" (which he then repeated every few bites from the highchair, lol)
Jacob (9): "Waaay better than normal pancakes."  "Those are the best pancakes I've ever had in. my. life."
Elijah (13 - and tough to impress): "Wow, those are really good."

Now that I've done my best to oversell them, lol, here's how to make your own...


Zucchini Pancakes (makes 24)

4 cups all purpose flour (I used non-GMO, unbleached, all-purpose)

4 tbsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

4 cups milk (I used coconut milk because that's what was in the fridge, but you could use any other kind of milk -- and use a little more or less if you want to change the consistency)

4 tbsp coconut oil*

3 cups shredded zucchini (I shredded with my KitchenAid, then pushed it into a wire sieve to get rid of excess liquid. You could also squeeze it out with a kitchen towel or cheesecloth after shredding)

Mix together all the dry ingredients, then add the milk and coconut oil. Stir in the zucchini until combined.

Grease the pan/griddle (you could use a spray, but I used coconut oil, and my favorite pieces were the ones that got a little crispy on the edge from the oil) and heat over medium heat.  Drop by 1/4 cupfuls, then after about a minute (or when bubbles start forming around the edges), flip and cook other side.

*I used this coconut oil because it's what I have on hand, and because it's refined it has no coconut flavor, but still has the benefits of coconut oil.  This unrefined oil is one of my favorites though, and I think the hint of coconut would just be delicious with these!



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