Zucchini Pancakes or "How to feed a toddler an easy breakfast"

I will never plant four zucchini plants again. We are mid-way through September and still have zucchini coming out of our ears. Here is some evidence [pardon the "morning fresh" look].

 

As you know, I have been getting creative with zucchini recipes and trying to unload as many zucchini as possible on unsuspecting visitors. For example, Sam is not allowed to leave for band practice without a bag o' zucchini per band member.

A few weeks ago I thought, "Zucchini bread is so good but I cannot have loaves of rich zucchini bread laying around or I will eat them all." I then thought," I bet that I can transfer the flavors of zucchini bread to a pancake batter but make the pancakes way healthier than a big ole' loaf of desserty bread."

The wee one LOVED them and the syrup and Greek yogurt served on top of them!

Some day this poor child might loathe me for posting pics like this!

After seeing the rave review that these pancakes got, I had a motherly stroke of genius! I made a batch one morning and found that it yielded about 20 smallish pancakes. I served Emm and I a few for breakfast, let the remaining pancakes cool and then placed them in a large Ziploc. 

I refrigerated them and every morning, for close to a week, had a quick, healthy and easy breakfast ready for Emm. I would grab a pancake or two, heat them up in the microwave for 30 seconds and serve them topped with a little applesauce and cinnamon [using applesauce as a topping instead of syrup made me feel a little better about the wild child's sugar consumption].

Zucchini Pancakes

1 small zucchini, grated

3/4 cup of applesauce

2 large eggs

1 cup of milk

1/4 cup of brown sugar or honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsps baking powder

1 1/3 c flour 

Butter or oil for greasing the pan

Mix the zucchini, applesauce, eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.

Stir in the cinnamon, salt, baking powder and flour.

Preheat a skillet or griddle over medium high heat. My mom gave me her old stovetop, double burner griddle. It is awesome and I love it. It helps me whip out pancakes in just a couple batches.

Lightly butter or grease your hot pan.

I use my soup ladle to dole out my pancake batter. I use about 3/4 of a ladle of batter for each pancake. This is the easiest method I have found for pancake pouring, but use whatever method you like.

Flip each pancake once the top has covered in air bubbles.

In between batches, you can keep pancakes warm by placing them on a heat safe plate in an oven set to warm or about 200 degrees.

Serve your pancakes with the usual accompaniments or, if you are like me, with a smorgasbord of whatever might work on top of a pancake: peanut or almond butter, butter, yogurt, syrup, jelly, applesauce, cinnamon, sliced fruit. I like to have options!