Move Over Aunt Jemima

I admit it.

When I first started making pancakes, I used the best pre packaged mix available–Aunt Jemima.  My Mom always made her pancakes from scratch but I thought it would be way easier to use a mix, and a mix I did use.  It was good.  It had a bit of sweetness to it.  It was easy.  It only needed one ingredient added–water.  Who couldn’t do that?  And, you could still say it was home made. Tongue in cheek here.

But, I have evolved.  I now make most things from scratch and try to avoid anything pre packaged.  Not to say I wouldn’t use something in a time pinch, but I do try to cook from scratch these days.  It’s the only way I can really (kinda) know what is in the food I prepare for myself, my husband, and guests.

This evening was declared ‘breakfast for dinner’ night and I had decided to make pancakes and toss in some sausages for my company.  Two kinds of pancakes were in the offing and one of them I will share with you here.

The special one was for the non-meat eaters.  Full of protein, vitamins, and good taste, it was bound to be a winner.  I think at the end of the evening, it was a full thumbs up.

Here’s what I did:

2 cups of shredded potatoes (you can do these fresh or use freezer hash brown shreds that are thawed out, preferably ones without added oil)

1 cup of shredded or finely chopped zucchini

1 cup of shredded or finely chopped carrots

1/2 cup whole wheat flower

3 eggs

seasonings of your choice (I used salt and pepper and chives)

You can add minced onions and/or peppers to this if you like or other minced vegetables.

Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes before starting to cook.

I did the cooking with two different oils to see if I could determine a difference. First, I put olive oil in a fry pan and heated it and added enough batter for one pancake. When the pancake starts to bubble all over (including the middle) flip it over. Let it cook about another minute, then remove it from the pan. I also tried this with coconut oil. Same process. Although the pancakes didn’t taste any different, when I was cooking them, I smelled a difference. Coconut oil certainly smells like coconut and smells sweet to me. I thought when I tasted the pancakes they would have a sweetness but they did not. I couldn’t tell one pancake from the next.

When I served the pancakes, I offered butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, sour cream, and Greek yogurt–unflavored. The comments were good. Everyone seemed to like them.

I think they are a versatile dish. They can be used as a main dish or side dish and they could be served with a meat course if that would work for your family and company. Because they contain protein, vitamins, fiber, minerals, and great taste, they can be a great addition to any meal.

So, Aunt Jemima, move over. Vegetable pancakes are on their way.