Simply in Season: Zucchini Pancakes

This week at the Farmer's Market I picked up zucchini. Okay, so it's not a new veggie for me but maybe it is for you. Or it's a veggie that you don't really care for. If that's the case, you'll have to try this recipe. There's so much veggie love, you can't go wrong.

I discovered Ina Garten's recipe for zucchini pancakes a couple months ago and have become addicted. It's not the quickest treat to whip up, but it's definitely worth the time. So every once in a while, when I get the craving, I make these pancakes. I've switched up Ina's recipe with a few of my own additions that I wanted to share with you. You can really play with this recipe and make it your own; different spices, different veggies, it could be a lot of fun.

In addition to Ina's ingredients you'll also need:

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup diced green bell pepper

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

red pepper flakes

The receipt says to immediately mix the grated zucchini with the onion and egg but I sprinkle some salt on the zucchini and let it sit in the colander for a while. Zucchini is very watery and you want to get rid of some of the excess fluid. After about 15 minutes, just squeeze the zucchini with your hands to get out what hasn't yet seeped out.

I diced up the red onion along with the red and green bell pepper and mixed it in with the zucchini and egg, followed by the dry ingredients, including the parmesan cheese. Sprinkle in a few dashes of red pepper flakes if you like. That's my preference for a little kick.

Then you're ready to fry! If you want to go lighter skip the butter, but I add it in cause it gives the food a little more flavor and gives the booty some flava' too.

When done, transfer to a plate covered with paper towels. This will absorb some of the excess oil before eating. Serve with some sour cream, or some Greek yogurt like I used and you've got the perfect treat. I eat like 6 of these and call it dinner but it's also a great side and it's vegetarian!

Let me know if you give these a shot or how you recommend taking a spin on this recipe. I made so may of these that I packed the rest up and brought them to work for lunch. If you make them big enough, you can even use them as veggie burger patties and have fun building those as you please. There's endless possibilities!