A healthier take on zucchini pancakes perfect for summer
Zucchini pancakes? In the summer, you can eat them all the time, not just for dinner. Although their main ingredient is a delicate and light vegetable, they are fried and often served with sour cream. Delicious, but not necessarily diet-friendly. However, you can prepare them a bit differently. Minor adjustments will make the pancakes lighter and suitable even for a weight reduction diet.
The season for zucchini is in full swing. You've probably already made several dishes with it. This versatile vegetable is good for soups, salads, pâtés, one-pot dishes, and cakes. However, one of the most popular dishes with zucchini remains pancakes. Hardly anyone dislikes them, and they are straightforward to prepare.
Instead of flour
A recipe for zucchini pancakes? It's not really needed. Just grate the zucchini, and mix it with an egg and flour. It's worth replacing the flour with oat flakes. The best ones to use are regular or rolled oats, which contain more valuable nutrients than processed instant oats. This substitution will make the pancakes much lighter. Worried that the pancakes will be less crispy? Add a tablespoon of natural yogurt to the mixture.
Frying pan? Not necessarily
The next point is frying. It’s better to avoid standing over a hot frying pan on hot days. Pancakes fried in oil are also more caloric. That's why it's worth preparing them in the oven; they will be juicy and equally tasty. Another change to consider is the sour cream. This addition makes the dish quite heavy. It's better for the figure to prepare a garlic dip based on natural yogurt or skyr. You can also serve the pancakes without any sauce. They taste great with a portion of lettuce or arugula and slices of salmon.
Baked zucchini pancakes
Ingredients:
- 3 zucchinis
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons of oat flakes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 carrot
- A few sprigs of parsley, mint, dill
- Salt, pepper, curry to taste
Method:
- Wash the zucchinis and grate them on a coarse grater. Peel the carrot, grate it, and add a grated onion.
- Mix the vegetables and set them aside for 10 minutes. Then squeeze out the excess juice, add the eggs, oat flakes, garlic pressed through a garlic press, and finely chopped greens.
- Mix the batter and season it with spices. Lay out parchment paper on a baking sheet. Use a spoon to scoop out the batter and form small pancakes. Bake them at 350°F for 20 minutes.
