Zucchini Pancakes

Justin spotted these pancakes on smitten kitchen and I couldn't get them out of my head.  We've served them several times as a wonderful way to use up zucchini and realized the trick is to use the small grate side of our cheese grater to shred the zucchini.  That way no strings protrude after each bite (which cause Jaime to complain and refuse to eat the meal).  I also learned to drain the majority of the liquid out of the shredded zucchini so that the pancakes don't stay gooey.  I prefer to spread out the pancake batter on the skillet so they are thinner and easier to cook all the way through, and Justin prefers to dump and cook in favor of thicker ones.  We are having them again tonight for dinner.  Enjoy!

Zucchini Pancakes

2 eggs

3 TB olive oil

2 TB brown sugar

1/4 cup buttermilk (or 2TB milk 2TB yogurt)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp table salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Combine wet (with the addition of the brown sugar) and dry ingredients separately, then combine.  Fold in zucchini.  Cook on heated, buttered skillet.  Serve with your favorite pancake toppings.

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

It's time I give in and spill my guts about how amazing this Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce recipe is from Blendtec.  Oh wait, I already did that on the my blog...  The real news is that I've discovered it's a versatile crowd pleaser, even for kids!  And it's 100% healthy.  For kids!  Healthy!  Okay, so are mine the only ones that hate vegetables?

Yesterday I put it to the test.  In honor of our electricity bill, I left the oven off and cooked the ingredients in the crockpot.  All was smelling and tasting great.  Then I pushed the limits by adding half of a large zucchini (I would guess I added about 2 lbs) and two carrots.  When all of the vegetables got soft I blended it all and returned it to the crockpot.  Even more daring, I decided to cook the pasta in the sauce so that it soaked up flavorful vegetable juices.  I think I added a little over a pound of broken up whole wheat spaghetti, but it could have used more.  I stretched this recipe far.  Turns out it can cope.  Both of my children gobbled it up.  These, the children that don't eat vegetables.  Jaime ate two and a half bowls of the stuff and Vida couldn't get each tiny fist full of noodles shoved into her little mouth fast enough.  True story.  Justin and I loved it too.  It's not very often that we have this big of a success for our entire family on both fronts - health and satisfaction.  That's why I'm sharing this today.  It also happens to be a fantastic recipe for enjoying a plentiful garden.  Enjoy.

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

• 2lbs of tomatoes, quartered
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• [2 lbs seeded and chopped zucchini]
• [2 large carrots, shredded]
• 8 cloves garlic [I used pre-minced]
• 3 TB olive oil
• 2 TB fresh oregano [I use 1 TB dried]
• 1 tsp salt
• [parmesan or feta cheese as at-table garnishes]

Toss all ingredients in a glass baking dish.  Roast for 1 hour at 375 degrees and remove from oven.  Let cool slightly, transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.

[Alternative: Place all ingredients in large crockpot and cook on high for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.  Transfer to blender and blend until smooth.]

Quick Tomato Salad

We had this last night with a roasted chicken, and it was summer heaven. Make it now.

Tomato Salad

2 quarts grape or cherry tomatos, halved

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2-1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

up to 1/4 cup fresh sage, or to taste, chopped

drizzle olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix and serve. You might want to start easy on the sage and add more if you have a hankering. It can be overwhelming if you overdo it. Try to make the salad about 1/2 hour before you want to eat it so it will settle, mellow, and blend.

It's summer in a bowl.