My mother-in-law gave us a huge bag of zucchini, squash, and cucumbers on Friday.  Guess what was for dinner that night?  Zucchini pancakes.  It is one of my summertime favorites!  Since you’ll probably be enjoying zucchini at some point this summer, especially if you have a garden, this might be a recipe your family will like

Zucchini Pancakes

2 c shredded zucchini

4 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 c hard or soft white flour

2T (or more) Sucanat

1/2 tsp salt

3T oil

4 tsp baking powder

Shred zucchini and mix in a large bowl with eggs and vanilla.  Add everything except the baking powder and mix well.  Add baking powder and mix gently.  Batter will be like heavy whipping cream.

Preheat your griddle and use a small measuring cup to dip the batter to your skillet.  When it begins to bubble, it’s time to flip!

Topped with butter and syrup, these make a great breakfast-for-dinner.  These would also be great with some chocolate chips!

This time, I tried my hand at homemade maple syrup.   It was easy to do and is definitely cheaper than real maple syrup.  However, I LOVE maple syrup and it does have good, nutritional qualities to it.  So…I’m not sure yet if we’re switching over  for good.  For now, I have a little less than 32 oz. in my fridge waiting for us to use.

Homemade Maple Syrup

2c organic sucanat

2 c organic cane juice crystals

2 c water

1T maple extract (I used Frontier brand, I didn’t have a question about any ingredients.  I’m a stickler!)

1/2T (2 tsp) vanilla extract

Combine sugars and then water in a medium-size pot.  Stir on medium-high heat to dissolve sugar.  Add extracts and bring to a boil.  Let boil for 10 minutes.

I used it hot for our pancakes and then let it cool in the pot before I put it into a container in the fridge.  My family liked it, but it definitely tastes a little different than real maple syrup.

Did I mention, by the way, the great deal on organic maple syrup that I signed up for?  My second bottle arrives in July, I set the subscribe and save to deliver it every other month.  You might want to look into it if you use it as often as I do in your cooking.

Enjoy your  zucchini!  I’ll be posting my favorite zucchini recipes  throughout the summer, ’cause there’s lots!