Hide the Vegetables: Pancakes for Dinner Recipe
September 23, 2011
Even the pickiest eaters can usually be coaxed into eating fried food, and if you tell kids they are having a special treat, breakfast for dinner, you can even slip a few vegetables in.
These are not pale, insipid pancakes drowned in maple syrup. Corn pancakes, bursting with fresh kernels (you can use frozen out of season) are hearty on their own, but you can serve them with a kid-pleasing fresh vegetable salsa for even more flavor and vitamins.
The squash or pumpkin pancakes work equally well for breakfast or dinner. For breakfast, serve with maple syrup. For dinner, try a dollop of non-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt. Incorporate these recipes for your next pancakes for dinner:
Corn Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 ears fresh sweet corn (or 1 cup of thawed, drained, frozen corn)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup flour
- tablespoons yellow cornmeal
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- peanut or canola oil for frying
Directions
Cut corn kernels into a bowl. Whisk the eggs and milk into the corn until thoroughly combined. In another bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Pour into the corn mixture, and stir with a spatula.
Pour a thin layer of oil into a skillet (cast iron works nicely). When oil is hot, drop rounded tablespoons of batter carefully into the oil. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Be careful when turning; kernels may pop and oil can splatter. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.
Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1/2 cup chopped mango (slightly under ripe mango chops more easily)
- 1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper (omit if your kid is spice averse)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or parsley (my husband thinks cilantro tastes like soap, so I can’t use it)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Combine, and serve with the pancakes.
Winter Squash
Now that winter squash is coming into season, I also roast extra and puree; you can add a cup to a pancake recipe, giving you naturally sweet pancakes loaded with vitamin A.
To roast pumpkin, acorn or butternut squash (they are all pretty much interchangeable), cut in half and scoop out the seeds.
Put a thin layer of olive oil on a baking pan. Roast the squash cut side down, 375 for about 45 minutes. When cool, scoop out soft pulp and puree in food processor. If you store in 1 cup batches, you can always have some ready in the freezer.
Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
Directions
Sift dry ingredients together.
Beat eggs and add milk, then stir into flour mixture. Mix in pumpkin puree.
Cook pancakes over medium heat in a large skillet or on a griddle, using butter or oil to grease the pan.
