Zucchini Pancakes

Zucchini fritters or pancakes as many people call them are a great way to use up extra zucchini, and are easy and quick to prepare. I love this kind of dish and could eat this at lunch a few times a week. Many recipes call for frying the fritters in a lot of oil which is something I avoid as often as I can, so I fry my fritters in a non-stick frying pan that I first spray with a light coating of olive oil. It works great, and certainly makes for a lighter, less fattening fritter. I have made many variations of zucchini fritters over the years, but prefer this recipe best which adds a little baking powder into the batter which I find keeps the fritters light and tender. Use the larger holes on a box grater to grate your zucchini, and then let the grated zucchini sit in a mesh strainer or colander in the sink for 30 minutes to drain off any excess liquid.

To serve my fritters I use fat free Greek yogurt (Fage is my favorite brand) that I season with salt, pepper, and fresh chopped herbs. It tastes so much like sour cream that most folks couldn’t tell the difference, and is much healthier for you. You could also serve these fritters with a spoonful of light, fresh tomato sauce, or serve them simply on their own with some cracked black pepper on top.

• Instead of frying the pancakes, a non-stick pan is used lightly sprayed with olive oil to help cut calories from fat.
• Summer squash such as zucchini is a good source of vitamins A, C, as well as fiber.