Savory Summer Squash Pancakes (aka Garden Overload Latkes)
1 Aug
If you have a garden, or know anyone who does, then you probably know what I mean when I talk about “zucchini monsters” and “squash bats.” Bats as in the baseball variety, not the animal. As in… “My summer squash is out of control and taking over my garden and growing to the size of baseball bats before I can even get to it!” Yep. That’s what’s happening ’round here. We are frantically harvesting summer squash and passing it off to just about anyone who will take it. We have a tiny plot, but we still had seven chock-full grocery bags last week. We keep showing up at all our friends’ doors with bags and bundles of the yellow gourds. Every day. Sometimes twice a day, if we’re feeling frisky. Our friends hate us. They are probably preparing to hold a No More Summer Squash protest at our little community garden plot tomorrow.
Good thing it’s completely — and I do mean completely — covered with squash plant tentacles, ready to intimidate and/or devour anyone who gets too close to all those little yellow babies it can’t stop popping out.
Anyway, as a result of this total domination of our garden, we’ve had to stretch our creative muscles. Hence, this deliciously gluten-free, vegan, high protein, and healthy spin on potato latkes. I considered spicing ‘em up more, but frankly they taste like an explosive collision of Awesome and Garden Vegetables. So. They didn’t need it. The pancakes (for lack of a better term) are crisp on the outside, and succulent on the inside. Yes, I just used “succulent” to reference vegetables. These are quite versatile, and would be perfect for a meal anytime of day! Especially if, you know…you have 100 lbs of summer squash to eat through in one week.
Keep a look out for more posts on cooking seasonally, and especially what to do with all those oppressively high-yielding crops.
Ingredients:
2 C grated summer squash (I used yellow, but you could try zucchini — if zucchini, I’d add an extra Tb or two of chickpea flour and squeeze out all the excess moisture you can!)
1/4 C grated carrots
1/4 C chopped/chiffonaded fresh spinach
1/4 C diced red onion
1/2 C chickpea (garbanzo) flour (you may need a dash more)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t oregano
pepper to taste
dash of cayenne (if desired)
2 Tb extra virgin olive oil
Recipe:
1) After squash is grated, wring out excess water (you can press it through a cauldron, or pat it with paper towels, etc.) — don’t omit this, or they might turn out too soggy.
2) Mix all vegetables and spices in a medium sized bowl.
3) Mix in chickpea flour. Allow chickpea flour to absorb the vegetables’ moisture for about 5 minutes.
4) Heat ~1-2 Tb oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium heat.
5) Drop squash mix by rounded (table)spoon into skillet, flattening and shaping with spoon.
6) After roughly 1-2 minutes, use a spatula to carefully flip each pancake.
7) Once both sides are browned, remove, add more oil if needed, and repeat until all the batter is gone.
The BFF Manfriend and our good buddy Dan came home from their lunch not too long after I made these. And so ended the existence of the squash pancakes. Also, so began the story of my husband asking me to make these for dinner every night this week.
Somehow, I think we’ll be able to swing that.
(The recipe, not the squash bat… [<-- that one was for you, Dad.])
Featured in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.
Do you have a garden? A CSA?
An overly “generous” neighbor who can’t stop bringing you yellow squash? (I knocked and knocked — where were you?! P.S. I have more squash!)
What abundance of seasonal produce is taking over your kitchen?
No garden here! I just go to WF or the farmers market for produce!
Glad to see you posting again
Both good options
Yes, finally after all that travel insanity, I’m in one place for a somewhat definitive amount of time, haha. Hopefully normalcy can commence?! 
Hahaha! LOVED the pun at the end! And I totally cracked up over the squash face! These look great! I’m definitely going to be trying this with some zucchini I’ve been hoarding…er, saving in the fridge for the last couple of weeks. I don’t have a garden, so no overabundance here…feel free to bring some of that garden loot my way! I’d be glad to take it off your hands!
Oh Heather, I can always count on you to laugh at my weird humor!
My husband just looked over at me when I was drawing the face, chuckled, and kind of said something along the lines of, “Typical.” Yep. That’s why he married me. I’m sure of it. I’ll send you a refrigerator box full of summer squash… Be careful what you wish for! 
Hehehe.
Aww, I have a garden but the squash bugs have been destroying a lot of my squash
It’s so sad! I had a beautiful spaghetti squash growing, and then the bugs got to it 
SAD!
No! Squash buuugs! They are the worst. I was really shocked that we had none this year. My mom’s spaghetti squash is dying from them too
She said she is saving some of the other squash with a home remedy… I’ll have to ask her what it is!
Love the squash face
No garden but, I find myself buying tons more squash this time of year since I know it’s in season. between that and cherries, I could live off both for about a week right now.
I literally just started drooling after reading the word “cherries.” I might have a problem…
wow- these look beautiful!
Thanks Caitlin!
I know the zucchini monsters all too well. Why is it that the carrots and broccoli are teeny tiny, but the squash become these crazy giants!? So strange. (Psst…you can totally make zucchini bread!)
Squash has a mind of it’s own! And yes, I tried making a batch of summer squash bread the other day, and while it tasted great, I haven’t been able to make it the right texture. I’ll hopefully be able to post the recipe soon!
Yum! I don’t have a garden but my dad has one at home. I feel like we are those neighbors that are always showing up at other people’s doorstep with the bag full of veg. One lady exchanges homemade banana cream pies for my dad’s tomatoes. lol. Right now my fridge is lacking in the produce department since I just moved! I can’t wait to hit up the Farmer’s Market on Wednesday evening!
Wow, pie for tomatoes? Sounds fair!
Have fun at the Farmer’s Market!
Thanks for coming up with dinner for tonight. I’m off to the store for some spinach now.
Yum! Dinner was deeeeelicious! Thanks, Katie. Did not need any sauce. They were very tasty!
Yaaay! Thanks so much for letting me know, Chris! Glad you enjoyed them! xo
These look awesome! I bet my kids would love all the colors. They look like they would taste great dipped in some pasta sauce or some aioli…yum!
We loved the colors too! So bright and fun. I felt like I was cooking with confetti — albeit vegetable confetti
They taste great on their own, but I agree, it would be fun to try ‘em with different sauces!
DUDE!! WHAT??! YUM! So glad ur here to think of these amazing things when I can’t! LOL Trying this ASAP!
Do iiit!
Oh my! These look quite tasty! And the perfect solution to my zucchini *problem.* I believe I will have to give them a try.
If you try it, let me know how it goes! Perfect solution to the garden “problem” this time of year
Now I want to go draw on zucchini’s! Haha!
I have that effect on people.
I made these for dinner tonight with zucchini. I shredded the zucchini and then salted it lightly to allow some of the moisture to drain. I also sauteed some onion and garlic and added that to the batter along with some basil. We dipped them in pasta sauce and there were no left-overs…great simple meal loaded with veggies!
YAY! This sounds so good! Thanks for letting me know how it went, Gretchen
xo!
Hahaha I love the squash monster you drew! These look yummy! We haven’t had any summer squash from our CSA, but we do have zucchini!
Funny story: Yesterday my husband was making yet another squash recipe, and used the one I drew on… He came over and just handed me the face part he had sliced off. It was really, really creepy for some reason! LOL!
these latkes look amazing I need to make them asap im on squash overload as well!
Thanks Kate! We love ‘em!
Katie, I’ve made these twice now, and they are so good! I’ve always loved crab/seafood cakes, but can’t eat them now (besides the issue with the bread crumbs, I also stay away from shellfish). I feel like these totally hit my crab cake spot! So THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! One thing I figured out to do with the second batch (because I had sticking issues the first time around), was to pat the grated squash with towels until it was good and dry. The second batch came out beautifully!
Tonight, I made shepherd’s pie, and didn’t have anything on hand to use as a topping- I usually do sweet potatoes. I decided to try using this recipe (minus the other veggies, because some of them were already in the pie) as the topping. I drizzled some EVOO over the squash before baking and it came out perfect and nicely browned. Yum! My husband would usually raise an eyebrow to a concoction like that, but he was all over it! I have a feeling this recipe will be a regular here.
YAY! Shelby, I am so glad you are loving these! I am going to add a note to dry out the squash a little more, as you suggested
It’s weird, but these kind of taste seafood-y to me! I love your shepherd’s pie creativity. You know when the husband wants more that you have hit a jackpot! 
I will have to try your method now. Thanks so much for letting me know how they turned out! xo