Breakfast Recipe for Squash and Corn Cakes with Crema

I grew up eating zucchini cakes in the summer time.  I was too young to make them myself, so I ended up watching either my parents or my grandmother shred the zucchini, squeeze and drain any excess liquid, and then mix the cake batter with flour and egg.  They fried these cakes in sunflower oil and served them up with a dollop of sour cream.

This is an updated, grown up version of my childhood favorite.  I add crunch and sweetness to these cakes with raw sweet corn.  Cilantro and lime zest are also mixed into the batter for a Southwestern flare.  Instead of plain sour cream, I make my own version of crema - Mexican sour cream.  It is thinner than the traditional sour cream and slightly sour
 - you can achieve this with a simple addition of lime juice.







Squash and Corn Cakes with Crema
(adapted from Whole Foods Market Recipe)

Makes about 12 cakes

Ingredients

2 large eggs

1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk or low-fat milk
2/3 cup All Purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Kernels from 1 ear sweet corn (about 3/4 cup)
1 large zucchini, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup finely diced onion
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Zest of 1 lime
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1.  In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper until smooth. Add corn, zucchini, onion, cilantro and zest and stir until combined.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, drop batter by scant 1/4-cup measures into skillet. Cook, turning once, until browned and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side; lower heat if pancakes begin to brown too deeply before middle is cooked through. Add more oil between batches if necessary.

3.  For the crema, combine sour cream with lime and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Serve crema with the pancakes warm or room temperature.

Enjoy!  Perfect for a morning breakfast or a later afternoon lunch.  Want to get a bit more gourmet?  Serve up a few thin slices of smoked salmon.

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