This started out as another post about zucchini.  But, something happened…  The zucchini fairy did indeed drop off a zucchini (gotta find out where the zucchini and birthday fairies live and set a live trap).   My thought was zucchini pancakes, but it wasn’t really big enough to pull that off on its own, so I decided to add potato.  This would have been a fine lunch for me, but my husband and son require a little more sustenance.  The milkman came, and dropped off our milk and eggs, and the heavens sang.  I could picture crispy potato zucchini pancakes and creamy eggs, set off by tomatoes right from the garden.

Eggs, in my opinion, are sadly under-utilized as a lunch protein.  Sure, I know, no one wants an egg salad sandwich at work.  But how about hard boiled eggs sliced over a salad?  Or a simple egg omelet (beat an egg and cook it in an 8” pan until it’s set, flip to finish), rolled around some leftovers?  Tamgoyaki shows up in Bento boxes all the time.  It’s just  an omelet with sugar and soy (sometimes mirin or bonito, depending on whose recipe you use).  My point?  Have an egg day.  They’re cheap, add variety, and don’t make you want to go to sleep like a burger does. 

Back to the potato zucchini pancakes …

I shredded the zucchini and potato, added a teaspoon of salt, decided it needed 1/4 cup of onion and a carrot, tossed it well, and left it to drain for an hour.   There was still a lot of moisture, so I pressed, then twisted it dry in a towel.   I added egg, a splash of buttermilk, and maybe 1/4 cup of flour and had a non-runny but non-pasty mixture.  I heated some olive oil in a large non-stick pan, and used a 2 tablespoon scoop to portion out tiny cakes that I flattened before putting in the oil (yeah, messy).  Once they were golden brown on both sides, I popped them into the toaster oven set at 200 degrees to stay warm. 

In the same pan, drained of excess oil, I cooked the eggs.  They weren’t the prettiest looking eggs I’ve ever made.  The combination of dried oregano and the green/gold olive oil did not do wonders for the color.  They tasted great though.

I didn’t have lunch on my meal plan today.  I don’t have dinner, either.  I’m trying to be creative with odds and ends from the garden, pantry, and freezer.  It’d say this isn’t too shabby:

Brian (my 12 year old) does not like zucchini.  However, he liked these a lot.  While he appreciated the splash of color the tomato slices(garnished with parmesan and basil) added to the plate, I was not lucky enough to get him to eat them!