fried squash “pancakes”
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These are incredible. Fried in palm oil (a saturated fat — the only kind that is stable enough to be fried). We fry (guilt-free) over here by using palm or coconut oil — though beef tallow could be argued as the best choice. Polyunsaturated oils (such as canola, soybean, peanut, grapeseed, sunflower, all of the above, etc.) will go rancid and should avoid being heated (and eaten at all!)
“Polyunsaturated oils are so unstable that they must undergo a great deal of processing to be made relatively shelf stable, including deodorization and bleaching. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your polyunsaturated cooking oils are stable, merely that there are few components left in it that will have an off taste or smell to warn you of its rancidity.” -Scott at Real Food University
“Canola has a large percentage of delicate omega 3 and omega 6 polyunsaturated fats which are almost certainly rancid upon leaving the factory (there are other ways to destroy oils besides hydrogenating them!) and denatured to an even greater degree by the time something is inappropriately fried in them at a restaurant!” -Sarah at The Healthy Home Economist
Lately, we have been loving this cost effective choice: palm oil. It can be found at your local grocery store for about $7.99+. The front is deceiving: “vegetable oil” <– yuck. But this is 100% palm oil! I cook with it often (and use it as a wonderful, easy chapstick!) It has healing anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties too! You can buy it from Amazon (or try this amazing Red Virgin Palm Oil — here is a great article further outlining its amazingness.)
And now, enough about palm oil. On to my delicious fried yellow squash (or zucchini, below) pancakes!
I adapted this recipe from Closet Cooking and you could really adapt it to your needs as well!
- 2 cups+ yellow squash or zucchini or potatoes (grated, drained)
- green onions or shredded carrots (as desired)
- 1/2 cup cheddar or feta (or any kind) cheese
- 1/2 cup gluten-free baking mix
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper
- palm oil for frying
Mix together, plop on your pan, fry until done!
Plop your mixture onto a super hot cast iron skillet, on the grill (how I’ve been cooking lately), and not only will they turn out crispy and amazing, but frying will really condition your skillet to smooth, oily perfection! Enjoy!
I’d love to see your frying recipes — please share!
