Savory Vegetable Pancakes with Cilantro-Cumin Yogurt Dip

We all know that pancakes are not just for breakfast.

In fact, I think I enjoy savory combinations even more than your standard sweet breakfast variety. Along with the traditional potato pancake, or latke, some of my favorite savory additions are roasted shredded beets, pumpkin, spinach, cooked kale, and a slew of fresh herbs.

Many cultures have their own version of some type of savory pancake or crepe–and there really is no right or wrong combination of vegetables. Just use what you have or what sounds good to you. If you are in the mood for a “green” pancake Mark Bittman published a great recipe for Spinach Pancakes which you can find here. Be imaginative and creative–see how many unique and flavorful combinations you can come up with. It’s also a great way to use up any vegetable odds and ends you may have collected throughout the week.

Well, this time around I thought I would do a spinach, carrot, and broccoli mix. I had a bag of shredded carrots and broccoli that I picked up from Trader Joes the other day. At the time, I thought it was shredded cabbage, and well–it’s been sitting in the vegetable crisper for a few days now. So, I decided to use that bag of veggies along with some chopped fresh rosemary and a little green onion.

Once the pancake batter is combined, heat a little olive oil (or spray a light coating) into a pan. Let them cook for about 3-5 minutes (medium heat) or until bubbles just start forming on top and flip them over. When you are done, you can cut them into triangles and serve them with a dipping sauce, like my favorite Chinese onion cakes. I guess these pancakes are somewhat more Indian or Middle Eastern inspired because of the spices–still pretty good, nontheless. I made a Cilantro-Cumin Yogurt sauce to go along with these, but a chutney or a salsa would also go well.

My inspiration for the pancakes comes from Mark Bittman’s Spinach Pancakes which I mentioned above and from Peter Berley’s, Fresh Food, Fast.

Savory Vegetable Pancakes

1 cup flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

2 cups of shredded or chopped vegetables – I used carrots, broccoli, and spinach

2-3 green onions, chopped – just the white

1 tbsp fresh chopped herbs –I used rosemary

Make the Cilantro-Cumin Yogurt Dip:

1 cup thick yogurt

2 tsbp chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp cayenne

sea salt to taste

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the Savory Pancakes:

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the vegetables and herbs.

Heat a splash of olive oil (or lightly spray a pan with olive oil) on medium heat. Add a small amount of batter, to the pan–about a 1/4 – 1/2 cup for a smaller pancake.

Let cook for 3-5 min, flipping just when bubbles start to form on top. Transfer cooked pancakes to a warm platter.

Tagged as: broccoli, buckwheat vegetable pancakes, carrots, cilantro, cumin, nutmeg, rosemary, savory pancakes, spinach, spinach pancakes, vegetable pancakes, yogurt dip