There. I said it. I wrote it. On the Internet nonetheless so its, like, permanent. Better than carved in stone. Because the Internet is....
forevvvvver. This is a little diddy about me making some veggie pancakes and my mother being right.
(is it me or does it look like that broccoli could glow in the dark? gonna have to dial down the saturation level a little.) It really all started out of desire to get veggies into my son. I know what you are thinking...aww poor mom, she's got one of those picky toddler eaters. Well, here's the thing. Nope. Not even a wee bit...in fact, the COMPLETE opposite. The kid is a human vacuum.
(Your honour, Exhibit A. What appears to be mini marshmellows and chocolate sauce, my expert witness will testify...pearl bocconcini and aged balsamic vinegar.) The slight lack in consumption of veggies was more so related to (1) alternative prep methods than pot+water+heat+veggie and (2) achieving a texture or consistency that a kid with no molars could gum.
I worked veggies into soup and sauces but didn't want to always "hide" them. He likes everything. So IMHO no need to. And besides...he has all these cute little separator/compartment plates and I
need
must
like to fill up all three sections. Its the side of my brain I'm trying to suppress.
(welcome back garlic, my dear love) And I doth protest mushy cooked veggies. Hot or cold, my veggie needs some form of crunch (mashed potatoes, you get a pass here) But each night I would run through the list and nothing seemed to work....broccoli, carrots, brussel sprouts, beets, celery, lettuce, kale...I'd have to steam/boil to a pulp for Little to digest. So it was off to the freezer to steam frozen peas or diced carrots night after night....
(I have learned, if you don't want to clean the oven for the picture...just take the oven out of the picture. Smart. Smrt. Smart.) Then I stumbled across this great blog one day and thought the posting was brilliant. She basically suggested taking whatever veggies your fridge, pulse them beyond recognition and voila...veggie in pancake form. Okay, there are a few steps in between, but you get the idea.
(you are still right Mom, I will come back to that I promise) So long story longer, I made the veggie cakes and they were fantastic. Little loved them. Mr. sixtyone45 loved them. The worlds greatest grandparents loved them. Beautiful Auntie C loved them. All good right? Well here is the thing.
I am trying to find MY creative dna markers and because I technically did NOT come up with this, I was having a hard time considering it my own. It was somebody else's.
This somebody.
But here is the thing....
I didn't have all the ingredients she listed so I improvised. Worlds greatest gma was roasting some brussels so I stole some. I raided the crisper for onions, kale, broccoli, celery and spinach. I made an interesting spice blend. Increased the egg and decreased the flour. Threw in some garlic (because Little Morimoto has a very sophisticated palette) The recipe was starting to look a lot different.
Then I checked the Internet...turns out...there are LOTS of veggie pancake recipes.
So here is what I learned today. Creativity does not mean you have to come up with every piece in every way. It can mean taking somebody's awesome beginning and turning it into your own magnificent ending. What I have learned in the world of food blogging is summed up as "adapted".
So Mom (aka worlds greatest gma) You are right. These are fantastic. They are mine. And I should one day find a way to market them as such.
