Tag: Easter

Every Easter, my sisters and I plan out our family’s Easter brunch. We’ve hosted as many as 40 people at my house at one time, serving up a wide variety of foods for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. We fashion miniature Easter baskets and use them as part of our pretty place settings along with fresh tulips around the dining room and kitchen tables. Needless to say, this gets extremely expensive and extremely time consuming. After many years of hosting a vegetarian friendly Easter brunch at my house, we’ve decided to do a potluck style brunch to cut down on the cost and the time that we pour into this Holiday tradition.

I’m pretty excited about this year’s celebration. I’m still going to create those miniature Easter baskets, because cute, but I’m only preparing one dish for this potluck. I really wanted a fresh recipe that could fill up our guests without weighing them down. [Side bar: I became a vegetarian when I was 12 years old. I learned to build meals around a centerpiece of meat, so that when I became a vegetarian, I sought out those over-processed mock meat alternatives. Often times, these mock meat products, when consumed in large quantities, can leave you feeling bloated and sick. No bueno.] Anyway, through my experience of being a vegetarian, I’ve finally discovered that vegetables can actually stand alone as the entree. So this year, I’m preparing carrot pancakes for Easter brunch. They’re part latke, part pancake, and all flavor. You must try this!

Maple Ginger Glazed Carrot Pancakes With Salted Yogurt

ingredients (makes 4 servings)

• 4 large eggs, beaten to blend
• 1 pound carrots (about 8 medium), peeled, coarsely grated
• ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup chickpea flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons (or more) olive oil, divided
• 1 cup plain whole yogurt
• 1 cup spicy greens (such as baby mustard greens, watercress, or arugula)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Flaky sea salt

for the maple ginger glaze

• 1/4 cup dark maple syrup
• 1 tbsp ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 tsp cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp butter

Directions

• Mix eggs, carrots, cilantro, and chickpea flour in a large bowl (mixture will be loose); season with kosher salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat. Scoop two ½-cupfuls of carrot mixture into skillet, pressing each to ½” thickness.
• Cook, rotating skillet occasionally for even browning, until pancakes are golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
• Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat to make 2 more pancakes, adding more oil to skillet if needed.
• for the maple ginger glaze, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the grated ginger, cider vinegar, and maple syrup. Allow the mixture to start to boil before removing from heat (1-2 minutes)
• Meanwhile, season yogurt with kosher salt and pepper. Toss greens with lemon juice and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil; season with kosher salt and pepper.
• To serve, drizzle carrot pancakes with the maple ginger glaze and serve with salad and salted yogurt, seasoned with sea salt and more pepper.

***Use a nonstick skillet! I can’t stress that enough. I tried making these in a cast iron skillet and it was a tiny catastrophe.

***The pancakes themselves can be slightly on the bland side, so spice away. Experiment and be creative! Some folks even throw curry in the mix. If you do that, I’d probably skip the maple ginger glaze.

***If you like the idea of salted yogurt, try these other savory yogurt recipes.

adapted from bon appetit