Whole Wheat Spiced Zucchini Pancakes

I love Seattle. I know I'm like a broken record here, but having spent two long weekends there over the last month has reminded me that it is a beautiful city. It certainly helps that the weather was bright and sunny, with a hint of crisp fall air. We stayed with a friend, one of Derek's running buddies from college, who was not only the most wonderful host I've ever had (he made leg of lamb and unreal potatoes for our first dinner there!) but who also has an apartment overlooking Pike's Place Market and the water. And the Olympic Mountains. If there was ever a sales-pitch for moving to Seattle, staying in that apartment would be it. I don't know if I could ever live in Seattle, since Portland is so close (and yet so far!), but if Portland were to suddenly sprout a massive sound, I would not complain.

As I mentioned this weekend, we were in Seattle for the International Food Blogging Conference. I believe it's the largest food blogging conference in the world, and I was bummed to miss it last year. So, when we realized we'd be home for so many weddings in September, coinciding with the conference, I committed to going this year. I had such an amazing time last April in Kansas City for my first blogging conference, Go Blog Social, that I was really excited and eager to attend an even bigger conference full of food bloggers!

I'm trying to keep an open mind and reduce the negativity here, but I can't honestly say that I was happy or impressed with IFBC. Yes, there were tons of other eager food bloggers to meet and mingle with! Yes, there were great meals and freebies and a fun city to explore! But, the main focus — or at least what I felt most bombarded with — was on promoting the brands that sponsored the event, rather than on fostering our blogging community and offering educational sessions. I didn't attend to receive all sorts of products I would never buy in real life, I attended to learn about blogging better, connect with the community, and recharge my inspiration supply. [To be fair, there were some brands that I absolutely love and am glad to have connected with. I'm sure at least one person felt that way about every single brand, but on the whole it felt much more commercial than I would have liked.]

Af for the sessions, there were very few that interested me to begin with. Many of them were specific to a brand, basically promoting themselves via "educating" bloggers about their company. I'd rather learn about social media trends, food writing {on which Dianne Jacobs had a lovely session}, technical tips and tricks, monetization, etc. and I have a feeling that's what most food bloggers are looking for. At least those of us who really do make our livings, or aspire to, by writing about food in one way or another. I was pleased to attend Dianne Jacobs' session about descriptive food writing, as well as a session on creating video content (LOOK OUT!), and hope that in the future IFBC plans more helpful sessions like those.

If you are considering attending IFBC in the future, I don't want to sway you against it — particularly if you are a beginning blogger. I think food bloggers just starting out, or with relatively low traffic, could benefit a lot from many of the sessions, and especially the networking. I just caution them to really consider what they want their brand-relationships to look like. Do you want to promote any and every product, for free, forever? Probably not. Authentic content is so important, and I regret some of the partnerships I agreed to early on in my blogging career. It's so tempting to say yes, and sometimes it actually is a good fit {and therefore you should say yes!}, but not every free case of rice crisps is worth it.

I'll be working on revising my Resources Page for food bloggers in the next week or so, hopefully to provide helpful information and resources that can teach essential skills to food bloggers just starting out (or ready to get serious about growth). More than anything, this conference taught me that there are a lot of hungry food bloggers out there — really looking for information and guidance on practically every aspect of food blogging. I know I'm not an expert, but I do feel it's my job — after receiving so much guidance and help from bloggers my senior — to start giving back to the community I love. I sincerely believe that we all rise when we work together, and I thank IFBC for making this point stand out in my mind.

Onto some pancakes!

I'm a bit afraid I'm scaring you all away with zucchini overload, but I'm going for it anyways. I know I'm not the only one with ten bajillion pounds of squash in my garden! {See how I've adopted the family garden as MINE? I do none of the work and reap all of the benefits, so... shhh!} These pancakes are easy to throw together, especially if you have leftover shredded zucchini from making chocolate zucchini bread earlier in the week. I threw in some cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger for a spiced fall pancake. One bite makes you think of Christmas in the not-so-distant future, but mostly warms your insides in contrast to the crisp air we're all so relieved to feel. I'm reminded of GoodEarth tea, spicy and sweet and comforting in a way I never knew tea could be.

As for the vegetal contents of the pancakes, I don't think you'll even notice — except for the green flecks visible to the prying eye. The zucchini lends a moist, hearty texture that fills you up easily — despite the fact your diet would allow for thirty more of them in a sitting!

Whole Wheat Spiced Zucchini Pancakes

• Author: by Mary
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 2 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups shredded zucchini (excess liquid squeezed out)
• butter for cooking
• syrup for topping

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Instructions

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, eggs, melted butter, milk, and vanilla.
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, gently folding in the shredded zucchini.
4. Heat a griddle over medium heat. It's ready when a drop of cold water sizzles vigorously when dropped onto the surface of the pan.
5. Melt 1 teaspoon butter into the pan, and pour ⅓ cup of batter into the center of the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes before flipping — edges should look dry and the center should have bubbles — and cook for another two minutes on the other side. Depending on your settings, these times will vary. Each side should be golden-brown!
6. Keep cooked pancakes in the oven at 200F until you've cooked all of the batter. Serve with warm maple syrup and vanilla yogurt!

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