Savory Zucchini-Carrot Garbanzo Cakes

This recipe was inspired by the Zuccini Pancakes on http://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/.  I love the idea of making pancakes that are based from more than flour, zucchini in this case.  Since I don't use regular flour, I used garbanzo flour instead.  I think the garbanzo flavor really complimented the savory nature of these cakes.  You can use any oil you want to cook them in, but I decided to use red palm oil.  This oil has a very earthy flavor that compliments the flavor of these savory cakes.  

Ingredients:

4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup garbanzo flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup peeled and finely shredded carrot
3 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup minced white or red onion
1/2 finely grated Romano cheese
pinch of salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
oil for frying (I used red palm oil)



Directions:


Peel the carrots and shred the carrots and zucchini.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl.  Mix in the garbanzo flour and baking powder, whisking out any lumps (I use the largest fork I have for this).  Add the zucchini, carrot and onion and stir to combine.  Finally, add the Romano cheese, salt, black and cayenne pepper (I add more than a pinch of the peppers to give it more pizzazz!), and stir.  Check on consistency here.  If there's a lot of liquid settling at the bottom add more garbanzo flour to thicken up slightly.  Heat a skillet on medium.  Once it's hot add 1-2 tbs oil and coat pan and allow the oil to heat up for a minute.  Use a large serving spoon (or similar - I used a metal basting spoon) to spoon out the batter onto the heated skillet.  My skillet is approximately 10" wide and I fit three cakes in the pan at once.  

Allow the cakes to cook until the edges start to come together.  Once the first side has cooked enough that you can lift the cake off the pan without it falling apart or the batter running off, carefully flip each cake over.

Cook for several more minutes until the second side is browned (not burned!) and the insides are not mushy.  

These would make a great breakfast, side to a meal or snack!  I like them as-is and don't add anything, but if you happen to experiment with any toppings let me know how it turns out.  :)

As an option, you can sprinkle black sesame seeds on to the second side while the first side is cooking.

When it cooks on the second side it slightly toasts them -- yummy!