“On the weekend, we make pancakes from scratch in shapes that go along with family celebrations. These have a healthy twist and are delicious,” says Sakari. “At first we were going to use sour cream, but I don’t like that. So we made a cream cheese and yogurt mixture that I love. Bananas and passion fruit grow in our yard, and we make really tasty smoothies with them to go along with the pancakes.” - Sakari Clendinen, age 8, Virgin Islands

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

For the zucchini pancakes:

• 2 medium zucchinis, trimmed and grated
• Salt
• 1/2 cup fat-free plain Greekstyle yogurt
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1 large egg plus 2 large egg whites
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup Parmesan
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil

For the passion fruit banana smoothies:

• 8 passion fruits, seeded and flesh removed
• 4 bananas
• 2 cups fat-free plain Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 8 ice cubes

Preparation:

Make the zucchini pancakes:

1. In a colander, combine the grated zucchini with a pinch of salt and let it sit for 15 minutes to drain any excess liquid. Wrap the zucchini in paper towels and wring out any excess liquid.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and cream cheese.
3. In a large bowl, beat the egg, egg whites, and garlic. Fold in the flour and Parmesan, and season with pepper. Add the
   zucchini and stir just until combined.
4. In a large sauté pan over moderate heat, warm the oil. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of batter into the pan and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Continue with the rest of the batter, covering the finished pancakes to keep them warm. Serve the pancakes topped with a dollop of the yogurt and cream cheese mixture.

Make the passion fruit banana smoothies:

1. In a blender, combine the passion fruits, bananas, yogurt, honey, and ice cubes, and blend until smooth.

More information about the Kids' State Dinner:

• Check out the other winning 2013 Kids' State Dinner Recipes here.
• Learn more about Kids' State Dinner here.