Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes!
I know the oatmeal is the star of many blogger breakfasts, but that just isn’t what gets me excited in the morning. Eunice recently wrote about how breakfast is the best meal of the day, and I agree. Growing up, we often had breakfast-for-dinner dinners. So, if you`re looking to shake up your oatmeal/cereal/smoothie rut, here are two easy pancake recipes.
The first is a traditional pancake based this old fashioned recipe from AllRecipes.com, with some substitutions.
Traditional Whole Wheat Pancakes
Makes 8 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar/splenda/honey/whatever
- 1 1/4 cups almond milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/4 cup water (if needed)
Directions
1. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, sugar together.
2. Wisk milk, egg, melted butter together, and the pour into dry mixture.
3. If your batter isn’t slightly runny, then slowly add water until the consistency is like this:
More liquid than solid. I've found that this consistency makes the best pancakes, and it is easier to tell when they are ready to flip. If the batter is too think, then the pancakes can burn on one side before getting cooked through the middle.
4. Pour the batter onto a nonstick pan at medium heat. You’ll know when they are ready to flip because they will get bubbles.
Bubbles!
Oh look, perfect pancakes!
5. You only need to cook them on the second side for 30-90 seconds. Once they set, check with a spatula to see if they are a golden brown color. After the first round, you should get an idea of how long to leave them on that side.
Golden brown goodness.
This recipe doesn’t take much time at all, so if you’re used to using instant mix, give these a try instead. For nutritional info, see the end of the post or check out my recipe on Spark Recipes.
The second pancakes are brought to you courtesy of Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet Cook book. I think Reno’s philosophy makes sense and works because it is a lifestyle change rather than a “diet.” One year for Christmas, my mom and I got each other Tosca books for each other without planning it, and after that I started making these protein pancakes all the time. I would make batches and save the portions for later, or take them to work with fruit.
What is great about them, is that they will actually keep you full because they offer a combination of fat/carbs/protein, and they taste really good too. They are a little heavier than traditional pancakes, but they are really moist and pancake-tasting.
Protein pancakes with a berries.
Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes
Makes 12 pancakes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp raw sugar/splenda/honey/your choice
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 8 egg whites
- 2 cups fat-free cottage cheese (the original recipe calls for 1 cup cottage cheese and 1 cup yogurt. I usually just use 2 cups of cottage cheese because that’s what I have the most often in my refrigerator, but you can experiment with yogurt too.)
Mmm cinnamon!
Directions
1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, and combine wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.
2. Wisk wet ingredients together, and slowly add them to the dry ingredients. The batter should be lumpy because of the cottage cheese. Don’t over mix.
3. If the batter is thick, add 2 tbs of water until it thins out to the proper consistency.
This is what the batter will look like. Don't be alarmed.
Add the batter to the pan and look for the bubbles again.
4. Spoon the batter out into a medium-hot non stick pan. Wait to see the bubbles, and then flip. There will be less bubbles in this batter because it is a little bit thicker.
When you flip the pancakes, they will look normal!
I usually serve pancakes with fruit cooked down.. like this:
This is blueberries and strawberries + water. I just let it cook down to a consistency that I like. You can add sugar, or whatever you sweeten things with, but you should try it without sugar first. The fruit is usually sweet enough on its own.
This is what the pancakes look like. You can still see some of the cottage cheese, but you can't taste it.
Fruity, filling cottage cheese pancakes.
Nutritional Info
Traditional Pancakes, per pancake
Click for recipe and more nutritional info.
Cottage cheese protein pancakes, per pancake
Click for recipe and more nutritional information.
Perfect avenue for anything from sweet to savory. Try them with black bean sauce. They are amazing!
Yes, I was thinking about savory dishes when I made these! I’ll have to try it soon.
Thanks for the shout out! I’ve been really wimpy about trying cottage cheese in my pancakes. Next time!
Your fruit sauce looks fantastic, but for some reason I’m always hesitant to make one for my pancakes. Nothing beats it, though, with a little powdered sugar…
Yes! I love powdered sugar on breakfast stuff too. A little bit really goes a long way.
I have to try making the protein pancakes, my husband is a cottage cheese fanatic, and the last time I tried making protein pancakes (with protein powder) I failed spectacularly. These look much better!