Sunday, August 2, 2009

Blueberry-Ricotta Pancakes

Sundays are perfect for special family breakfasts. Because we love pancakes in our house, I am always looking for new ways to make them that are not only healthy, but super yummy! I have been experimenting with this recipe for a while now and my tasting panel(my favorite boys) have assured me that this is the winner! These pancakes are even more filling that your traditional pancakes due to the addition of the creamy, slightly sweet ricotta cheese. Ricotta cheese is high in calcium and protein and will help keep the blood sugar in little bodies from spinning out of control on a syrup overdose! Serve these with extra blueberries for a boost of illness fighting antioxidants and a berry special taste!

3/4 C. Bob's Red Mill 10 grain pancake mix
3/4 C. low fat buttermilk*
1 Tbs. sugar
3/4 C. ricotta cheese
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbs. wheat germ
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 C. fresh or frozen blueberries(if you using frozen, do not thaw before using)
Zest of one lemon

*if you don't have buttermilk, combine milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and let sit for about 5 minutes before using.

Preheat oven to keep warm.

In a large bowl, combine pancake mix, nutmeg,wheat germ and sugar. In a medium bowl, mix egg yolks, milk, vanilla, lemon zest and ricotta cheese until just combined. Pour wet ingredients into dry and combine being careful not to overmix. In a mixer, whip egg whites until they hold their peaks. Lightly, fold egg whites into pancake mix.

Heat a griddle to medium/medium high and pour pancake mix onto it in generous 1/3 cup amounts. Top with blueberries while cooking. When the pancake starts to bubble on top and the edges appear to be dry, flip the pancake to complete cooking for a couple more minutes.

Place pancakes on a cookie sheet and keep warm in the oven until completed. Serve with butter and REAL maple syrup for a delicious treat!

Tip: Make an extra batch for busy mornings. Cool remaining pancakes completely and store in a freezer bag between sheets of wax paper. Reheat in the oven, microwave or even your toaster for a quick and nutritious breakfast on the go!

7 comments:

Tara said...

I absolutely love pancakes. One of my favorite foods and these look so good.

Anonymous said...

These look soooo good. How do you come up with such creative, nutritious & delicious ideas? I'm always so impressed with people who can cook. One of our favorite movies is Ratatouille and I am Linquini. The pancakes I made this morning just required adding water. ;-)

The Mommy Chef said...

Mamabird-I find inspiration in magazines, restaurants, online recipe sources, etc. I just try to make foods that we already like just a little bit healthier...but they still have to taste good too!

Lucy and Ethel said...

These do look scrumptious! We like healthy eating, too, although I'm happy to let my husband do the cooking when he can, and he's happy to let me do the cleaning :)

Lucy

Unknown said...

Thank you for your wonderful support!! :) And I really appreciate it!

On another note, YUM for those pancakes!!! hehe. I need to give those a go.

Thanks for stopping by-- be back again soon!

-Laila

Melissa said...

Those look soooo yummy!

KatBouska said...

Oh my gosh I am starving and those look SO good!!!