Pancakes for Dinner
Sometimes there’s nothing better for dinner than breakfast. It feels a little decadent, a tad indulgent and super comforting. But apart from good old bacon and eggs, the trouble with most SAD (Standard American Diet) breakfasts, though, is that they can be so high in sugar, gluten, and simple carbs (think: French toast, waffles, pancakes, and donuts).
So I set out to create a pancake that was still reminiscent of the pancakes of my youth but didn’t result in a steep and immediate spike in my blood sugar followed by lethargy and a next day filled with achy joints (I, my friends, have an inflammation response to gluten, I am sad to report).
A friend shared a recipe with me for a high-protein pancake made from three ingredients: cottage cheese, eggs, and psyllium husks. I was not thrilled with the end product. There was no ‘cake’ in that pancake. They didn’t hold together very well and the flavor was meh. So I began to play around with my own version. I arrived at the recipe below and am rather pleased with the results!
These cook best on a non-stick pan*
They are dense and hearty yet still cake-like. They are high in protein and stick to your ribs in a way that traditional pancakes cannot. They are flavorful. Plus, they stand up to syrups and sauces where other pancakes simply melt away.
I thought they deserved a beautiful, fruity sauce to up the nutritional bang and, since I still had a few jars of last season’s homegrown blackberries in the freezer, I decided they would do. I added some honey for sweetness but alo included just a touch of (organic cane) sugar to help the sauce gel a bit. Since I knew I was going to strain the sauce after cooking, I also added in some dried lavender for perfume-y, floral-y notes.
The cooked sauce before straining
*A word about non-stick pans… I am not a fan but sometimes they are what is called for. Such is the case with these pancakes. The pan I use is a ceramic nonstick and is PFOA-free (the long and short of it is that PFOAs are nasty). I never use metal utensils that could scratch the surface and never cook in them over high heat. If you have scratched, flaking, or otherwise damaged Teflon non-stick pans, you should get rid of them ASAP. Please. Interested in knowing more about the dangers of PFOAs and why ceramic is better? Click here.
Ingredients
Syrup
- 1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blackberries
- 2 T honey
- 1 T organic cane sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 t lavender
Pancakes
- 1 cup whole-milk cottage cheese (I use Kalona Supernatural)
- ½ cup almond meal
- 4 eggs
- 2 T psyllium husk
- ½ t vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- Fresh berries for topping
Instructions
Syrup
Put all ingredients into a small saucepan. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon (about 10-12 minutes). Just before the pancakes are ready, remove the sauce from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
Pancakes
While the sauce simmers, prep the pancake batter by adding all ingredients (except berries) into a large mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients together and then allow them to sit for about 5 minutes to allow the psyllium husk to absorb some moisture. The batter will thicken as they do.
Turn on medium heat beneath the skillet and coat with a little butter or coconut oil. Using a 1/3-cup measuring cup, scoop the batter out of the bowl and onto the skillet. Repeat until you have 3 pancakes. When the begin to bubble on the surface and you can see evidence that they are browning, use a non-metallic spatula and flip the pancakes. Cook until firm when pressed in the center. Repeat with the remaining batter. You should get about 6 large pancakes.
Top with butter, sliced or whole berries and the strained berry syrup. Enjoy!
