It's a Protein, It's a Pancake!

I have a confession to make:  Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.  Not during the week, mind you, when it's relegated to a giant cup of coffee (or four) and a breakfast bar of some kind.  While those bars are tasty, they are breakfast in name only, and they pale in comparison to a grand buffet of carbo-riffic delights.  To me, weekend breakfast means eggs, pancakes, bacon (or sausage), toast, maybe a pastry of some sort, and of course the ever-present cup o' joe.  Since my single days, I have been known to put together a big breakfast very rarely.  Big breakfasts are meant to share in groups or with that special someone, not for me and my cat.  However, there are those days I go all out and actually cook something for just me.  Yesterday was one of those days. 

While having my morning caffeine boost and checking my Twitter page, I happened to click on a link from a tweep that talked about protein pancakes.  Who could argue with that combination?  Protein?  In a pancake?  Muscle-building goodness that disguises itself as a tasty breakfast food?  I was intrigued.  So I clicked again.  There, on some Facebook link, was a recipe for protein pancakes. 

Now I had never heard of these until yesterday. But it just so happened that I'd been to the grocery store earlier in the week and had all of the ingredients from the recipe sitting in my fridge just waiting to be blended together.  While it seemed like an odd combination, I saw the potential and thought it could be just the ticket for some of those pancake-craving mornings or nights when I was in need of comfort food.  The recipe went something like this:

2-3 beaten eggs (I used one complete egg and two egg whites, less fat that way)
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup oats
1 banana (or sugar/sweetener, depending on whether or not one likes bananas)
1 tsp. vanilla

While I like all of these ingredients, I can't say I would ever have thought of putting them together or of eating something that called for them to be mixed together.  But I thought I would try it, just for grins.  The recipe specifically stated that one must blend the ingredients in the blender exactly in the order they appeared, for best results. And so I began.

I can't say the mixture looked at all appetizing in the blender, but once I hit "puree" or "hurricane" or whatever button it was, the mixture actually came together to resemble the pancake batter I know so well. 

Even after blending it, I still couldn't fathom how these things would cook together to make a pancake, but I poured them in anyway, using a little cooking spray on the pan to aid in the turning.  I opted for the traditional circular shape rather than the more contemporary Mickey Mouse Head, since it was my first try and I didn't want to disgrace my little Disney friend's silhouette.  One can't be too careful...

I had to adjust the temperature a bit, finally settling on medium (which took a little too long to get going, in my opinion).  However, as the pancake edges began to bubble I could see how this could actually work.  I could have my pancakes and eat them too!

Soon they were cooked through enough to turn.  The non-stick spray isn't probably the best thing to use for maximum circle preservation, but it served its purpose and was calorie-free to boot.  I turned them a couple of times until they were a golden brown color.  When I took them out of the pan, I wasn't sure what to do with them.  I wasn't sure they would be sweet enough with just the bananas, so I opted for a little butter spray over the top and crumbled dark brown sugar. 

I have to say, with a little tweaking of the recipe, I am fairly certain they could pass for actual pancakes.  Next time I'll pre-heat the pan a little more, use a little more spray or even add a little oil or butter, possibly  some cinnamon.  I might even try them with real syrup, even though that sort of detracts a little from the  "healthy" aspect.  Overall, they were pretty delicious.  The cottage cheese actually gave them a little sourdough/buttermilk flavor, which is totally acceptable in a pancake, of course.  Most of all, I enjoyed making something a little new and different. 

The great thing about this recipe is that it uses things I normally have in the fridge/pantry and allow for me to make them ahead and freeze them if necessary.  They were pretty yummy and I look forward to experimenting with the recipe in the very near future.  If you have a recipe or a link for something yummy and healthy, feel free to comment about it or send it along.