Sunday, July 4, 2010

ANOTHER Delicious Twist On Pancakes


Good morning everyone! Happy 4th of July!! Alas, it is raining and otherwise dreary around our area today, so it looks like 4th of July fireworks and other festivities are either canceled or very soggy. That makes today a good day to stay inside and make up some breakfast! 

About a month ago, we shared a simple pancake recipe with you, highlighting how the simple foundation can be utilized into so many other types of recipes. We asked for feedback on our reader's own pancake recipes - and you didn't disappoint. Today, we have yet another new pancake recipe - however, this one is unlike ANYTHING we've discussed before. This recipe doesn't have sugar - you don't use syrup or butter and it's topped with something I would never had thought to use as a pancake topper. Hold on to your seats, we're about to blow the world of conventional pancakes away! (Maybe that's slightly overdramatic, but it still is a pretty cool recipe) 

The Recipe: One-Cup Pancakes, Tropical Yogurt And Mango* 

* I'm renaming this recipe here and now. I'm not sure what Jamie was thinking, but that name is boring. From hence forth, this recipe will be called 'Mango Pancakes' a better name...in my opinion! 

Mangoes - the breakfast fruit? 

What You'll Need: 

For The Pancakes:
1 Egg 
1 Cup Flour - Either Self Rising Or All Purpose (See note below) 
1 Cup Milk 
Sea Salt 
2 Mangoes 

For The Yogurt: 
1 Cup Natural Yogurt Or Tropical Flavored Yogurt (See additional note below) 
A Handful Of Unsweetened, Shredded Coconut 
2 Bananas 

Note on the flour: You choice of flour here depends on your pancake preference. If you like thinner, more European style pancakes (similar to Crêpes) use all purpose flour. If you prefer the american version of pancakes (big, fluffy cakes) use a self rising flour. For our recipe, we used self rising flour so we could have a nice, fluffy pancake. 

Note on the yogurt: Jamie's recipe calls for homemade tropical yogurt using bananas and shredded coconut. Since I'm not a big coconut fan, I opted to use a tropical a yogurt as a replacement. However, if you do like coconut - I'll place the instructions for making the homemade yogurt later on in the recipe. 


Begin by slicing your mangoes. (Just like I shared with you a few weeks ago for my tropical fruit salad recipe.) Since I went into full detail there about how to slice a mango, I'll just give the bullet points here. Begin by slicing off the cheeks of the mango.



Once sliced off, use a paring knife to crosshatch the mango's cheeks.



Push up on the underside of the mango to create a porcupine look.



You can either slice the skin off here...



Or, slice off the squares. Next, carefully slice around the skin of the center section of the mango. 



Finally, use your paring knife to cut away all of the soft meat. Anywhere you meet resistance is the pit of the fruit. A lot of the center section will (unfortunately) be unusable. 

If you are going to make the tropical yogurt, begin by peeling your bananas into a large bowl and then mash them up with a fork. Add in your shredded coconut and the yogurt and mix well. Set aside this mixture until you're ready to serve. 

Jamie's big draw for this recipe is the fact that it is 'one cup'. You don't even have to use a measuring cup - you can use a mug and (so long as it is the same mug for everything you measure) everything will work out just fine. Begin to make your batter by adding one cup of flour, one egg and one cup of milk into a large mixing bowl. Mix by hand for about 30 seconds or until the mixture is smooth. You shouldn't have very many lumps in the batter. 

Our 'mug' 

Mixin' like a madman 


Next, set your griddle or a frying pan on medium heat and spread a little olive oil across the surface of the pan to prevent sticking. Once the pan is nice and toasty (the oil should be 'smoking' a little) pour in your batter and make up the pancakes. 



They smelled just as good as they looked 

Once you've finished cooking up all of your pancakes, simply top them with your yogurt. (In this case, I chose a banana & strawberry yogurt - I wanted to use something tropical and fruity, but didn't want to go with Jamie's coconut version. Any flavor of fruit yogurt that compliments mangoes (such as melons, kiwi, strawberries, pineapple) would be good alternatives as well.) Finally, add your slices of mango and your ready to go! 

The Results: 







When I shared with Maggie that this recipe wasn't going to use syrup, or butter or some other form of sugary topping that pancakes have become so accustomed to being topped with - she was visibly apprehensive. To be honest, I was a little nervous myself. The things I have topped pancakes with throughout my entire life are as follows: Syrup (all flavors) butter, nuts, whipped cream, powdered sugar, carmel and chocolate. Not exactly the healthy isle in the store. How exactly would yogurt and fruit taste atop a pancake? Well, in short - amazing. 

The yogurt / mango combination made for a fantastically fruity burst of flavor to the flavor neutral pancake. You honestly don't need butter, syrup or some other sweetener in this recipe, because the naturally sweet flavors of the mango provide more than enough. The yogurt keeps the pancake from drying out too much (it actually absorbs some of the yogurt - with makes for a very interesting first bite!) All in all, this is one of the best variations I've had on pancakes in my lifetime. I know the folks at IHop lay claim to innovation with the pancake - but I don't recall every seeming something so fruity (or as healthy) on their menu. Even their 'healthy' options come with whipped topping to add artificial sweetness to the dish. What ever happened to letting the food do the talking? Get on the ball people at the 'house of pancakes' there's a great recipe sitting right under your nose (one that doesn't raise your chances for diabetes after eating them). 

In short - try this pancake recipe some Sunday morning. You may have a new favorite way to start your day. I know we do. Of course, the options are not limited to mangoes and tropical yogurt. You can use bananas and strawberry yogurt. Blueberries and natural yogurt. Strawberries and vanilla yogurt. The options and endless - but all of them are delicious. 

That's all we have for you today. We hope you enjoyed reading our new favorite twist on a classic breakfast dish. We're back tomorrow with our list of ingredients for the coming week. I will be cooking on both Tuesday and Wednesday this week - with Maggie taking Thursday - due to a scheduled long day at work (for me) on Thursday. Enjoy your holiday everyone! We'll see you back here tomorrow! 

~Cheers 

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