Best Blueberry Pancakes

Cottage cheese is the secret ingredient to this scrumptious, fluffy recipe for Best Blueberry Pancakes. Filling in for a more caloric ingredient such as butter, cottage cheese keeps the pancakes light but satisfying.  Also, it pairs perfectly with fresh blueberries and a touch of lemon rind.

A lot of people shy away from cottage cheese because of the curd-like consistency, but its texture is disguised once it hits the batter. If the curds really turn you off, you can buy whipped cottage cheese, which is similar to ricotta- Friendship makes a nice 1% milkfat one.

Cottage cheese makes a wonderful hunger quick-fix because it is very filling,  but one of the lowest-fat dairy products out there. This is because it is made up mostly of slow-digesting casein protein and contains few carbohydrates. It is also a significant source of calcium. Be cautious though: cottage cheese is surprisingly high in sodium, so try to find a low-salt version if possible.

Whole wheat flour and an abundance of antioxidant-filled blueberries make this pancake recipe an energy boosting and guilt-free start to your day. Make sure you cook them thoroughly though, I undercooked my first batch and the middle was pure batter!

Best Blueberry Pancakes (from Eating Well)
Yield: 6 servings, 3 pancakes each


Ingredients:
1 cup whole-wheat flour, plus 1/3 cup white all-purpose flour*
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
3/4 cup low-fat milk
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups blueberries
Optional: 1 tablespoon ground flax seed


*The original recipe called for only white flour, but I substituted most of it for whole-wheat to to make the recipe healthier. However, I think this made the batter thicker and dryer than it should've been, so I added extra milk- about 1/2 cup- until the consistency was appropriate.


Directions

1. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, flax seed (optional) and salt in a large bowl.
2. Whisk eggs, cottage cheese, milk, lemon zest and vanilla in a medium bowl.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in blueberries.
4. Moisten a crumpled paper towel with canola oil and use it to lightly oil a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium heat. Spoon on about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake and cook until bottoms are golden and small bubbles start to form on top, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is browned, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Lightly oil pan between batches. (Adjust heat as necessary for even browning.) Serve hot.

1. Whi

Sources:

"Cottage Cheese: Healthy Food of the Day." Answer Fitness. Apr. 2008. Web. <http://www.answerfitness.com/116/fat-cottage-cheese-healthy-food-day/>.