Multigrain Blueberry Cottage Cheese Pancakes

If I make a dish and the result is unsatisfactory, I rarely try again. I guess I’m a quitter, or at least in the kitchen. I’m rather surprised that pancakes were the dish that got me back in the kitchen, since I’ve never been a big fan of sweet foods for breakfast. But I was determined to create a healthy version of this recipe, which promised pancakes that were barely sweetened, light and fluffy yet filling from the cottage cheese and nuts. In fact, these pancakes motivated me to get back in the kitchen three whole times, tweaking the recipe until I got it just right.

With my first batch I attempted a gluten free version with buckwheat and oat flour. While fully edible, they were a little overly browned and didn’t have the light texture I was looking for, so I gave up on the whole gluten free thing. Leave it to the experts. For the second batch, I added spelt flour, but in an attempt to prevent my coconut oil from solidifying as I whisked it into cold eggs and milk, I used room temperature ingredients. The result was weird puddly looking pancakes. As history has shown, I'm not afraid to post ugly food if it tastes good, these were just too much. Finally, in my last attempt, I figured out the perfect technique for emulsifying the coconut oil into the batter without clumps or weird looking pancakes. They still won't win any beauty pageants, but thats not what cooking is about - only food blogging!

Lets take a deeper look at spelt flour, as it’s an ingredient I frequently use on this blog and get quite a few questions about. In fact, I use spelt flour almost exclusively over whole wheat flour. From a culinary standpoint, I love it’s light flavor, which tastes less wheaty than whole wheat flour. It also produces baked goods with a lighter texture, rather than whole wheat which can get a bit heavy for things like pancakes. Plus, it’s 100% whole whole grain so it’s still got all the good stuff! Also interesting about spelt, it contains less gluten and a more soluble form of gluten, so people with gluten intolerance or those using a low FODMAPS diet for IBS often tolerate it in small amounts. It still contains some gluten though, so avoid if you have celiac disease. You can purchase it online and in most health food stores where it can be found both packaged and in bulk.

The other two flours I used in these pancakes are oat flour and buckwheat flour. Both are whole grain, gluten free flours. Oat flour is made from finely ground oats and is one of the most common gluten free flours I use. I find it works especially well in cookies and other sweets where it adds a light sweetness and oaty flavor. Buckwheat flour has a earthy flavor and pretty purple color that I love. It was a natural addition, since buckwheat pancakes used to be a common breakfast.

Best of all, these three flours all have less of an effect on blood glucose than whole wheat flour. Win! 

Before you run to the kitchen to make pancakes, check out a guest post I did on the Pure Barre blog on the topic of juicing versus smoothies. Looking at the number of smoothie versus juice recipes on this blog, I'm sure you can guess which camp I fall into. But juicing has it's benefits too! Check it out here! 

Multigrain Blueberry Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Makes 12

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

These pancakes have the tendency to stick, so I would use a nonstick skillet or make sure you butter the griddle generously. They deflate a bit the longer they sit, so for maximum fluffiness, serve these straight off the stove. 

2/3 cup spelt flour

1/3 cup oat flour

1/3 cup buckwheat flour

2 tablespoons natural sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 cup full fat, organic cottage cheese

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup blueberries

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Pure maple syrup and plain yogurt for serving

Whisk flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. In a seperate bowl, whisk together almond milk, cottage cheese, egg yolks and vanilla. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk together until combined. Quickly whisk in the coconut oil so it is well combined into the batter without clumps. Stir in the blueberries and pecans.

In a separate bowl, beat the two egg whites until stiff then fold them into the batter.

Heat a nonstick pan lightly greased with coconut oil on medium heat. When hot, add 1/4 cup spoonfuls of batter to the skillet. When the edges start to look try, after about 5 minutes, flip them. This batter is thicker, so you won't see as many bubbles in the middle as a sign it's ready to flip. Cook 2 minutes on the other side, then remove to a plate and serve or keep warm in a 200 degree oven. 

Serve topped with plain yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.