Made Jo's pancake mix

To modify the pancake mix - I replaced 1/2 cup of the oatmeal with  flax and sesame seeds and put them in the vitamix to grind. I changed 1 cup of the white flour to whole wheat.

Served it with fresh apricot sauce - there's no need for syrup at all.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Diet Pancakes???

Rachel says these are better than regular pancakes! The vita mix is perfect for this. Make it extra healthy by cooking them with a little cooking spray instead of butter and serving with just a touch of syrup. I used the nutmeg syurp from Trinidad. They are very filling - yet somehow Rachel still ate 4 of them.

1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
6 eggs
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or 1/4 cup whole wheat and 1/4 cup barley flour)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Pinch of salt
Dash of vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk

Blend or food process first six ingredients on high until smooth. Add milk slowly to reach batter consistency. Cook on a hot, nonstick griddle. Number of pancakes vary by size. Serves 6.

Nutritional Information: (per serving)Calories: 225 Protein: 13 g Fiber: 1.5 g
Carbs: 9 g Fat Total: 15 g Saturated Fat: 3 g

Pannekoeken (Our favorite Dutch Pancakes)

1 c. flour
1 c. milk
4 eggs
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of salt
Apple pie filling (optional)
Ham and cheese (optional)
Bacon and mushrooms or other desired toppings (optional)
Powdered sugar or syrup (optional)

Heat 2-4 tablespoons butter in 9-inch deep dish pie pan (metal) in preheating oven at 400 degrees.

Mix flour, milk, eggs, nutmeg and salt. Beat lightly, leaving lumps. Pour into hot pie pan. Bake 20 minutes until puffy and brown. Serves 4.

Delicious plain with butter and powdered sugar or syrup.

For apple Pannekoeken, spoon 1 can apple pie filling over batter before baking.

Other options: Sprinkle ham and cheese, bacon and mushrooms or desired topping before baking.

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

Diane's modification:

I don't add the oil to the mix - just the dry ingredients. I grind the oats to flour in the vitamix and store the mix in the refrigerator.

To make pancakes - I combine 1 cup mix, 1 cup liquid, 1 egg, and 1 Tbs oil.

This recipe is taken from a food blog that I visit regularly (www.melskitchencafe.com). I have made this a few times and LOVE it. I keep the mix handy in the fridge and try to keep buttermilk on hand as well but when I am out I make a substitute with milk, lemon juice and a little plain yogurt. Mom made the mix without the oil and just added a bit when mixing the batter. They turned out great and the mix would then not need to be refrigerated.

*Note (added 3/2011): I’ve updated this recipe several times to reflect that I generally use 100% whole wheat flour (five cups total, instead of using 2 cups of all-purpose flour). I prefer white wheat flour, although red wheat could be used and will lend an even heartier taste to the mix. Also, I made it the other day and before I added the oats to the mix, I threw them in my blender (yep, blender) and pulverized them to a powder. We loved the result! Loved it. Although the texture with the unblended oats is fantastic in it’s own right, blending the oats lends a smooth texture to the mix and finished pancakes. I’ll be doing it that way from now on!

*Makes 10 cups of dry mix

3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats 3 cups whole wheat flour 2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons baking powder 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon baking soda 1 cup vegetable or canola oil (I left out the oil and added it when making pancakes)

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). If desired, grind the oats in a blender or food processor before adding to the other dry ingredients for a smoother mix. With mixer on slow speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct (I’ve never had to add additional oil). Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk (a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk will also work), and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don’t break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side. As a sidenote, buttermilk can be frozen indefinitely for future batches of pancakes, so it’s worth keeping it around!

*1 cup of mix will make about 6-7 4-inch pancakes.