PB&J Pancakes

August 4, 2010 Laura

Some of my most beloved memories of my wacky, but impossibly loving family, is of us sitting around a breakfast table, and, most times, we were eating pancakes. The hearty meal has always provided the perfect motivation for us to gather for side-splitting laughter, sticky sarcasm and a mighty dose of healthy ribbing. I guess you could call it a family tradition to feast on them together–In Vermont on family ski trips, in New Jersey, in my teeny New York City apartment, in Florida, in Canada….wherever we find ourselves bunked together. For our annual summer gathering, I decided my contribution would be a pancake smackdown. I’d prepare two, unchartered flapjack recipes for a carbohydrate extravaganza that would surely end with one of us sinking to the bottom of the pool: Banana Bread and PB&J both from Whole Foods. Both were a success (I promise to share the Banana Bread version in a future post), but the PB&J version was by far the hit.

PB&J Pancakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups red grapes
6 tablespoons organic grape fruit spread
2/3 cup organic whole wheat flour
1/2 cup organic all-purpose flour
1/4 cup organic wheat germ
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup organic, creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey
2 egg whites

Method

In a large bowl, combine buttermilk and baking soda and set aside.

Then put grapes and fruit spread in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth and frothy. Set aside.

Whisk both flours, wheat germ, baking powder and salt together. Put aside.

Add peanut butter, honey and egg whites to buttermilk bowl and whisk until combined.

Stir in flower mix until well incorporated.

Place butter or cooking spray on a griddle or frying pan over medium to low heat.

Ladle about 1/4 a cup batter onto warm surface, allowing space between each cake.

Cook until batter bubbles and then flip.

Cook for a total of 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove from griddle or pan and place on plate. Pour grape sauce over top to serve.

Sweet Potato Chronicles

I prepared the dry ingredients in advance so my morning would run more smoothly, especially since I wasn’t cooking in my own kitchen. Scarlett initially said she’d cook with me, but once her cousin announced she was going swimming, I lost her. Who swims at 8 a.m?

The grape sauce was so delicious on the pancakes I didn’t even miss the syrup. I would easily use this on French toast and waffles as well.

When you hear peanut butter, you think heavy. However, these were suprisingly light with just a hint of peanut butter. I used organic peanut butter made only with peanuts, so it was a nice way to deliver morning protein without sugar. Everyone ate more than they expected. If you had a peanut allergy, you could easily sub in almond butter, but there’s no substituting family.