Cherry Blueberry Chia Pancakes: morning breakfast staple packs a protein punch!

On weekend mornings if I’m not working, I will often take the time to make one of my favorite meals of the day: breakfast. Unfortunately, at the end of the week the fridge is relatively barren, and I try to scrounge ingredients to make something. Pancakes are a particular favorite in my house, but it’s carb heavy and not particularly filling. I’ve tried various strategies to tackle this problem with moderate success (see my earlier Chocolate Chip Banana Protein Pancakes) but this time I really outdid myself. The result was fruity, dense but also fluffy, and very filling pancake that we ate with jam while going over our wedding TO DO list.

The main barrier to my pancake making aspirations was a lack of milk, but I did have extra yogurt. I also planned to use Chia seeds to boost the protein content in my pancakes, and a lot of recipes I read used buttermilk with Chia seeds in pancakes. Since Yogurt+milk is one way to make a buttermilk substitute, I decided to try it. It was surprisingly delicious, considering the somewhat random assortment of ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup of Greek Yogurt (I used Siggi’s Blueberry, which contains 14g of Protein)
• 1/2 cup milk, divided
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped and pitted cherries

First, I mixed the wet ingredients: yogurt +1/2 the total milk (so 1/4 cup) with the Chia seeds, vanilla, and maple syrup. I let that mixture stand while I prepared the dry ingredients and chopped the cherries. This was the only time consuming part, but it was alright because during this time the Chia seeds soaking up the moisture and swelling to twice their size. This is why I only add half the milk, because otherwise the Chia seeds would soak up all the moisture and the pancakes would be very dry. Another solution would be to add less chia seeds of course, such as 1-2 Tbsp, but this would lower the overall protein content of the pancakes.

Next, mix the chia-yogurt mixture and pour it into the dry ingredients, along with the extra milk, the egg, and the fruit. Mix until just combined and cook in a hot buttered pan!

A good butter can definitely improve the taste and texture of pancakes, I fancy Amish Roll Butter, which I picked up at Penniman Hill Farm on a weekend getaway to the South Shore with the fiance. I hear that it’s not ACTUALLY Amish, but it hardly matters because it’s still hand-churned and absolutely more delicious than anything in the grocery store.