Muesli-Pancakes with Honeyed Berries

Orange juice on Corn Flakes? Grape juice and Fruit Loops? Or chocolate milk with your Chocolate Krispies? These were some of the 'creative' breakfast adventures had by my sister and I while growing up. Sitting at the table in the morning, reading the backs of the three or four cereal boxes in front of us could get boring after awhile. Assorted sugary beverages as milk replacement was our answer to jazz up the morning.


Now, I (hopefully) have developed better strategies for breakfast boredom. This one still plays with cereal a bit, but rather than adding something to the cereal, it adds cereal to the something. And that something is pancakes. Not just any pancakes, but the pancakes promised as part of this weeks heart-healthy menu. Nutty, whole-grain, buttermilk pancakes with heart-healthy flax, cinnamon, walnuts, and topped with honeyed berries. If that sounds too healthy for a sweet Saturday morning brekkie, put any reservations aside. They were soft in the middle, crispy around the edges, and plenty sweet throughout.

The original recipe called for oats to be soaked in buttermilk. And I had wanted to add walnuts to it for a bit of body. Well, oats were nowhere to be found in the three Italian supermarkets and one health shop visited this week. Do they not exist in Italy? No matter. Muesli to the rescue. It's mostly oats and nuts, exactly what I wanted. Add in a small pinch of freshly ground cinnamon and nutmeg to round out the flavours. Toothsome, wholesome...and some other ----some adjective. A great way to kick off the weekend.

Since maple syrup is not exactly abundant in this area either, a syrup of berries simmered in honey does the trick, and really complements the texture of the starring flapjacks

The heart-loving menu:

Brekkie: Muesli-Pancakes with Honeyed Berries

Lunch: Black Bean Chili with Swiss Chard

Dinner: Pan-fried Fish with Blood Orange and Avocado Salsa

Dessert: Vanilla-Poached Fig, Cherry & Pistachio Parfait

Continue to Recipe...

Muesli-Pancakes with Honeyed Berries

Adapted from Gourmet, Feb 2008

Serves 1-2

Time 30 mins

Eat with steamed milk and honey

1 cup nutty muesli (or 3/4 cup oats plus 1/4 chopped walnuts)

1 1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1 1/2 cup milk plus 1 1/2 Tb vinegar)

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

2 tsp ground flax seed 

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

2 Tb melted butter

1 Tb honey

1 1/4 cup (frozen) blueberries / mixed berries

zest of half a lemon

1/4 - 1/3 cup honey

1) Start the syrup: toss the berries, lemon zest, and honey in a pot and simmer on low

2) Soak the muesli (or oats) in the buttermilk for 10-15 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, mix the flour, flax seed, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Melt the butter, mix in the honey and butter. Add to the dry mix along with the buttermilk/muesli (and walnuts if using just oats).

4) In a buttered pan over med-low heat, cook until edges are crispy, and bubbles form in the middle. Flip over and cook another few minutes until finished.

Serve with honeyed berries and extra walnuts.

Enjoy.
- Jo