Valentine's Day Eve: Breakfast in Bed, Ricotta Pancakes

Well, it’s Valentine’s Day Eve and you’ll need something to prepare for breakfast in bed, right? Look no further…Ricotta Pancakes!! These ricotta pancakes are moist, light, fluffy and delicious. Imagine the most amazing Italian cheesecake in pancake form…this is what you’ll get. Serve with a pat of butter, a little maple syrup and a cappuccino and you’re sure to start Valentine’s Day right!!

Ricotta Pancakes

2 large eggs, separated

½ cup flour (for a paleo version, use almond flour)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. buttermilk powder

½ tsp. salt

1 cup ricotta

2 tbsp. brown sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

Start off my beating your egg whites until there are stiff, but not dry. In a serperate bowl, whisk your flour, baking powder, buttermilk powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolk, ricotta, brown sugar and vanilla. You will want to whisk for a few minutes so everything is smooth and creamy. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Next, very gently fold in the egg whites. Do so carefully!!

Prepare a griddle over medium heat with 2 tbsp. of butter. Spoon the mixture out into whatever size you like. The batter is pretty dense, do not be alarmed! It is not a loose batter. Cook on each side for at least 2-4 minutes. I like my pancakes pretty golden. Serve and enjoy your Valentine’s Day morning. Come back tomorrow for your Valentine’s Day evening treat…Death by Nutella Cake! Buon Appetito! Xoxo 

Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes

Ahh, summer is over and fall has arrived. I’m sure a lot of people are sad to see the summer slip away, but all I can think about are beautiful fall evenings with that lovely brisk chill in the air, preparing for Halloween and Thanksgiving and oh yeah, my favorite fall produce. I’m mostly taking about beautiful orange vegetables. Pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes and the non orange ones like kale, cauliflower and mushrooms. I love using these ingredients to make fantastic fall and winter meals. Whether I’m making a squash soup, kale and sausage stir fry, sweet potato gnocchi or pumpkin pancakes….which I just happen to be preparing today!

I absolutely love pancakes, they are my favorite of the breakfast carb trio (pancakes, waffles and French toast!!) and I love when Fall comes around because it is just another excuse for me to experiment with more pancakes!! These pancakes actually taste like eating a slice of pumpkin pie, I’m not even kidding. The outside is a bit crispy (from all the butter on the griddle of course) and the inside is slightly soft, almost like the texture of pumpkin pie. Besides using pureed pumpkin, I also use classic pumpkin spices and some maple extract to amp the flavor even more. With a little pure maple syrup, these are just perfection. The spices aren't overwhelming at all, they are just right! And this recipe is so easy to make, it’s a fun way to get your kids to help out!!

As I have mentioned, I try to do what I can with my recipes to adapt them and make them a bit healthier. I love to eat, so why not make food a bit better for you, right? So with this recipe, I use coconut milk in place of regular milk and coconut flour in place of wheat flour making them a wonderful breakfast treat for anyone with a milk or gluten allergy or if you are on a low carb/paleo diet. I also find that with the spices and extracts, there is no need for sugar, it’s just sweet enough.

Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes

1 and ¼ cup coconut flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup coconut milk

6 tablespoons pumpkin puree

2 tbsp. melted butter

1 tsp. maple extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg
1 cup of pecans

Whisk together the coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, melted butter, maple extract, vanilla extract and egg. Fold the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients. 

Melt a lot of butter on a griddle over medium heat. Allow the griddle to heat for at least two minutes, Pour the batter into cute little circles (or big circles, you pick!) and sprinkle the pecans directly on top of the pancakes and cook for around 4 minutes on each side. If you are on a low carb diet, enjoy these with a pat of butter, an extra dash of cinnamon or some pumpkin butter and if you’re not on a diet, then a little pure maple syrup is classic. Please comment and let me know what you think! Buon Appetito!! 

Almond Cheesecake Pancakes

Sunday brunch has pretty much become a tradition in my house. My mother and I always went for brunch on the weekends and don’t get me wrong, we’ve had our fair share of amazing brunches, living in New York and all, but we kind of got tired of the whole scene. Making reservations, waiting for a table anyway, sitting in a loud crowded restaurant, so instead, we do the cooking now. And let me tell you, we love it!!

I usually plan my brunch menu a few days in advance so I know I have all the fresh ingredients that I need. I get up at my usual lazy Sunday time and start brewing the coffee and then the cooking begins!! I myself like sweet stuff for brunch. During the week I usually have oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast, so this is my time to cut loose!! But I mix it up. Sometimes I’ll make an Italian frittata or waffles or my favorite….pancakes.

Last weekend I made ricotta pancakes, one of my favorite foods. This weekend I made almond cheesecake pancakes. These are made with almond flour in place of white flour. Ricotta has a creamy, yet slightly grainy texture and the almond flour adds a nice nutty crunch, together….WOW. That’s all I can say. The inside of the pancakes are creamy and crunchy, yet smooth at the same time. The outside is slightly crisp. They practically melt in your mouth. One of my little secrets is separating the eggs and beating the whites separately, which really makes them fluff up! These are also gluten free.

These are a wonderful change from regular pancakes. As I said, I absolutely love pancakes, so I am always looking for something fun and new to do with them. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!!

Almond Cheesecake Pancakes

2 cups of almond flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

3 eggs, separated

¾ cup of almond milk
2/4 cup of Ricotta cheese

2 tbsp. of melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. maple extract

1 tsp. pure maple syrup

First, preheat your griddle over medium heat. Next, in a small bowl, mix the almond flour, baking soda and salt. Next, separate the egg whites from the yolks. Put the egg whites in a medium bowl.

Put the eggs yolks in a big bowl and add the melted butter. Make sure the butter has cooled before adding, you don’t want to end up with little bits of cooked eggs in your pancakes!! Whisk together. Add milk, ricotta,  butter, vanilla extract, maple extract and maple syrup. Whisk some more.

Add the dry mix to the egg yolk mix. Whisk thoroughly so it’s not lumpy, but don’t over beat. Now, whisk your egg whites until they are glossy and foamy. Fold the whipped eggs whites into the batter, do so carefully.

Grease the griddle with some more butter and start forming your pancakes. I find that each side takes around 5 minutes to cook. Almond flour can burn easily since it is very delicate, so stand by the whole time!! I personally like mine a little golden though, but that might just be me. Serve while nice and warm and enjoy with a cappuccino- (but no cappuccino after noon, that’s an Italian no no!)  Buon Appetito!! 

Ricotta Pancakes

Ahh, lazy Sunday mornings. A time to relax, catch up on some reading, go to the gym, relax some more and indulge in some pancakes.

I have always loved my heavy carbohydrate breakfasts. I honestly only started eating eggs in the past few years, so for me, it was always about French toast, waffles, oatmeal, you get the picture. But, I have found a way to have my pancakes and eat them too. Well, obviously. These pancakes are ricotta based and made with nut flour, therefore they are gluten free. I use hazelnut flour, which gives them a very nice texture and a slightly nutty taste, which really works with the ricotta. You can use whatever gluten free flour you like though or regular white or whole wheat flour if you have no gluten allergy.

They are light and fluffy and the edges get nice and crispy, just the way that I like my pancakes. These are fantastic for anyone. If you are allergic to gluten or if you’re on a low carb diet, you can enjoy these and they will satisfy you just as much as classic pancakes.

I have to tell you, I’ve served these to a lot of people. I’ve never said a word about the ingredients and I’ve always gotten rave reviews. No one has suspected a thing. They think they are just regular buttermilk pancakes.

If you are not watching your sugar intake you can have them with a little drizzle of maple syrup or honey and if you are, I like to whip together a little ricotta with a splash of milk and vanilla extract and serve it on top or serve with a nice pat of butter or a dash of cinnamon. Anyway you have, I guarantee you will love them.

Ricotta Pancakes

½ cup of hazelnut flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 ½ cups of ricotta cheese
4 eggs
4 tablespoons of butter (Two for the batter and two for the griddle)

First, heat a nonstick griddle over medium-high heat. Then, separate your yolks and whites. Mix together the flour, vanilla, ricotta, and yolks in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Beat your egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff. Fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture. Put the butter on the griddle. You can make these pancakes as big or as small as like. Cook each side for around 2-3 minutes. Eat them while they are still nice and warm. Please let me know what you think, I love to hear from you all! Buon Appetito!!