apple vanilla pancakes topped with maple cinnamon sauteed apples

This is the perfect rainy-day Sunday breakfast after a non-stop busy weekend.  I've had pancakes in the back of my mind all weekend but I've been holding out for Sunday.  I got back to my apartment late last night and realized I had no milk and knowing I was not going to want to go for a grocery run in the AM.  NO, plan foiled!!! --or so I thought, but with a little creative substitution, I was able to make a delicious new recipe.  Rather than using a 1/2 cup milk which the pancake instructions call for, I decided to use equal parts vanilla yogurt and  applesauce... and a tiny bit of water to thin out the batter.  This swap yields a much fluffier pancake.  With my creative juices flowing, the extra applesauce inspired me to jazz up the typical pancake topper with cinnamon and sauteed apples, YUM! 

Apple Vanilla Pancakes topped with Maple Cinnamon Sauteed Apples (serves 1)
Pancake Ingredients:
1/2 cup wheat blend pancake mix (dry)
1/4 cup light vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup naturally sweetened apple sauce
1 egg white
dash of cinnamon
1-2 tbsp water

Apple topping ingredients:
1 small apple, peeled and chopped (I used an Empire)
1 tbsp Smart Balance spread or similar product, look for Trans Fat Free
2 tbsp maple syrup
generous sprinkle of cinnamon 
1-2 tbsp juice/cider, preferably apple (I used blueberry pomegranate juice)

First start by melting butter spread into a small frying pan on medium-high heat.  Add the apple slices and watch carefully, don't let the apples burn. 

While the apples are softening, you can prepare the pancake batter.  It's really simple, just add the dry mix, yogurt, applesauce, and egg white to a medium bowl.  Mix with a fork.  Add the water as needed to thin out this extra thick batter.  Add a dash of cinnamon and let that sit pretty while the apples cook... you are watching those apples right??

 The apples should be getting a little softer.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the maple syrup and cinnamon.  Now when it comes to indulgences like syrup, use a moderate amount and go for the REAL DEAL.  You can find real maple syrup at www.maplesyrupworld.com.

If the heat is too high, the sugar in the maple syrup will burn.  If you know me well, you know I love burnt food but burnt sugar is just gross, so watch that pan and STIR STIR STIR.  If the apples and syrup start to get too thick, this is where the juice comes in.  Like I said, I used blueberry pomegranate juice because that is what's in my fridge, but apple cider or apple juice would be best if you have it.  Add just a tbsp at a time and mix.  2 tbsp should be plenty to thin out the sauce. 

Now, keep those apples on low heat and cook your pancakes.  The batter will yield about 4 4-inch cakes.  Heat a frying pan with a little cooking spray or butter spread and spoon the batter into the pan.  Flip the cakes when the pancakes start to bubble, you'll know when to flip because they'll hold their shape when you slide the spatula under 'em. 

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The maple apple topping should be ready when the pancakes are done.  Just plate your cakes and pour the apples on top.  Enjoy your breakfast and your lazy Sunday! 

sunday breakfast-- whole wheat pumpkin pancakes

Tomorrow tens of thousands of spandex clad runners will flood the streets of Boston for the 114th Boston Marathon-- so in honor of them, I carb loaded this morning in preparation for the event :)
It's Sunday morning, and I made a hefty stack of pumpkin pancakes. I start with a box of Aunt Jemima Whole Wheat blend pancakes as the base, but when I make them I substitute some of the ingredients in their classic pancake recipe for ingredients more to my liking, and I cut the recipe in half. Their recipe calls for milk, an egg, and oil. I like to use either soy or almond milk, an egg white, and I typically substitute applesauce for the oil. Applesauce is a 1:1 fat substitute, meaning if a recipe calls for 1 tbsp oil or butter, you can replace it with 1 tbsp applesauce. Pureed pumpkin is also a 1:1 fat substitution, but I used more than called for in this recipe to get more pumpkin flavor.
I am a blueberry pancake kind of girl, but this morning I decided to mix it up a little bit and add a some spice. This is such an easy recipe, and pancakes are really fun to experiment with; you can put almost anything in a pancake it will go over well. I'd say they're foolproof. So let those creative juices flow and get cooking!
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes (serves 1 hungry, pancake loving person)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat blend pancake mix (unprepared)
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk (or soy milk, cows milk, lactaid etc... use whatcha got!)
1 egg white
1/4 cup pure pureed pumpkin
1 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
1 dash each-ground cinnamon & nutmeg
cooking spray

Add the pancake mix to a medium sized bowl. Add milk and egg white and mix with a fork. Mix in the pureed pumpkin and the spices. Lastly mix the cream cheese, mashing it with a fork to break it up. Heat a skillet on the stove top to medium heat. Pour the batter into the pan-- you can make them as big or small as you want. when the pancakes batter starts to bubble they are ready to be flipped. Serve with maple syrup and enjoy!

*This recipe yields around 5 4'' pancakes...it is probably closer to 1.5 servings, but to me it was Sunday brunch. The pumpkin and spice flavor was actually really subtle. Next time I think I would add more cinnamon and nutmeg, and maybe toy with the idea of a cream cheese icing, mmm... I hope my few and faithful readers take away this message if nothing else: Don't be afraid to manipulate a recipe, be adventurous! If you think of something that would make a recipe better, try it. What's the worst that could happen?