Cooking with Kelsey: Pancakes

Photo by: Rory M

This summer I’ve been working a lot. Like, stretches without a day off in the foreseeable future “a lot”.  So when I do get a day to myself, I’m determined to make the most of it. Sitting in my bedroom on Tumblr all day just doesn’t cut it like it did last summer (although I swear they invented endless scroll just for me).  But I’ve recently lost 100 pounds, and I didn’t do it by sitting in my room on the Internet. I did it by doing. 

Today, with one of my precious days off, I went on a bike ride. A bike ride of the fourteen mile, crossing town lines, hours long variety. I visited a state park, scared the living bajeezus out of several motorists unaccustomed to sharing the road with a cyclist, and cursed my gears when they decided for themselves when a good time to shift was (it’s not as I’m cresting a huge hill, Mr. Bike). But I digress. 

While cycling isn’t nearly as strenuous as running or other more intense forms of cardio, riding for that long does burn a lot of calories. This results in what I will hereby refer to as the “Pancake Plateau”, and it goes a little something like this:

Mile 4: You know what I haven’t had in a long time? Pancakes.
Mile 7: I think I’ll make some pancakes when I get home.
Mile 9: I really want pancakes.
Mile 12: PANCAKEPANCAKEPANCAKEPANCAKEPANCAKE. 

As you can imagine, by the time I walked back into my house, there was only one thing to be done: make pancakes. 

Photo by: Kelsey S.

Part of losing an incredible amount of weight is accepting that some foods are a no-no. Pancakes as I formerly knew them were one of those foods. Griddle-fried, filled with chocolate chips, slathered in butter and syrup…not exactly conducive to maintaining a 100 pound weight loss. 

So I got creative. And the result?

These babies. These are without a doubt the lightest, fluffiest, most flavorful pancakes I have ever had, pre- or post-weight loss. They are sweet enough without syrup and moist enough without butter. And the best part? The entire recipe amounts to 143 calories. The.Whole.Recipe. So if you can’t imagine pancakes without syrup, drown ‘em. Switch out the apples for chocolate chips without a care in the world. Slather them in lard for all I care. These are God’s gift to the health conscious and junk food enthusiast alike. And here’s how to make them. 

Photo by: Kelsey S.

You will need:
2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour
A dash each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt
1 tablespoon milk
¼ teaspoon vinegar
1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
1 egg white
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1-2 tablespoons Splenda (3-6 packets; I used 5 and found it a bit much).
½ an apple

In a cup or small bowl, combine the milk and vinegar. Set aside and allow the milk to curdle. 

In another small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set that aside. 

Photo by: Kelsey S.

Separate out the egg white and combine it with the cream of tartar. (Do not use carton egg whites; for whatever reason, they don’t come together like real eggs do).

Using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on high until they form white, soft peaks. 

Add in the Splenda gradually and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Shut the mixer off; set the bowl aside. 

To the sour milk, add a tablespoon of water and the applesauce. Stir, then add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until combined. 

Spoon the pancake batter into the egg white mixture and gently fold until combined. Do not overmix. 

Photo by: Kelsey S.

Chop up your apple into bite sized pieces (and try not to eat all of the pieces in the process). Fold those into the batter as well.

Coat a skillet with Pam (or oil or butter) and put it on your stovetop at low to medium heat (about a 4 on a 1-10 dial). When the skillet’s hot, spoon a palm-sized amount of batter into the skillet. Let it cook for about 4 minutes, until bubbles start to break the surface and the edges set. 

…and not a second before or you’ll end up with a mess. Flip them and let them cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. 

Make sure you re-spray your pan in between cooking rounds; because the pancakes have so little fat, they have nothing to keep them from not sticking. This recipe yields about 4 palm-sized pancakes (if you don’t eat the first one while the others cook... )

Photo by: Kelsey S. 

What you do with them next is up to you. Eat them slowly. Devour them quickly. Die happy. 

Nutritional information: Calories (143), Carbohydrates (29g), Fat (1g), Protein (6g)