Cream Cheese pancakes - an adaptation of the original

As with any dietary change we attempt, we try to find substitutes for those yummy foods we know and love.

Originally upon transitioning to a Paleo/Primal way of eating, I used this recipe from a blog called I Breathe, I'm Hungry. It's a blog that specializes in low-carb recipes. The only problem was that I missed thick, fluffy pancakes. These, from my experience, don't make big fluffy pancakes. So, as with all recipes we find, we put our own little tweak on it to hopefully get the end product we desire.  

I started by adding coconut flour to keep with the gluten-free aspect. It helped to thicken the mixture, but never really got the consistency I wanted. So I kept trying. 

I had recently read the label on Bob's Red Mill baking powder and that it gets activated with heat, causing foods to develop air bubbles and thus "rise". I decided to try some in the cream cheese pancakes. I also increased the amount of coconut flour to make the batter just a touch thicker. 

I added 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 8 heaping teaspoons of coconut flour. This is how they turned out:






They rose beautifully!! And tasted just as great!


Recipe:

8 large eggs
8 oz Philadelphia Original cream cheese*
vanilla to taste (I use about 1 tbsp)
1 tsp baking powder
8 heaping teaspoons coconut flour

Blend the cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla using a stick blender (a regular blender would probably work well too). Blend in baking powder. Add coconut flour 1 tsp at a time until the batter is to your desired consistency - be careful not to add too much. Coconut flour thickens as it sits.

Pour on griddle (or pan) and wait til bubbles appear and start to pop and flip. If you flip too early, the pancakes will probably break - mine do. After flipping, wait a couple minutes to ensure the batter cooks through.


Top with butter and 100% pure maple syrup.

*I have found that Philadelphia cream cheese is softer than other brands and makes a thinner batter. When I use the generic brand at our local grocery store, the batter comes out thicker before adding coconut flour, so adjust your coconut flour as needed for your preferred consistency. 

Substitutions:

For those who are dairy free, as my son will be again after his birthday party tomorrow, there is a dairy-free cream cheese recipe out there that uses cashews. I have not tried it yet, but have heard it tastes delicious with these pancakes. The recipe for the dairy-free cream cheese can be found here. 

Products: 

If you're interested in using the same products I used to make these, you can find them at the links below. 


Bob's Red Mill Coconut Flour

Bob's Red Mill Baking Powder

I'd LOVE to hear what you think of these after you try them. Leave a comment in the box below, if you please. :) 

Low Carb Breakfast Lasagna

Tomorrow my family has a family Christmas celebration on my husband's side. Because everyone does the traditional meal plan for Christmas, this one is a bit different to break up the monotony of turkey and ham and other traditional Christmas foods. This one is a brunch. I rack my brain every year trying to decide what to bring to share with the family. Someone else is covering fruit, potatoes, and all the usual non-Paleo foods, so I'm always at a loss. This morning as I was eating my breakfast, it dawned on me what I could make that would be breakfast related and also Paleo without being your usual eggs and bacon.  

I want to preface first and foremost that this recipe is not dairy free, but it is gluten- and grain-free. It's a recipe I found at one of my favorite recipe blogs, I Breathe, I'm Hungry. I absolutely love that blog and think you should all get on over there and check it out when you have time. 

Anyhow, when I first ventured into the Paleo lifestyle, I perused a lot of recipe blogs and in doing so, I stumbled across a link to Mellissa's site for cream cheese pancakes. From there, I found her breakfast lasagna. So yum!  She says this feeds four, but it can easily be stretched on a buffet style family breakfast. It's very filing as a standalone breakfast dish, as well, so rest assured, you will not go away from the table hungry! 

Without any further ado... Breakfast Lasagna!

Ingredients:

8 eggs, scrambled

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

12 sausage links, fully cooked

12 cream cheese pancakes (unsweetened)

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Next, find an 8x8 inch cake pan. Place 4 of the cream cheese pancakes in the bottom of the pan. Layer in some scrambled eggs and sprinkle with cheese. Add a second layer of 4 pancakes, then lay all of the sausage links on top of the pancakes. Sprinkle with some more cheddar cheese. Layer on the last 4 pancakes, the remaining scrambled eggs and remaining cheese. 

Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes to melt the cheese (or if your pan is ceramic, place in the microwave for 3-4 minutes if you'd prefer not to bake it). 

Here's a picture of it from Mellissa's blog. 

This dish is very yummy and will be a returning visitor to your breakfast table. I promise! :)