Friday marked the first day of Spring (at least on the calendar…in real life it snowed), and I was overcome with nostalgia for lazy weekend brunches. Don’t get me wrong – brunching has been central to my winter survival. Why else would I drag myself out of the apartment in 10 degree weather on a Saturday morning? Avocado toast, omelettes, and home-fries have been an important part of my winter weight and cold weather shield.
But warm weather brunching in Manhattan is another animal altogether – a delightfully absurd sport. How long can you endure the glare of a line of eager brunchers, all waiting for you to vacate the corner table in the sun? Can you really eat eggs after 1pm? Is it appropriate to spend your Sunday evening in a mimosa-induced haze? All important questions.
When the sun comes out this April, breakfast will once again become the most important meal of the weekend. But why wait? At the very mention of Spring, I started craving stacks of fluffy pancakes…and, as I always do, I went ahead and indulged! This batch of pancakes was incredibly delicious and involved no buttermilk. Instead I used protein packed Greek yogurt, which fueled me for an epic girls’ day in the city, complete with art museums and Broadway!
Ingredients for 6 large pancakes:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of plain Greek yogurt (I used Fage Total)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon
3/4 cup of almond milk
1/4 cup of chocolate chips
Directions:
Using a cheese grater, zest the outside of the lemon peel and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. I also added a few shakes of cinnamon! Whisk until fully combined.
In another bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, lemon juice (about 2 tbsp), vanilla extract, almond milk, and egg. Whisk thoroughly. Add in the lemon zest.
Slowly pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry flour mixture and continue whisking or mixing all of the ingredients together until a pancake batter is formed. Add in the 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and mix once more. If the batter is on the thick side (I found that Greek yogurt can do this), simply add in a tablespoon at a time of warm water or almond milk until it thins out slightly.
When everything is mixed, place a saute pan on low to medium heat. Grease the pan with a drop of coconut oil, butter, or oil and slowly pour in the batter. I made pancakes about the size of an appetizer plate.
Watch the batter cook and when the edges seem to be turning a different shade of white and the batter has begun to show little indents from bubbles, carefully test the pancakes sturdiness with a spatula. If it seems to be holding, work your way around the edges before sliding the spatula underneath and flipping the cake in one swift motion. Let cook for another 4 minutes or so on the other side and use the spatula to check the progress.
Serve warm with syrup and banana slices!
