As I’ve mentioned before, I live in a small city apartment with a kitchen smaller than the closets of some of our more “spatially blessed” readers. So it made perfect sense to host a holiday brunch at my place, right? Good, just as long as we are all on the same page.
As I had committed to hosting said brunch, I decided to invite 10 members of my little urban family to enjoy a spread of eggs, turkey bacon, Bloody Marys and Buttermilk Pancakes with Fresh Strawberry-Orange Topping from “The Heart-Smart Diabetes Kitchen.”
I doubled the recipe to accommodate my guests, but that was about the hardest part of this quick and simple recipe. The whole-wheat flour gave the pancakes a nice texture and the fruit topping was sweet enough that no one requested syrup.
The best part of the brunch was how much fun everyone had. And the fact that my guests all pitched in to clean my pint-sized kitchen was an added bonus!
Buttermilk Pancakes with Fresh Strawberry-Orange Topping
Combining all-purpose flour with white whole-wheat flour gives these pancakes a lighter texture while boosting their dietary fiber. The fresh strawberries and orange zest infuse them with flavor.
Pancakes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled 125 mL
1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled 125 mL
1 Tbsp sugar 15 mL
1 tsp baking powder 5 mL
1/4 tsp baking soda 1 mL
1/4 tsp salt 1 mL
1 cup low-fat buttermilk 250 mL
1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil 20 mL
2 egg whites
Topping
2 cups quartered strawberries 500 mL
2 Tbsp water 30 mL
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar 20 mL
1 Tbsp canola oil 15 mL
1 1/2 tsp vanilla 7 mL
1/2 tsp orange zest 2 mL
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream or plain nonfat yogurt 125 mL
Canola oil cooking spray
1. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl with a whisk. Then whisk together buttermilk, canola oil and egg whites in small bowl. Add to flour mixture, stirring until just moist. Let stand 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200 °F (100 °C). Combine topping ingredients, except sour cream, in medium bowl and mash slightly with fork until thick consistency is achieved.
3. Heat large nonstick skillet coated with canola oil cooking spray over medium heat. Working in two batches, spoon about 1/4 cup (60 mL) batter per pancake onto skillet. Cook 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Turn and cook 2 minutes longer or until pancakes are slightly puffed and golden. Place on serving platter in the oven to keep warm while cooking remaining pancakes.
4. To serve, spoon equal amounts of topping on pancakes and dollop with sour cream.
Yield: 4 servings. Serving size: 2 pancakes and 1/3 cup (75 mL) topping.
Fast tip: Cartons of egg whites are available in the dairy section of grocery stores or you can separate your own. Crack an egg and toss the yolk back and forth between the shells over a bowl. Let the white fall into the mixture and discard the yolk and shells.
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving:
Calories 305
Calories from fat 90
Total fat 10.0 g
Saturated fat 1.1 g
Trans fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 5 mg
Sodium 425 mg
Total carbohydrate 42 g
Dietary fiber 4 g
Sugars 17 g
Protein 10 g














