Tried Something New

  Pinterest is all the craze. If you haven't yet discovered "pins" and "boards" and the obsession that comes with it all, and you're a hopeless food geek (as my husband affectionately calls me), check it out.

  One "pin" circulating right now is for Cream Cheese Pancakes. This recipe is intended for those on a low or no-carb diet. Of course I couldn't just follow the directions on the recipe because as I read through the comments on her blog post there were tons of fantastic variation ideas. I decided to go with one particular idea of separating the egg yolks and whites and whipping the whites to full volume. I was rewarded for my efforts with a fantastic, fluffy pancake that was sort of a cross between a crepe and a dutch baby. The munchins and I had these as a treat last night (my bribe for being good while dad was gone) with powdered sugar, strawberries and whipped cream on top. Delicious!

Cream Cheese Pancakes

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs, divided

  In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Add one egg yolk and beat until completely smooth, scraping the sides. Add remaining yolks and beat smooth.

  In a small mixing bowl beat egg whites to full volume. Fold whites into cream cheese mixture.

  Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat; spray with cooking spray (it is very important to spray the pan with cooking spray prior to cooking each pancake). Scoop about 1/3 cup mixture onto skillet and smooth out with an off-set spatula. Cook 1-2 minutes, until pancake is soft-set then flip and cook an additional 30-45 seconds.

   Serve warm. Yields about 8-10 6" pancakes.

  Of course, my pancakes were certainly not low-carb, but they were fantastic. If you or someone you know is on a no or low-carb diet or even a gluten-free diet, these are perfect!