Tomorrow, January 28, is National Blueberry Pancake Day and what better way to celebrate than starting the day with a delicious breakfast of healthy pancakes drizzled with a delicious syrup of Blueberry Honey Maple Sauce?
The average time a person spends eating breakfast is four minutes. Why not stretch the time out for a more leisurely and healthy breakfast to have your family start the day filled with tasty nutritious foods?
There are many reports as to the health benefits of blueberries, New Jersey's state fruit. United States Department of Agriculture researchers found that blueberries ranked first in antioxidant activity in comparison to 40 other fresh fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants help neutralize harmful by-products of metabolism called "free radicals" that are associated with cancer and other age related diseases.
There are only 80 calories and no fat in one cup of blueberries, called "the blue dynamos" by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. Blueberries are high in Vitamin C, which promotes a healthy immune system, and manganese, which plays an important role in bone development. They’re also a good source of dietary fiber, which contributes to heart health, helping to keep cholesterol in check.
With these health facts in mind, blueberries are the best fruit to energize and fuel your body to jump start your day.
BLUEBERRY WHOLE WHEAT PANCAKES (Recipe courtesy of Driscoll)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cups natural sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups low-fat buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cups low-fat margarine, melted
• 2 packages (6 ounces each) Driscoll's Blueberries, plus more for garnish if desired
Directions:
- Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk with eggs. Using a wooden spoon, stir egg mixture into flour mixture just until combined. Add melted margarine and blueberries and stir gently.
- Preheat oven to 200°F. Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat. Let a few drops of cold water fall on the surface. If water bounces, sputters and instantly evaporates, griddle is ready.
- Pour 1/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Cook 2 minutes, or until bubbles that appear on the surface begin to break and the bottom is golden. Flip pancake and cook 1 minute longer or until lightly golden.
- Place pancakes on a heatproof platter and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining batter. Garnish with additional blueberries if desired.
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