Like many of my recipes, this one is inspired by a single ingredient. In this case, I had about a cup of whole cranberries in the freezer that needed to be used up. The grapefruit and cranberries have a nice tart bitterness that is well balanced with rich brown sugar in this compote over protein pancakes.

There are dozens and dozens of recipes for protein pancakes available online. You can follow mine, choose another, or create your own! It’s amazing that almost anything can be turned into a pancake as long as you have something like egg to hold the batter together!  If you end up having extra cranberry grapefruit sauce after topping your pancakes, use the leftovers with Greek yogurt or swirled into oatmeal.

I made this dish over the weekend to recover from an evening of beer tasting and to lay a good foundation for a day of brewing our first beer with Colby! Our experienced home brewing friends came over to walk us through it, so I think the nut brown ale fermenting in our bathtub will turn out great! I’m excited to think of ways to use the spent grains in recipes too- maybe in cookies, blondies, or a hearty beer bread? …or pancakes!

Anyway, enjoy this recipe at your next summer brunch get together with your favorite people! 

 
Ingredients:

(Serves 2-3)

For the pancakes:

1/2 cup oats, crushed up in a blender

 2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I used whey protein isolate)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup egg whites

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

Milk of choice to thin the batter

Cooking spray

For the sauce:

1 cup fresh or frozen whole cranberries

1/2 cup grapefruit juice

1/4 cup brown sugar (or more, if a sweeter sauce is desired)

1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Preparation:

1. Prepare the pancake batter by combining all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stirring in the wet ingredients. Add milk as needed until a batter consistency is reached that will spread easily, but not thinner than 1/4 inch, when poured on a hot pan or griddle.

2. Heat a lightly greased pan or griddle over medium heat and pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Flip when bubbles begin to form (approx. 3 minutes). Continue to cook until both sides are golden and the pancake batter is cooked through.

3. To make the sauce, combine cranberries, grapefruit juice, and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to heat to low and simmer for 5-7 minutes. 

4. Add the cornstarch dissolved in water and stir until it is translucent and the sauce thickens. Stir in lemon juice and pinch of salt.

5. Serve sauce over pancakes and top with whipped cream or yogurt, if desired.

Do you have a favorite protein pancake recipe? I’m thinking of trying one with cottage cheese next time! Thanks for reading, my friends!