The request hour, episode V

It's been quite a while since I had a specific request for a recipe from one of you, and this time I had to come up with one on my own! Dylan has been looking for a healthy-ish breakfast that he can make ahead of time and eat quickly in the morning. He tried a recipe for cottage cheese pancakes, which seemed to fit the bill, but he wasn't wild about the result, so he challenged me to see what I could come up with.

I scouted the internet and came up with a few variations on the theme. I cobbled together my own recipe from the bits I liked and tested it out on Mom and me. We were actually pretty happy with my first effort, so I sent the working recipe off to Dylan to try out and comment on. He made the pancakes last weekend and liked them a lot, so we're going to stick with what we have, just doubled to make a bigger batch. These are a cinch to make. The batter comes together in not much more than five minutes if you use a personal blender like a NutriBullet or Ninja. And check out the pictures—they look like "real" pancakes. (Dylan's pancakes came out better than mine, so I'm using the photos he sent me, except for the closeup of the batter.)

Dylan's pancakes look better than mine

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Time: ~15 minutes (6 minutes to make the batter, ~9 minutes to cook the pancakes on a griddle, more in a skillet)

100 grams (1 cup) old-fashioned rolled oats
227 grams/8 ounces (1 cup) cottage cheese (I used 4% but 2% should work too)
4 large eggs (~57 grams each still in the shell)
2 tablespoons (27 grams) neutral-flavored oil such as sunflower, plus a little more for cooking (you can substitute melted butter)
2 teaspoons (8 grams) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon (10 grams) vanilla extract
good maple syrup, for serving (optional)

    1. Blend the oats briefly in a food processor or, preferably, the blender cup of a personal blender like a NutriBullet. Add the cottage cheese, eggs, 2 tablespoons oil, sugar, baking powder, and vanilla extract, and blend until well combined.
    2. Heat about 1 teaspoon of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. When the oil is hot, carefully wipe out the skillet or griddle with a paper towel, leaving just a sheen of oil behind. Drop 2- to 3-tablespoon rounds of batter onto the skillet or griddle. Cook until set around the edges, bubbles begin to pop, and the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Using a thin spatula, gently flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the other side, 1 or 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve promptly with maple syrup and/or whatever other topping you like. Makes ~18 small pancakes.