Meyer lemon ricotta pancakes w/ strawberry coulis

These pancakes were just amazing...light, fluffy, a hint of zesty lemon. Mmmmm.

I saw Anne Burrell from Food Network make these on her show a while back, and it sounded so interesting to me.  So when I found that our local grocery store was selling bags full of Meyer lemons, I was excited to try out the recipe.

Anyone who knows me knows that I've always loved lemony things.  For so many years I have asked for the same kind of birthday cake - lemon with chocolate frosting, that too out of a box.  Now that I have taken more interest in fine cooking and baking, somehow it hasn't changed -- maybe it's the simple contrast of the tart lemon to the sweet chocolate?  I love that you can do so many different things with lemon. I guess you can say that about citrus fruits in general, but there's something so unique about the lemon with it's tart flavor.

The Meyer lemon is unique because it is slightly sweeter than other kinds of lemons.  It's distinctive, mostly because of the hint of tangerine -- I read somewhere that it is actually a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.  It is, as a fruit, an inspiration to many chefs - because it's not just an average lemon.

For brunch Saturday morning - just for my mom and myself - I made these delicious Meyer lemon ricotta pancakes, adapted from Chef Anne Burrell's recipe.  Instead of from scratch, I used Log Cabin's whole wheat pancake mix (meaning no baking powder necessary). 

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Macerated Strawberry Coulis

Strawberry coulis:

• 1 quart strawberries, topped and quartered
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice

Pancakes:

• 2 cups Log Cabin All Natural Pancake mix (from whole grains)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt, plus a pinch for egg whites
• 4 eggs, yellows and whites separated
• 1 heaping cup ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 Meyer lemons, zested and juiced
• Canola oil, for cooking the pancakes
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

Strawberries:

Toss the strawberries with the sugar and orange juice. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

After the berries and sugar have macerated and become very juicy, remove 1/2 of the berry mixture, put it in a food processor (and hand blender will do) and puree until smooth. Return it to the rest of the berries and reserve until ready to use.

Pancakes:

Sift together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the egg yolks, ricotta, milk and lemon zest and juice, and mix until it becomes homogeneous. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients to the well and whisk until combined.

Preheat a griddle (or nonstick pan).

In another bowl, using a whisk or electric mixer, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt to stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the flour mixture in thirds. Do this quickly and gently so the pancakes will be light and fluffy.

Pour a couple drops of oil onto the preheated griddle (or nonstick pan), and spread it around with a paper towel to remove any excess oil. Keep the fire on medium-low, as the pancakes can burn quickly.  Spoon or ladle the pancake batter onto the prepared griddle to desired size of the pancake. When the top of the pancake is full of holes, like bubbles have risen to the surface and burst, the pancake is ready to flip. (Another way to test this is to when trying to pick the pancake up from the side, see if the spatula becomes wet from the batter - it still needs time then.)  Flip the cake(s) and cook until the bottom is golden brown.

Remove the pancakes from the grill to serving plates. Top with the macerated strawberry coulis and garnish with powdered sugar.

Enjoy on a weekend morning for brunch with family & friends :)

Harboring Hearts' first heart-healthy blog post :)

I so appreciate all of your support over the last year with my blog! I realize I have been SUPER m.i.a., but I'm back! :)

Since I've been gone, I started an internship with Harboring Hearts doing their Social Media & Events.  It's a tiny little office and I work with the two co-founders - Michelle Javian and Yuki Kotani.  They are beyond amazing women and they inspire me everyday.  Their own personal experiences inspired them to start this organization.  Despite their own health issues, they power through and remind me that illness does not define you.

Below I am including the very first post of the Heart-Healthy Food Blog I started with them, which I wrote (See it on our website! http://www.harboringhearts.org/2011/10/food-blog-quinoa-upma/).  It's a simple recipe for Quinoa Upma - quinoa is a powerfood that has become popular in recent years.  My mom of course helped me through this recipe as the upma-expert, so due credit goes to her.  Enjoy!

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We want to share heart healthy recipes and inspiring stories with you!

Forward by Yuki Kotani

We are very excited to introduce our newest social media intern to the Harboring Hearts’ team, Pareesha Narang.  Our interns are invaluable to our organization.

Pareesha is a recent graduate of University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill’s College of Journalism and she came to us with a strong interest in working for a start-up non-profit organization.  Michelle Javian (co-founder) and I immediately saw potential in Pareesha because of her willingness to learn and take initiative on projects.   Most importantly, we felt she truly grasped Harboring Hearts’ mission and vision because of her own personal experiences.  We appreciate Pareesha for sharing her story with us today.

I hope you are inspired by her story and heart-healthy recipe!

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My family made a choice to be heart-healthy when my father was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor back in 1995.  Note that I say family, not just my father. My mother had consulted a special dietitian, and he told us that in order for this to work, we had to do it as a family.

My younger brother and I were both under 10 at the time, and we were told that we weren’t allowed to bring home cookies and all sorts of other unhealthy foods anymore, we were pretty bummed — it seemed so drastic!

As time went on, we got used to better alternatives to all the sugary, fattening foods.  We kept hearing that cancer loves sugar (just Google it and you’ll see what I’m talking about), so as a family, we became more conscious about what we put in our bodies.

I was born with a sweet tooth, so it definitely took work to get to where I am today.  Over time, I’ve limited the amount of sweet things I eat in a day, drink lots of water and eat a balanced diet filled with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, protein, and a couple of supplements.  I don’t count calories because my weight isn’t a concern, but I do read the ingredients – I like to know what I’m putting in my body!

In April 2009, my father passed away — but he proved the doctors wrong for many years.  I believe that his dedicated change in diet and meditation kept him with us for 14 years since his diagnosis.

When an illness happens to one person, it impacts the whole family.  What helped our family was sticking together and supporting each other.  After my father’s passing, my family continues to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.   It was a good reminder for me that though I’ve been blessed with good health so far, it takes work to keep it that way.

My challenge to you:

• Replace one unhealthy food in your diet with a healthy alternative.
• Do something for yourself everyday.

A powerful motivation for me to eat healthy and stay positive is my ability to be there for my mom and my brother – my family.

Here is the recipe for a scrumptious dish I made with my mom, with heart-healthy ingredients including quinoa and chana dal.

Quinoa Upma

Serves 6-8

2 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, we use extra light
1 tsp. mustard (rye) seeds
1 stem curry leaves (about 15 leaves), remove leaves from stem
1/4 cup of chana dal, stones/junk removed and washed (find it at any Indian grocery store)black pepper
12 oz. quinoa, washed
8 oz. pack of frozen mixed vegetables
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt (less if you’re watching your salt intake!)
1/4 tsp. red chili powder (cayenne)
24 oz. water
fresh cilantro, chopped
lime
roasted peanuts (optional)

Heat the oil in a large pan (make sure you have a lid for it), medium heat. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and a generous pinch of black pepper.  Stir, then add the chana daal and saute for 2 minutes.  Add quinoa, dry roast for about 7-8 minutes until it gets a little color (turn down heat slightly if needed).  Add onion and frozen vegetables, saute until cooked, about 5 minutes. Add salt and red chili powder, saute for 30 seconds, then add water.  Cover the pan. Once water comes to boil, lower the heat and let cook for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle a handful of cilantro, juice of a lime, and sprinkle crushed peanuts on top.  Enjoy it guilt-free!