Cooking Light's Low-Fat Pancakes

I grew up with a Virginian mother who prided herself on her cooking ability. Every meal that Mom made was infused with care and love. Whether it was her pork chops Creole, leg of lamb with mint, or a hearty breakfast of eggs, fresh rolls and fried apples, Mom's food was always welcoming, comforting and filling.

One of my favorite memories is of weekend breakfasts. Very often, the scent of Mom's biscuits, home fries, or pancakes awakened me. The kitchen would be abuzz with mixing, stirring, chopping and table setting for our family of five. I remember the old bowl that Mom used to make her obscenely rich pancakes, which required 7 tablespoons of butter, melted. A small black speckled pan was used exclusively for melting all that butter. The pancakes that resulted were rich and delicious.

As an adult, i know more about fat intake. But i still want flavorful food. Several years ago, I stumbled across Cooking Light, which has since become on of my favorite magazines. I came across a recipe for low-fat pancakes that I committed to memory and use very often. The recipe works well for both pancakes and waffles (not the large, Belgian ones, though).

It's an easy recipe that manages to reduce the fat level from Mom's astonishing 7 tablespoons to just 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Taste is not sacrificed at the altar of Low Fat. When I went home to New York, my sister made Mom's pancakes. I literally could not eat them because they were too rich. My palette had changed and the low-fat pancake recipe from Cooking Light had become my frame of reference.

Unfortunately my mother died. But I'm confident that she would approve of the new pancake recipe!

Enjoy!

Place 1 cup all-purpose flour in a medium size bowl.

Add 1 tsp. of baking powder.

Add 1/2 tsp. of baking soda.

Add a pinch (1/8 tsp.) of salt.

Mix together.

In a separate bowl beat the egg.

Add 1 cup of low-fat milk.

Add 1 tbs. of vegetable oil.

Add between 1/2 to 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, depending on your preference.

Mix the wet ingredients together.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Heat the waffle iron and spray with non-stick vegetable spray.

When a drop of water dances on the iron, it's ready for the batter. Pour on just enough to cover the griddle.

Close the cover and cook for about 3 minutes, until the waffle is brown.

Remove to a plate (preferable with bacon on it already!) and add butter or low-fat vegetable spread if you're trying to be good.

Add maple syrup.

Enjoy!