Mardi Gras Masks and Protein Pancakes

Shrove Tuesday has always been a special day for me. Growing up, I don't think we ever missed the annual pancake dinner at Church.  I have vivid memories of graduating from participating in pancake on the frying pan relays, to taking donations at the door, to finally being in the kitchen helping with the preparation of the meal.  Whether you call it Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday, the day is one that can be special and fun for any family.  Who doesn't like breakfast for dinner?

Since momstown's educational theme this month is "Mix and Match", we started our Mardi Gras preparations yesterday painting Mardi Gras masks.  By only putting out a few colours of paint at a time, the kids were able to see how new colours could be formed when primary colours were mixed.  The artists took the lesson seriously, and were soon hard at work:

Or maybe they were hard at play?

Either way, masterpiece masks were created:

Once the paint was dry, we festooned our masks with feathers. Feathers + Glue = Fun:

We are all set to celebrate tonight, and of course we will have pancakes on our plates.  These protein packed versions please both parents and kids, and they are gluten free too:

Gluten Free High Protein Quinoa Pancakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (125 mL) quinoa flakes (oats would likely work too if gluten is not a concern)
½ (125 mL) cup cottage cheese (we use 1%)
1 egg plus 3 egg whites
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
½ tsp (2.5 mL) baking powder

Method:

1. Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray and heat over medium low heat (Note: We use somewbetween “3” and “4” on my electric stovetop).

2. Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender.  Process until just combined. (Note: you should still be able to see some bits of cottage cheese and quinoa in the blender.  If you over-process the batter, your pancakes may be tough.
3. Pour or scoop approximately two tablespoons, or 30mL of the batter into the hot pan.  The batter is thick, and will puff up, so you may want to spread it out a bit. Cook on one side just until bubbles begin to form on top.  Flip, and cook on remaining side until golden.  Repeat with remaining batter.
4. Serve with fresh or cooked fruit to get your fourth food group in, and a little maple syrup, vanilla yogurt, or butter if you wish.
 

Yield: Approximately 12-15 pancakes.

Variation 1: Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

Add ½ cup (125 mL) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), 1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, and

ou will not need to spread it in the pan.
 

Variation 2: Apple Pancakes

Add ½ cup (125 mL) unsweetened applesauce, and 1 tsp (5mL) cinnamon to the basic pancake recipe.  Prepare as above.  Note that batter will be less thick, so you will not need to spread it in the pan.   You could also experiment with stirring one chopped apple into the batter. 

Of course, our celebration would not be complete without a book either.  Eric Carle's "Pancakes, Pancakes!" is a beautifully illustrated book that takes readers on a journey to discover where pancake ingredients come from.  Jack, the young boy at the centre of the story,  harvests and threshes the wheat, has it milled, encourages the hen to lay an egg, milks the cow, and churns the butter, and then mix everything together and cooks the batter over the stove and enjoys them with the jam he has sourced.  What better story to read while you prepare your own pancake feast?