Gently fold WET2 into WET1 and add to DRY0

As evidenced from the sale prices at your local grocery, and their general availability at your local farmer's market, berry season is upon us! In fact, this week I've been able to continue my kitchen explorations using FRESH blackberries, personally picked - for free; I only paid in thorn scratches - at Bernal Heights Park earlier this week.

The blackberries were plump and sweet, and made for a nice addition to a perennial favorite of mine: PANCAKES! While always a recipe in flux, try my (yes, my) current one; I would say it is my best thus far:

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DRY0 ingredients:
1c whole wheat flour
2T Spiru-tein Vanilla protein powder
2t ground cinnamon
1/2t nutmeg
1/2t salt
1/4t baking soda
5/4t baking powder
1/4t grated orange or lemon peel
optional: 2T brown sugar or other sweetener

WET1 ingredients:
1/2c plain lowfat yogurt
1 1/8c vanilla soymilk
1T olive oil
2 eggs

WET2 ingredients:
1 1/2c fresh blackberries

Mix together the DRY0 ingredients in one bowl, and whisk the WET1 ingredients vigorously in another. Gently fold WET2 into WET1 and add to DRY0 (what is this a recipe for again?). Again, fold everything together GENTLY; do not overmix (it's better to have a few lumps than to overmix - if you do, you'll end up with dense pancakes). Also note that depending on the juiciness of your berries (damn girl!), you may need to add a little more soymilk to the batter to get a nice, pourable consistency.

Butter up a hot cast iron skillet or stovetop griddle (a new culinary toy of mine!) and cook up some deliciousness. This recipe will make about eight, thick, 6 inch pancakes.. which sounds like quite a party, for brunch or beyond; let me show you how - and pour the belinis. Top them with maple syrup, crème fraîche, yogurt, more blackberries, or some combo of these and enjoy (duh).

Note: Adding sweetener into DRY0 is really a matter of taste, and may be a function of how sugared your other ingredients are. For example, you may be using unsweetened soy milk, or your berries might be a little more tart than you may like; in these cases, a little added sugar (or equivalent, maybe some honey or maple syrup?) may be in order.

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In related, um, news, I also made a batch of Blackberry Muffins a few days ago, based on a recipe from SimplyRecipes (http://www.elise.com/recipes/) - with a few "healthy" modifications (reducing the butter requirements, etc.); let me know if you'd like to try my version. These guys are tasty in all incarnations; my muffins were devoured within, basically, a day. Yum!