Tropical Pancakes

Summer has almost come and gone. It doesn’t quite feel like summer without a long road trip to the beach or a weekend trip to South Beach. It wasn’t in the cards this summer of 2020, so I had to bring the tropics to my kitchen. This breakfast dish transported my tastebuds to a tropical island.

It all started when I woke up with a very specific craving for just ordinary pancake. Just a regular plain flapjack with some maple syrup would have done the trick. However, it quickly evolved into a much more delicious trip down breakfast lane.

I realized I had no milk and no syrup, but I was determined to still make pancakes. How did I make pancakes with no milk and no syrup? 

I made a surprising discovery that a can of Coconut Milk completely transformed a regular pancake recipe into the most dreamiest, fluffiest stack of pancakes I’ve ever made!

You can use this recipe or any other basic pancake recipe and just substitute the milk. And I made a fruit based Syrup using Mango Purée.

PANCAKES

Ingredients (Makes about 8 Pancakes)

1.5 Cups of All-Purpose Flour

1 TBSP of Baking Powder

1 TSP of Salt

1 TBSP of White Sugar

1 Egg

3 TBSP Melted Butter

1 Can of Coconut Milk

Juice from half a Lime

Coconut Flakes (optional)

1. Sift Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, & Sugar together.

2. Add Coconut Milk, Egg, and Butter

3. Squeeze the juice of Half a Lime into the batter and threw in a handful of Coconut Flakes.

4. Cook all your pancakes on medium heat to your liking.

Tip: Start with 3/4 of the Can of Coconut Milk. If the batter is too thick, add the rest of the can.

SYRUP

I also really like fruit on my pancakes and waffles, so a lack of Maple Syrup in my pantry wasn’t a huge obstacle. I already had batch of puréed mangos that I had blended and froze for my 7 month old’s baby food earlier that week. So I why not use them for my own breakfast!

Ingredients

1/2 Cup of Frozen Mangos

1/4 Cup Water

Honey or Agave

Dash of Cinnamon Powder

Dash of Ginger Powder

1. Warm a cup of Frozen Mangos in a skillet, add just enough Water to cover the mangos. Cook until mangos are unfrozen.

2. Add both the water and mangos into a food processor. Blend to a consistency of your liking.

3. Add the Mangos Puree back to the skillet. Heat on Low, Add Honey or Agave Syrup. Stir gently. Add a dash of Cinnamon & Ginger for extra tanginess.

This syrup combination is so delicious. You can add as little or as much sweeter as you like. Mangos are already very sweet, so if you prefer no sugar then it will still be delicious.

You can also choose whatever fruit you like and blend it into a puree. Another great option is frozen mixed berries.

TOPPINGS

Extra toppings are optional, but these two ingredients made my pancakes extra tropical and delicious.

1. Add Coconut Flakes on top of the Mango Syrup

2. With the same lime, grate the outside of the lime and cover the pancakes with Lime Zest

ENJOY YOUR BREAKFAST!!!!!

So basically… use a can of coconut milk, add lime juice. Make your own fruit syrup. Top it with lime zest . Add coconut flakes inside and outside your pancakes, and Ta-Da… you have Tropical Pancakes.

Grits alla Carbonara

Grits were a breakfast staple in our house growing up in North Carolina, and still are today. My dad only cooks three things…cheese grits, eggs, and turkey bacon. Unfortunately I have never liked eggs by themselves that much, but every single morning my dad would still ask me if I wanted eggs, just in case I changed my mind. However; I ALWAYS welcomed a bowl of his extra cheesy grits with a side of turkey bacon for breakfast. Now days, I still don’t like eggs, but I found a way to trick myself into eating them. When eggs are poured into the grits as a liquid, they seamlessly cook without the texture of scrambled eggs.

I also have no qualms with eggs when I have a big bowl of Spaghetti alla Carbonara in front of me. Carbonara is a famous Roman dish made of a creamy egg sauce with parmigiana cheese and pancetta bacon. It is AMAZING! I’ve had it many times in Italy, and have made it a go-to dinner dish at home.

One morning, as I am going through my usual grits-for-breakfast routine, I realize the ingredients in a classic carbonara pasta sauce are very similar ingredients to the topping I like to add to my breakfast grits- basically…eggs, cheese, and bacon.

Thus Grits Alla Carbonara was born! This dish perfectly combines my love for both Southern & Italian food. This super protein packed breakfast dish is tasty & flavorful.

Grits Alla Carbonara…

Ingredients

Grits

Eggs

Parmigiana Cheese

Bacon-regular bacon, turkey bacon, or Italian pancetta

Butter

Salt & Pepper

Let’s get cookin’…

(Serving size for 2)

Fry the Bacon to your liking. I use Turkey Bacon. I prefer to cut the bacon into bits with kitchen scissors before lightly frying.

Set 2 Cups of Water in a pot on high. Add Salt. Also add some Butter, as little or as much as you like. Not only does it help keep the grits from sticking to the pot, but enhances the flavor.

Measure 1/2 cup of Grits. Once the water is boiling, pour in the Grits, and turn on low.

While grits are cooking, scramble 1 or 2 Eggs. Add Salt & Pepper. You can add tons of pepper if you like. Add 1/4 Grated Parmigiana Cheese. Whisk together.

Pour mixture into the pot of grits and stir. By now the grits should be done. Pour in a bowl and add the Bacon. You can also add more parmigiana, salt, pepper to your liking.

The result is a creamy and savory breakfast plate that can be done within 10 minutes.

I would love to know if you try this, and how you like it.