Grapefruit Cardamom Polenta Pancakes

I called Mr. Prevention yesterday afternoon…to let him know that Bruce Weber, head coach of the Illinois men’s basketball team, had been fired. He showed no surprise before telling me he was “cleaning”.

I didn’t interrupt. If he’s cleaning, I am not going to stop him, slow him down, or get in his way. I’m smarter than that.

It’s no lie — I’ll tell anyone. I don’t see dirt. Or hair. Or dust. And I hate cleaning. I do what needs to get done — the laundry, the dishes, keeping the counters clean. Outside of that…meh.

But in terms of the blog, it was time. Time for a new look.

Did you notice the spiffy new look? You’re not at the wrong web address, things are just cleaned up and tidied up a bit. Pretty, huh? I probably care more about the state of my blog than I do the state of my living room.

So what? We all have priorities.

One of my first missions was getting my recipe index under CONTROL. After 2 1/2 years, that list was getting quite out of hand, wouldn’t you say? We have some semblance of order now.

My second order of business was figuring out what to do with a few grapefruits that had seen better days. I had stashed them away in my fridge’s produce bins, hoping for their survival until I was struck with genius intentions.

Thankfully, that moment came.

I saw these pancakes on my friend Joanne’s blog and I knew immediately that they would be made and they would be stellar. I wasted no time, and they were just as expected — stellar.

Pancakes + cardamom + grapefruit. Pure genius.

These pancakes were simple to make and gave me the perfect excuse to whip out my electric griddle. They are fluffy and light, but filling and FILLED with flavor. The most pronounced flavor, by far, is the cardamom. But there are certainly hints of grapefruit that come through, especially when these pancakes are complimented with a glass of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. Yum.

Is there anything better?

Grapefruit is one of those foods — you either love it, or you hate it. Clearly, I’m on Team Grapefruit, and these pancakes were the perfect way to highlight my beloved, juicy grapefruits.

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Grapefruit Cardamom Polenta Pancakes adapted from Food and Wine, as seen on Eats Well with Others

1 1/4 cups whole wheat (pastry) flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup grapeseed or canola oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (about 1/2 large fruit)

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour with the cornmeal, sugar, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a second bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the eggs, oil and grapefruit juice.

Whisk the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.

Set a griddle or skillet over moderate-high heat and mist with vegetable oil spray. When the pan is hot, spoon in 1/4-cup mounds of batter and spread to form5-inch rounds. Cook the pancakes until the bottoms are browned and bubbles appear on the surface, 2 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Yield: 12 pancakes (4 servings, 3 pancakes each)

Nutrition Information (per serving): 450 calories; 17.8 g. fat; 110 mg. cholesterol; 361 mg. sodium; 53.5 g. carbohydrate; 3.8 g. fiber; 7.3 g. protein

Result: If an Indian dessert met a pancake, this would be their baby. These pancakes offer up a fluffy, thick stature with lots of nutrition. The flavor of cardamom is pronounced, so if you’re not sure about the spice – use just 1/2 teaspoon. I happen to love cardamom, hence, I made & loved this recipe. Even the skeptical, breakfast-hating Mr. Prevention shuffled down 3 cakes and then paid compliments to the chef. Enjoy!

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Other than a bit of grading, this weekend is bare. I intend to sleep as much as humanly possible…and get in a great run today. I hate to nap when it’s nice out, but I do believe that will be in order 😉

Be well,