Stupid Protein Pancakes

The trend to add protein to everything feels so dumb sometimes.

I just read the ingredients on not one but three protein sodas in the RTD beverage case at Fresh Thyme in Cranberry, PA. The ingredients are utter garbage that would cause my intestines to tie into painful knots and completely defeat the purpose of getting extra protein in a soda.

I understand that not everyone wants to eat as much meat and eggs as I like to eat. We need variety, different flavors and textures.

So my Stupid Protein Pancakes were born.

At first, I thought it was a dumb idea to add extra whey protein to my low carb pancakes, but they turned out so delicious, I knew I was onto something.

Then I decided to take the eggs out of it completely and use the “flax eggs” recipe of 1 tablespoon of flax meal with 3 tablespoons of water, whisked together and let sit for 10 minutes, become a binder substitute for eggs that works well in certain recipes. This is one of them.

The extra flax gives them a crunch (and fiber), the whey protein and cottage cheese give them protein, and the coconut flour layers in more fiber.

So as I murmured aloud to myself that making high protein pancakes is “stupid,” I eventually ate my words as these pancakes are stupid GOOD.

I put regular butter on them, but you can use a dairy free butter. And of course, you can sub dairy free cream cheese, yogurt, or cottage cheese for the cottage cheese.

These protein pancakes are a nice change up from eating eggs every day, or just a fantastic solution for anyone looking for gluten free, high fiber, and high protein pancakes that don’t have a lot of carbs.

But first, I’d like to update you on our pursuit of making the cleanest, most delicious sauces, spices, and cheese bites over at Eat Happy Kitchen.

Most of you who read this substack have never tried my products, but maybe if I incessantly tell you what it’s like to make and sell a clean food product, you will switch from the Big Food competitors one day.

As the delightful Mike Rowe said to me when I went on his pod earlier this year, I have to be relentless speaking about the struggles and tiny victories of running an emerging brand going up against the establishment.

Lately, it’s felt more like the struggles outweigh the victories. But that’s just business, kids.

Here’s a question that someone named Cheryl emailed to me a couple of weeks back:

I don’t see the word organic on your products. Did I miss that? And if not, why the choice not to go organic when that’s the direction of the movement?

This is a loaded question as I’ve harped on and on for years about the fact that people can game the system when being certified anything—and organic has some loopholes that some large conglomerates and farmers have famously gone through that I can get into at a later time.

The short answer is organic is too expensive. But we are in the process of getting Non GMO certified and will be announced very soon as we complete the documentation.

Our ingredients are extremely clean, and I make sure to over see the souring of all of it.

Our sauces are also certified seed oil free (lab tested), one of only three brands who are, and there are several organic certified brands that contain lower quality ingredients and seed oils. I will never acquiesce that organic soybean oil is okay because it’s been deemed organic.

Also there are organic brands that have sugar and other fillers which, while technically organic, are not things you should be eating. There’s a workaround for everything, I guess.

I talk about how to read food labels, interpret the marketing jargon, and understand the FDA’s regulations better as a consumer at length with Vinnie Tortorich in the Fitness Confidential podcast, so please check that out.

Cheryl never wrote me back to let me know she received or cared about what I wrote her, but what I’ve learned over the years is that if one person voices a concern to me, then many more people think it but aren’t saying anything.

It’s so important to know your makers, understand where your food comes from, and support smaller brands who are prioritizing good food over profit margins. This is why I go to great lengths to describe my journey, the good and the bad, along the way.

I think Eat Happy Kitchen is at a make it or break it point. The grocery business is designed to decimate and suck the money out of small businesses like mine because they know there are brands lined up right behind me, lined up like cattle to slaughter.

But what Big Food doesn’t know is that I’m not in this to be kicked around or just to make money. I’m in this to grow a business and change the face of grocery store shelves. To quote my beloved father-in-law Al, they’ll never take me alive.

Sometimes the journey makes me cranky, and I wind up writing a recipe like Stupid Protein Pancakes, that can for a moment put a smile on my face and remind me to stop and enjoy the pancakes.

If you wanna support a small business making a big change, please hop over to Eat Happy Kitchen and pick up some of our gorgeous, delish, and super clean products. Your purchase literally keeps us in business.

XOXO

Anna

(Yields six 4” pancakes)

I eat these pancakes with butter and fresh blueberries, if I can find the berries in season. I do not use maple syrup nor any kind of syrup made from an artificial sweetener or sugar substitute. I do not judge you if you do. Please live your life, you do you, after all, these are just stupid protein pancakes.

• 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup ground flax meal, divided

• 3 tablespoons water

• 1/4 cup coconut flour

• 1/4 cup plain whey protein

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup full fat cottage cheese

• 3/4 cup whole milk or diary free milk

• 2-4 tablespoons avocado oil, butter, or coconut oil, for frying

• Butter

• 1/4 cup fresh blueberries for serving

Place 1 tablespoon of the flax meal in a small bowl and whisk in 3 tablespoons water. Set aside and let stand for 10-12 minutes before proceeding with remaining steps.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup flax meal plus the coconut flour, whey protein, baking soda, and arrowroot powder. Add the vanilla extract, milk, and cottage cheese, then whisk until smooth. Mix in flax/water mixture from the first step.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of avocado oil to medium high heat in a large-bottomed, nonstick sauté pan until the oil is hot and shimmering. Do the sizzle test: drop a pinch of the batter into the oil to see if it sizzles, and when it does, you are ready to cook the pancakes.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop out three portions into the pan to cook. Let cook 3-4 minutes, being careful not to burn. The pancake will turn a darker brown. When the pancake feels secure enough to flip, carefully get your spatula under the pancake and quickly flip them, one at a time. Continue cooking an additional 2-3 minutes, pressing down on pancakes to make sure the middle gets cooked. Tip the pan around to let the oil roll around and cook the edges of the pancake. Repeat with the second batch of oil and batter to make the remaining pancakes.

Remove from heat when cooked through and serve with extra butter and blueberries.