Hearty Oatmeal Pancakes Using Whey

Greek yogurt is easy to love, right?  You don't have to pay its pricey price and deal with all the little plastic cups, though!  All you need to do is strain off some of the liquid (which is whey) in regular yogurt.  I line a strainer with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl; other people hang it up in a bag similar to making jelly; still other people use a coffee filter.



And then you have thick, Greek-style yogurt. . . and whey.  Don't throw it away!  The whey is super-nutritious.  My favorite way to use it is in pancakes, but I've been looking around for additional uses.  I'd welcome your suggestions in the comments, too.

Hearty Oatmeal Pancakes, adapted from Simply in Season

The following mixture needs to soak for 8-12 hours; generally, this means mix this up the night before you want pancakes for breakfast.

Mix together, cover, and leave at room temperature for 8-12 hours:
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups whey, plain yogurt, buttermilk, sour milk, or mixture of these*

When you're ready to fry the pancakes, add and stir into the oat mixture:
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil

Add and stir just until mixed:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Batter will be very thick.  Place a glop on a hot, lightly greased griddle and spread evenly and gently so the pancake is not too thick - I make these pancakes on the small side (5" diameter or less) or they break when I flip them.  When bubbles appear in the middle and the edges look a bit set, flip.  Makes 6-8 pancakes.

*Sometimes I only have yogurt on hand, so I use at least a cup of yogurt and then fill up the measure with milk.  Also, note that the whey used here is sometimes called "sweet whey" to distinguish it from acid whey which comes from making cheese; I don't have any experience with acid whey.

 

Ever freeze berries and then not know what to do with them?  I do.  Thanks to Amy at Angry Chicken, we have a new favorite use for frozen berries:  warm some frozen berries in maple syrup or pancake syrup in a small pan on the stove.  The berries will color and flavor the syrup as they thaw - give it maybe 10 minutes to turn into a lovely fruity syrup. 

 

You could further mash up the berries a bit, but I don't usually bother because, by then, I am ravenous.  I took lots more photos than these, but they were all blurry from my low-blood-sugar shakes and the low light of early Saturday morning.

 

 

Eat your fruity syrup over pancakes with peanut butter or over, you know, Greek yogurt.