Saturday Morning Breakie

One of our family's favorite breakfast places is called Figtree's Cafe & Grill in Venice Beach http://www.figtreescafe.com/?pageClass=HM.  It's right on the boardwalk so when you eat there you are privy to some great people watching, the sea air and, if you're lucky, one hell of a Johnny Cash impersonator.  I love it because they offer soy cheese and soy chorizo. My husband loves it because of their Cornmeal Blueberry Pancakes.  


One cannot alway eat out for Saturday/Sunday brunch.  It is a cruel fact of life and the economy that buying ingredients at the super market and cooking can be much more cost effective than going out for meals at restaurants, even if they offer half off before 9am on weekends (which Figtree's does).  So I set out to try to make Corn Meal Blueberry pancakes at home.  After several weeks of mediocre failures I think I've gotten in down to a healthy and tasty alternative to Figtree (though nothing will ever really live up to the OG).  


I use a recipe I found on Cooks.com http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,176,150177-238207,00.html and doctored them a bit to be lactose intolerant friendly. Instead of nonfat yogurt I use Toffuti Sour Cream and instead of skim milk I use almond or soy milk.  They make for dense, filling and quite tasty pancakes!  I throw on some Turkey Bacon for the hubby who likes salty contrast...