Clean Eating Pina Colada Dutch Baby Pancakes

Makes 6 servings
This recipe is modified from the Peach Dutch Babies that I recipe tested for the April/May 2011 issue of Clean Eating Magazine. The original recipe was so good I wanted to make it again the next day but was out of peaches. We love pineapple and coconut in our house and that was how this version was born.


A Dutch Baby is an oven baked pancake which is kind of a blend between a popover and a crepe. They are traditionally made with white flour and a TON of butter but Clean Eating Magazine of course found a way to make it JUST as delectable while still being good for you :) My very good friend, Martha, was the one who first introduced me to Dutch Babies (made the ton of butter way!) and she’s a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to this dish. As soon as I tried the Clean Eating version, I immediately sent it to her and she was blown away as well. She gives them her seal of approval :)

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• ¾ cup low-fat milk
• 2 tbsp Agave nectar or honey
• ½ tsp coconut extract
• ¼ tsp plus a pinch sea salt
• Large pinch nutmeg
• ½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour (I just use King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat flour)
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cup crushed pineapple packed in juice, drained and 2 Tbsp juice reserved
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

ONE: Place a heavy, 12-inch oven-proof or cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 425°F. (If you don't have an oven-proof skillet, you can use a baking dish. You'll need something a bit bigger than an 8x8 square pan but a 9x13 is about as big as you could go.)

TWO: In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add milk, Agave, coconut extract, salt and nutmeg; whisk to combine. Add flour and whisk just until blended (a few lumps are fine).

THREE: Carefully add coconut oil to the skillet in the oven. Close the door, and allow it to melt, about 1 to 2 minutes. Wearing a heat-proof glove or oven mitt (I wear my Ove Glove), remove the skillet from the oven and pour the melted oil into the batter; whisk just until blended (do not over mix).

FOUR: Pour the batter back into the hot skillet and sprinkle evenly with the crushed pineapple. Carefully return skillet to oven and bake until edges are puffed and golden brown, 17 to 19 minutes.

FIVE: Meanwhile, toast the shredded coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat (the first time I made these I tried toasting the coconut in my toaster oven, forgot about it, and it caught fire… like billowing smoke fire. Oops.)

SIX: When the pancake is done, sprinkle it with the toasted coconut and drizzle with the reserved 2 Tbsp pineapple juice. It’s pretty impressive when it’s all puffed up fresh out of the oven. Call everyone to the table right away because it deflates pretty quickly. My boys like to peak through the window on the oven door to watch it puff up. They call this Magic Eggy Pancakes. I call it scrumptious :)

You won’t have leftovers but, if you did, you could freeze individual servings using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:
Per serving - 179 Calories (72 Calories from Fat), 8g Fat, 5g Saturated Fat, 107mg Cholesterol, 130mg Sodium, 22g Total Carbohydrates, 1g Dietary Fiber, 13g Sugars, 5g Protein, 4% DV Vitamin A, 8% DV Vitamin C, 5% DV Calcium, 6% DV Iron

:)