My friend, Jhiane, came over today for a late brunch. 
My husband and I were anxiously waiting for her to arrive so we could finally eat. Brunch was served at approximately 4 pm. 
After an hour my husband took off to see Mission Impossible (he sorta recommends it), while Jhiane and I spent the rest of the evening catching up. 
We spoke about life, our next vacation together, reflected back on our college days while sipping tea and eating samosas as the evening progressed. It was so nice to spend some quality one-on-one time with my friend after so long. 
Now let’s discuss them pancakes. 
Jhiane enjoyed my pancakes, but I was able to tell they were a bit healthy for her taste. Well, that is sorta the point of these pancakes which are LOADED with a ton of nutrition – fresh blueberries, whole wheat, lemon, low-fat buttermilk, and chia seeds. 
In one word, ANTIOXIDANTS!
Both my husband and I really enjoyed these soft, slightly fluffy, and delicious pancakes with a healthier twist. He observed as I made these pancakes and now claims he can easily make me pancakes for breakfast. Well, I’ll enlighten you when that happens. For now, enjoy! 
NUTRITION: Whole wheat pastry flour adds some fiber and protein to this recipe. Although high in fat, part-skim ricotta cheese is a good source of Protein and Calcium. Buttermilk is low-fat and an excellent source of Protein and Calcium. Lemon is an excellent source of Vitamin C. Chia Seeds is a superfood and an excellent source of fiber, protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. Blueberries are a very good source of Vitamin C and Fiber. They are a good source of Vitamin E. In addition, blueberries are an ANTIOXIDANT POWERHOUSE.
INGREDIENTS (makes 8 small pancakes = 2 to 3 servings)
for the topping:
- Blueberries – 1 cup
- Turnbinado Brown Sugar – 1 tbsp
- Lemon Zest – Zest of 1 lemon
for the pancakes:
- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – 1 cup
- Baking Powder – 2 tsp
- Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp
- Salt – 1/4 tsp
- Turbinado Brown Sugar – 1 1/2 tbsp
- Chia Seeds – 1 tbsp
- Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese – 1/2 cup
- Low-Fat Buttermilk – 1 cup
- Egg – 1
- Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
- Canola Oil – 1 tbsp (optional)
- Lemon – Juice of 1 lemon
- Lemon Zest – Zest of 1 lemon
- Egg Whites – 2 (optional: well whipped for more fluffy pancakes)
DIRECTIONS:
MAKE THE TOPPING
1. On low-medium heat, add the blueberries, turbinado brown sugar, and zest of a lemon in a small pot. 
2. Keep stirring in between. This is what you should have after 7 minutes. Turn off the stove and set aside. 
MAKE THE PANCAKES
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients… whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar. Mix.
4. Add the chia seeds. Mix. Set aside.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients… ricotta cheese, buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract, canola oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix well.
6. Now add the wet to the dry ingredients. 
7. Gently mix and fold. DO NOT OVERMIX.
8. This is how the batter should look. At this point add whipped egg whites for more fluffy pancakes.
9. Heat a nonstick pan on medium heat. Use a little Canola Oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Use a 1/4 cup to drop the batter onto the nonstick pan. 
10. Allow the pancakes to cook on each side until golden brown. Make sure you cook these through to avoid an uncooked batter in the center.
11. Add a stack of pancakes to a plate. 
12. Top with blueberry sauce. 
13. Indulge! So good, and relatively healthier for a Lemon Ricotta Pancake.
Oh my goodness these look delicious! I have to make these, there is no doubt about that! I am always looking for healthy yet delicious pancakes! One of my favorite pancake recipes is a applesauce oatmeal pancake from taste of home! I have subbed in pumpkin before too for the applesauce! I have even gotten my boyfriend to love them!
Thanks for sharing this recipe, here is the link to the pancakes I mentioned!
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Applesauce-Oatmeal-Pancakes
I made a low fat pumpkin ricotta version this weekend. These are beautiful!
The title of your post drew me in. I love ricotta! I can only imagine how dense and deliciuos these are. YUM!
The ingredient list in your pancakes does have me wanting to make some-yum! The picture does tell the story about two people having an awesome brunch-wish I had been there. This recipe has been saved-thanks!
Yes, yes, and yes! I wish I had these for breakfast this morning! 😀
I really just need the topping. Preferably in big spoonfuls. It looks amazing!
And 4pm? Really? I would have been irate! I get pretty cranky when I'm hungry…
You had me at blueberries. Oooh this will be perfect for my parents' birthday. I'm so excited.
Pancakes make me happy and healthy pancakes? Even better! Love the blueberry topping!
Oh gosh these look fabulous- I know I would love them! Well beaten egg whites are the key for fluffy pancakes! I'm not surprised that the ricotta added to the texture as I'm always pleasantly surprised when I add cottage cheese to pancake batter!
Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments. THese pancakes are really good, and pretty healthy.
@Khushboo – I will have to add an egg white and see if they become fluffier.. great idea!
@Hilliary – love that pancake recipe, I have it bookmarked. Thanks.
These pancakes were refreshing to eat, especially since they were on the healthier side. It was a great combination of lemon zest and bluberries. I thoroughly enjoyed this brunch and quality time.JC
We made this for dinner tonight and it turned out so good. This recipe is a keeper. We also have plenty of leftovers since I doubled the recipe.
@JC – thanks!
@Karen – I love hearing that. So glad you liked them. 🙂
Those pancakes are looking really good!
@Kevin – thanks so much! Really appreciate your comment.
Am totally making these for brinner tonight!!
@Karen – let me know how it turns out. 🙂
I woke up craving pancakes (the last one I had was like 4 months ago) and found your awesome recipe. They're really less carbageddon than classic one but without sacrificing the taste!
Thanks for sharing this!
Peace
Mike
wow!!! se ve esquisito!!!!
I love to make pancakes and these looks delicious. I will definitely be trying this in the morning.
ooo, i'm going to be trying this for a special breakfast on Sunday morning, they are absolutely mouth watering.
Caterers in Manchester
@David – Great. Let me know how it goes.
Instead of canola oil, what else can I use?
@Anonymous – instead of Canola, you can use Sunflower. Any neutral tasting oil. I don't recommend vegetable since it is high in saturated fat. Worst case, maybe you can use Light Olive Oil. Hope that helps.
Absolutely gorgeous! We had no blueberries so poached tart green apple slices in maple syrup and cinnamon and ladled them on top – perfect for a lazy winters morning!
@Anonymous – glad to hear it. Thank you so much!
These pancakes were absolutely delicious. They were light and fluffy. I didn't have any butter milk so i use 2% evaporated milk, and i left out the oil, but added the egg white. Best whole wheat pancakes ever!!
@Anonymous – you are so sweet.. glad you enjoyed them. I'm sure evaporated milk helped. 🙂
Just found your site via 17bites and can't wait to try these pancakes … love the lemon, blueberry, ricotta combo and love how luscious they look while still being sort of in the 'healthy' camp! beautiful!
I made these for lunch today and they were fantastic! I didn't have chia seeds, so I used poppy seeds instead. So light and fluffy! Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
I made these and they didn't look quite like yours but they were delicious! Thanks for the recipe! Briefly blogged and linked here: http://seefooddieter.blogspot.com/2012/09/catch-up-time.html
@Rachel – sorry for the delayed response. That's so great. Glad you enjoyed these pancakes.
@Kathy – who cares if they didn't look like mine, at least they were delish! 🙂 At the end of the day it's about how they taste, right?
A while back I saw a YouTube video made by an Indian lady who used a conventional oven turned to broil. I use my pizza stone on the top rack for this method (putting it in ahead of time so it can absorb the heat well), then slip the naan under the broiler for a very short amount of time. Also, she wet her hands and then patted the dough rounds with her wet hands just before putting them in the oven. They turned out very soft that way; I think it's the combo of high heat and short cooking time. But I want to try the pan method now, too.