Herbalicious Weekend Brunch

What is the perfect weekend brunch? Is it slices of warm toast with jelly/jam or is it golden parathas with yoghurt??? Is it light, fluffy omelettes or maybe it is steaming idlis/dosas(Indian savory snacks)??? It is so difficult to say which one is more perfect...they are all so scrumptious.

Well, we had this great weekend brunch which was enjoyed by everyone in our family recently: Herb - filled  Spinach Pancakes topped with grilled tomatoes. For such a scrumptious dish, the best part is that it is an iron-rich power-packed dish...

Hope my readers will be able to enjoy this brunch one of these days too, with their loved ones.

This wonderful spinach pancake dish goes to Priya's Pancake event and to Healing Foods Event- Spinach  hosted by Divya and started by Siri.

Recipe for Spinach Pancakes with an assortment of herbs:

Yields: 6 to 8 servings
Prep/Cook Time 20-25 mins


Ingredients
10 ounces fresh spinach, well washed and cut finely, or one 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
cilantro and/or mint- 1 bunch cut finely(you could also use dill,
parsley or basil in this, in any combination)
2 cups all-purpose flour(or 1cup wheat flr + 1cup ap flr)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda,
1/2 tsp baking powder,
flaxseed - 1tbsp
salt
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk or thin yogurt
1 tablespoon minced lemon zest, optional,
ginger, garlic - minced (1tsp each),
green chillies - 2 cut finely
cut onion - 1
cooking oil(or butter) for cooking pancakes


Method

1. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Add a little cooking oil and add onions, ginger and garlic to it...when the onions start turning brown, add the cut spinach and other herbs to it and let cook for 4-5 mins. Then turn off heat and set aside.

2.In the meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add 1 1/2 cups buttermilk(or yoghurt) to it. Add a little more buttermilk if batter seems thick; then add the cooked spinach mixture to it.

3. Place a teaspoon or two of cooking oil (or butter)in a skillet. When the skillet turns nice and hot(oil will start bubbling), ladle batter onto skillet, making any size pancakes you like. Adjust heat as necessary; first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. Add more oil/butter to pan as necessary. Flip only when pancakes are fully cooked on bottom; they won't hold together well until they are ready.

4. Cook until second side is lightly browned; and move from pan to serving dish.

Suggested garnish: lemon zest, cilantro, mint...I topped the pancakes with some grilled tomato slices and a little skimmed mozarella cheese.

Notes:

1.To make these pancakes even more protein-rich, you could optionally beat a couple of eggs into the batter.

2.If the batter looks or cooks too thin (that is, it spreads unappealingly over the pan), add a little flour, or some more spinach. If it is too thick, stir in some liquid -- milk, water, stock, whatever -- a spoonful at a time. The batter should be spoonable but not pourable.