Easy dinner recipes: Breakfast for dinner with pancakes 3 ways on Meatless Monday

Breakfast for dinner? You bet! Sometimes there’s nothing better than a plate of pancakes -- any time of the day. And they’re perfect ideas for Meatless Monday.

Neil’s pancakes from Clinton Street: These are some serious pancakes. Rich in flavor but light in texture (thanks to whipped egg whites), these are packed with fruit and nuts, and dusted with sugar — a perfect breakfast. You can make them with either blueberries or bananas. Or both. Every day should start -- or end -- like this.
Blueberry ricotta pancakes: Ricotta cheese adds richness and a gentle tang to these hearty pancakes, studded with plump blueberries. Hungry yet? Start to finish, they come together in only 45 minutes.
Pumpkin pancakes: Pancakes are an easy dish for any time of the day. This recipe uses canned pumpkin along with a medley of spices for fluffy cakes that come together in less than 30 minutes.

You can find the recipes below.

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And for more ideas, click through our easy dinner recipes gallery and check out our Dinner Tonight page, devoted to recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Looking for a particular type of recipe? Comment below or email me at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

NEIL’S PANCAKES FROM CLINTON STREET

Total time: 40 minutes

Servings: About 10 (3-inch) pancakes

Note: Adapted from Clinton Street in New York City. The restaurant serves the pancakes dusted with powdered sugar (blueberry pancakes) and cinnamon sugar (banana pancakes) and with maple butter.

2 cups (8½ ounces) flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups milk

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter, melted, plus butter for cooking on the griddle

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries or sliced bananas

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large bowl.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, melted butter and vanilla until combined. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry; the result should be slightly lumpy yet combined to form a batter.

3. In another bowl, whip the egg whites to medium peaks, being careful not to overwhip. Using a large spatula, gently fold half of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining egg whites. The batter will be slightly lumpy with bits of egg whites not fully incorporated (it will look like white caps on the ocean with foam on top).

4. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat until hot (350 to 375 degrees if using an electric griddle). Grease the hot griddle with a little butter, then drop a quarter-cup of batter onto the griddle top. Add 2 tablespoons blueberries or sliced bananas and a scant tablespoon chopped walnuts before flipping the pancake. Flip the pancake when bubbles have started to form on top and the bottom is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the heat. Cook the other side until golden brown and the pancake is fully cooked, an additional 1 to 3 minutes.

5. Continue until all of the batter is cooked. This makes about 10 (3-inch) pancakes. Serve warm.

Each pancake (prepared with blueberries): 272 calories; 7 grams protein; 32 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 14 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 78 mg cholesterol; 11 grams sugar; 253 mg sodium.

BLD’S BLUEBERRY RICOTTA PANCAKES

Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 8 (makes 16 pancakes)

Note: Adapted from BLD. The restaurant recommends using a dryer ricotta with large curds such as Gioia (a wet ricotta will make the batter grainy).

3 eggs, yolks and whites separated

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cups milk

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 pints blueberries

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and ricotta cheese so that there are no large lumps of cheese, but make sure the mixture does not become too smooth (this will make the pancakes wet and grainy). Whisk in the sugar, salt and vanilla, then the milk.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Fold this into the egg batter just until no lumps remain.

3. Separately, whip the egg whites to medium-stiff, shiny peaks, about 4 minutes. Gently fold these into the batter just until uniformly combined.

4. Ladle a generous one-fourth cup of batter onto a medium-hot, lightly greased griddle for each pancake. Place 10 to 12 blueberries on each pancake and cook, about 2 minutes per side, until the cakes are golden-brown and cooked through. Serve immediately with maple syrup on the side.

Each serving: 276 calories; 10 grams protein; 41 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 8 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 98 mg cholesterol; 369 mg sodium.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES

Total time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup milk

2 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar

1. In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and ginger.

2. In another bowl, combine the pumpkin, milk, egg yolks, brown sugar, butter and salt.

3. Add the liquid ingredients all at once to the dry, stirring just to blend; the batter should be slightly lumpy.

4. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry; fold the whites into the batter.

5. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or heavy skillet over medium high heat. For each pancake, pour one-fourth cup of batter onto the hot griddle, leaving space between the pancakes. When bubbles cover the surface of the pancakes and the undersides are browned, turn the pancakes over and cook for two minutes more. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Each serving: 325 calories; 10 grams protein; 47 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 11 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 130 mg. cholesterol; 414 mg. sodium.

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