A New Twist on Hoecakes!

Hoecakes.  Johnnycakes.  Griddle cakes.  Pancakes.  Flapjacks.  Whatever you call them, you love them, right?  I’m most familiar with the humble pancake.  And I usually associate the word with the pillowy goodness of a fluffy, golden brown buttermilk disk, smothered in {real} butter and drenched in warm maple syrup.  Now I’m hungry for pancakes.

But sometimes I like a good, hearty, hoecake.  Seriously, though, I never call them hoecakes, I call them griddle cakes.  The word hoecake is definitely more fun to say.  What the heck is a hoecake, you ask?  The term “hoecake” originated here in North America in the mid-1700’s.  Field hands would fashion little “cakes” from cornmeal and water and then would cook the cakes on a shovel or hoe over an open flame.

Photo source: survivaltek.com

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term first appears in printed form in 1745. Washington Irving mentions hoe cakes at least twice in his satirical History of New-York (1809): “ . . . the enemy, who were represented as a gigantic, gunpowder race of men, who lived on hoe cakes and bacon, drank mint juleps and apple toddy, and were exceedingly expert at boxing, biting, gouging, tar and feathering, and a variety of other athletic accomplishments, which they had borrowed from their cousins german and prototypes the Virginians, to whom they have ever borne considerable resemblance.”  (http://historymyths.wordpress.com)

Corn (maize), of course, was plentiful and had been used in cooking by Native Americans for many years before the European explorers came to the New World.  But before long, corn was being used to make all kinds of dishes by Americans like cornbread, grits, and liquors such as whiskey and moonshine (and moonshine is having a resurgence of popularity and legitimacy these days, but that’s the subject of another post . . .).

Enough food history (I love food history).  My new griddle cake recipe screws everything up because I’m taking out the cornmeal and using  . . . wait for it . . . quinoa!  I’ve made several savory quinoa griddle cakes with great success, so I thought, why not make a sweet one that would be suitable for breakfast or brunch?  What a great way to start the day–the berries provide a super antioxidant kick, too.  Superfood Griddle Cakes!

Banana Berry Quinoa Griddle Cakes with Berry Infused Greek Yogurt

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled (I used Trader Joe’s organic quinoa)
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries (if using frozen, thaw)
• 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, plain or honey or vanilla flavored, divided(I used honey flavored low-fat)
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 TBSP light brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup seedless berry jam (such as raspberry)

[I made this recipe and took the photos really early on a Saturday morning.  Did you spot the empty ramekin in the top right corner?  That was supposed to contain the sugar.  The sugar did make it into the batter, just not the picture.  Yawn.]

Directions:

Combine quinoa, banana, berries, 2 tablespoons Green yogurt, wheat flour, salt, cinnamon and sugars in a medium bowl and mix well.

Heat about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium –high heat. When the oil is hot, scoop about ¼ cup of the quinoa mixture at a time and drop onto skillet, flattening slightly with the back of your spatula. Cooking in batches of 4 at a time, cook the cakes until they’re browned on one side, about 5 min. Flip carefully and cook about 5-7 min longer. Add a little more vegetable oil in between batches, if needed. Keep the quinoa cakes warm in the oven until all batter is cooked. Serve with Berry Infused Greek Yogurt.

To make the Berry Infused Greek Yogurt, put the jam in a small bowl and microwave for 20 seconds until melted or super-soft. Make the yogurt mixture ahead and chill if you want to serve it cold. You can also use yogurt without the jam, or berry flavored yogurt, if desired.