One of my favorite games to play with the twins is “Guess the Secret Ingredient.”
Maxwell and Sophia, I learned early on, will willingly try new foods as long as they do not know the ingredient list. For example, if I told them ahead of time that there was cauliflower in their quesadillas, they never would’ve touched them. However, if they go in under the assumption that they are your ordinary quesadillas, they’ll eat it enthusiastically.
It has become our Sunday morning routine to make a variation of a normal breakfast item (pancakes, waffles, french toast, scrambles, etc.), incorporating an out of the ordinary (for them) ingredient. The topic of conversation for the duration of the meal consists our game of “Guess the Secret Ingredient.”
The twins will ask yes and no questions (“Is it a fruit?,” “Is it a spice?,” “Is it a type of wood?”) and make guesses (“Is it cinnamon?,” “Is it pinecones?,” “Is it banana?”), and I will respond accordingly (“No,” “No,” “No,” “There is cinnamon, but that’s not the secret ingredient,” “What?,” and “No.”).
Most recently, the secret ingredient was blue cornmeal. Both Max and Sophie were confused by the light blue hue of these puffy pancakes. The obvious first guess was blueberries. It was also the fifth, thirteenth, and twenty-secondth guess, in what seemed to be a hope that I had changed my mind about what the actual secret ingredient was. Other guesses included raisins, potato, raspberries, a blue-type of plastic, grapes, green eggs and ham, and blueberry juice. When Sophia had finished and Max only had a few bites left, they asked for a hint. I told them it was a grain that was often confused as a vegetable. Still baffled, I told them it becomes very popular around Thanksgiving. Sophia guessed it immediately.
These pancakes are perfect with a simple spread of vegan butter and a bit of maple syrup, though Max enjoys all of his pancakes plain and Sophie likes hers with some homemade cashew butter. Because I like to get a little adventurous, I made some sweet, tangy cashew ricotta and bright mango sauce to top these hearty blue corn pancakes. It was the perfect combination and so incredibly filling.
Whether you are looking for a healthy, hearty, delicious-yet-filling break from your normal weekend brunch or you need something to stump some youngins in a round of “Guess the Secret Ingredient,” these pancakes are the perfect choice. I recommend using them for both, even if it means having to find some random kids to serve breakfast to. Wait, actually, don’t do that.
blue corn pancakes
with sweet cashew ricotta & mango sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 3/4 cups blue cornmeal
- 3/4 cup gluten-free flour blend(I used Cara's)
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- dash of nutmeg
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for 1 hour or overnight
- 3 tablespoons of the cashew-soaking water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 packet of stevia or 1 teaspoon vegan sugar
- dash of cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups mango, diced small (I used frozen)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
Instructions
- Make cashew ricotta before everything else. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Combine all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil. Once it begins to boil, lower to a simmer. Let it simmer, stirring frequently, until it becomes thick and sauce-like, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Combine the milk and apple cider vinegar and allow to curdle for about 5-10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients. Once the milk has curdled, add to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before cooking.
- Heat a large pan over medium/low heat for a couple minutes. Very lightly spray the pan with vegan cooking spray and use a measuring cup (1/4 cup or 1/3 cup), also lightly sprayed with cooking spray, to pour the batter into the pan. Don’t overcrowd the pancakes, giving them enough room to spread as needed. Remember to respray the measuring cup and the pan in between pancakes. Once the pancake edges begin to lift up, after about 3-4 minutes, flip the pancake and let cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- If not serving immediately, let rest on a cooling rack, covered with a clean kitchen towel or aluminum foil. Top the pancakes with the cashew ricotta and mango sauce or just maple syrup and serve. Enjoy!
Photography by Chris Miller
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how perfect! i sometimes add cornmeal to pancakes on the weekend to give them a nice cornbready type taste. but i never thought to use blue cornmeal! i’m a big fan of the cashew ricotta and the mango sauce looks so so good.
THank you, Caitlin! I’m all over cornmeal in my pancakes lately- it must be that cornbready taste that I love!
These looks so delicious! I love the mango topping for the pancakes- such a great lower-sugar alternative!
Also, I think that game is just the cutest! I want to start doing that with everyone I share my food with- I always surprise people
Thank, Gabby! Can you believe that Chris has never had fruit on his pancakes before? It’s my favorite- maple syrup can just be too sweet sometimes (I can only do a tiny bit when I use it.).
Gorgeous Kristy! I love this story of tricking the twins and can SO totally relate! Funny to hear that they are onto you though
I need to make my poor kids pancakes more, those look amazing!
Hahaha! I’m so glad I’m not the only one! It’s so funny how kids will turn their noses up to something without trying it. Chris and I laugh about it all the time. “Hmmm. That has green beans in it? Yeah, no, thank you. I can’t even look at it.” “Cashews, you say? That’s weird. No, thank you.” It’s good to know that we’re not the only ones.
Aren’t those pretty! Gimme that big ol’ stack of pancakes!
Come on over, Annie!
Mmm, looks great, Kristy! Blue cornmeal makes cornmeal-based dishes seem infinitely more special. Curse my local co-op for always being out of stock of the blue stuff! I’ll find it somehow.
Yes, curse your co-op! What’s their problem? I guess it just runs out quickly because everybody knows how awesome it is.
Cute story:) These pancakes look delicious! Cashew ricotta in there is a great idea!!
Thank you, Lysa!
What a great game & a great recipe
Thank you, CJ!
These sound delicious! However, as I am not vegan/vegetarian, I was wondering what I can use to replace the ener-g ingredient? How many eggs are in 2T of it, if you know?
Thanks so much!
Chris
Thanks, Christopher! I wish I could help you but it’s been forever since I’ve used eggs- there’s just so many more delicious and healthy ways to substitute them! If you don’t have the ener-g egg replacer, I would just use 2 tablespoons of flax meal or even just cornstarch would work.
Good luck!
These pancakes are so beautiful! I love cornmeal pancakes in general, but these are completely stunning with the little dark blue flecks. Your cashew ricotta sounds so bomb. Also love how you recounted that guessing game with the kiddos. So cute.
Thank you, Laura! That’s a huge compliment coming from you!
Awe, what a fun game! Great way to get kids to eat their veggies.
These look delicious! Love the cashew ricotta and mango topping. Genius!
Thank you, Courtney!
This all sounds so delicious! All of the components sound amazing together! What a fun idea to make a game out of guessing the secret ingredient. I did the same thing with my younger cousin when I served chocolate chip cookie dough made out of chickpeas at Christmas a year ago.
THank you, Cadry! It really is a fun game and it’s interesting to see their tastebuds at work, trying to identify certain flavors.
i love this game! man i would guess blueberries every 5th time too:))
love the colors of that stack.. mango and ricotta! yes i am there!
i do similar stuff with my omni friends.. feed them cauli mac and cheese. they all love it till they know about the secret ingredient.. then it is not well received:)
Thank you! And yeah, I’ve noticed that the game doesn’t go over as well with adults…
Hah aha if only Justin would find my Guess What’s in it! Game nearly as interesting as Sophie and Max does I would be in business – however he likes to know right away
I am forever disguising foods he has a slight dislike for over and over again in different ways to see if he eventually will find a way he likes said veggie – 9 times out of 10 it works…hmmm sounds like I am talking about a 3 year old and not a 32 year old 
I love your traditions you have with Sophie & Max and I LOVE these panny cakes and your toppings!
Thank you, Heather! I know that disguising game all too well, as I do it with my family (they’re super picky eaters- they don’t like most vegetables or anything healthy for that matter). It’s pretty funny to have to hide mushrooms in a recipe so that your mom will eat it.
That is such an unbelievably fun and creative idea! The guessing game I mean. I’d love to trick some of my friends like that!
These pancakes look so pretty. Would you say that the taste of the blue corn meal was different from regular ol’ cornmeal? Sorry if that’s a dumb question!
Thanks, Jackie! It is a pretty fun game, especially when you’re on the “making-other-people-guess” end.
To me, blue-corn is slightly less sweet than regular cornmeal. Either way, cornmeal pancakes are probably my favorites!