Banana Cornmeal Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 ripe banana, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 egg whites
• Vegetable oil for cast iron skillet

Garnish:

• Unsalted butter, softened
• Maple syrup

Directions

Heat a cast iron pan over low heat to warm up for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl combine the cornmeal and flour. Stir the cinnamon, baking soda and brown sugar together and add to the bowl. Add a pinch of salt. In another bowl combine the yogurt, vanilla and milk. Using a wooden spoon, stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Lightly fold in the bananas and melted butter. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold in the egg whites.

Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the skillet and add 1 tablespoon of batter to the pan, spreading the batter to form even 2-inch pancakes. Cook until bubbles cover the surface, flip and cook until golden underneath, about 30-40 seconds. Continue with the remaining batter. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.