Whole Wheat Blueberry Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes

Recently, my favorite (well,...only) pancake turner met an early and unfortunate demise.  Let's just say the combination of a very hot pan, quesadillas sticking to said pan and a non-silicone turner resulted in a slightly melted pancake turner (and a slightly not pleased Alida).  Now I am armed and dangerous with a fancy silicone pancake turner, ready to take on the world...of pancakes!   
What better way to christen this handy new tool than by making ricotta pancakes.  Ricotta pancakes are delicate to flip, so they're sure to put this new device to the test. 

Not just any ricotta pancake recipe would do, however.  It was time to liven up my go-to ricotta pancake recipe from Everyday Food.  First I swapped lemon zest for the orange zest, and whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose flour.  I then decided to add vanilla and blueberries to the recipe.

The result was fabulous!  We thought they were perfect without any topping, though you could add a little confectioners' sugar or maple syrup, if desired. 

While these pancakes are easy to make, the batter is quite thick, thus requiring a few extra minutes to cook and extra care when flipping. In the end, it is all worth it - trust me!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes
Yields 4 servings
15 ounces low fat ricotta cheese
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 cup blueberries
cooking spray
confectioners' sugar or maple syrup, for serving (optional)

1. In a medium bowl. whisk together ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, grated lemon zest and vanilla extract. 
2. Fold in flour until just combined; add blueberries, gently mixing until combined.
3. Spray large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium-low heat.  Add batter, using a scant 1/4 cup for each pancake.  Cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side.  Transfer pancakes to a paper towel-lined plate. 
4. Serve hot, with confectioners' sugar or maple syrup, if desired.

Adapted from Everyday Food