tightwad tuesday- a pancake brunch

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It's time for the second installment of 'tightwad tuesday'- a monthly posting created to feature meals that are tasty, healthy and budget conscious..... and also to provide a price per serving breakdown. And wouldn't you know it? I happened upon Rachel Ray last week while she sat as a guest on Larry King. She was all pumped up about a new feature being offering through her folksy food empire called Meals for a Steal. It's almost exactly the same format as the one I began back in February, only Ray's is promoted through her t.v. show, magazine, website and nation wide public appearances. Yeesh. Guess my idea wasn't as original as I thought. But I shall continue these installments, as I feel that there are many more interesting low cost recipe options besides Turkey Turnovers and Cheesy Hash Brown Chili. Did that sound too bitchy?

Today's meal is a weekend brunch, inspired by a Sunday morning date I'd set with my good pal, Gigi. We were way overdue for a catch up. Eating in a restaurant was likely to involve a lot of waiting and a busy, noisy environment. We were craving a 'free range' visit....one where we could impulsively hop on a laptop, look at books and muck about with craft supplies. So I suggested bringing brunch with me to her house.

It didn't take me long to pack up my little ingredients bucket, having already settled on a winter version of my dad's amazing cornmeal pancakes, which I like to embellish with yogurt, nuts, bananas, apples and homemade blackberry sauce plus chilled grapefruit slices served on the side (intended to provide a puckery contrast). The recipe below will serve 4 people. I used only half of the quantities to feed the 2 of us. The food cost for both servings came in at $4.10 (including 1 grapefruit), or $ 2.05 per person. (the blackberries were free, as they were still in my freezer from a self directed railway track-u-pick last summer).

Jack’s Cornmeal & Banana Pancakes with Berry Sauce

Berry Sauce:

2 cups berries, any kind
1/3 cup brown sugar

Put berries and sugar in a small pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, continuing to cook until some of the liquid has reduced (about 10 minutes).

Pancakes:

1 cup flour
½ cup cornmeal
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 banana, thinly sliced

3 tbsp melted butter
1 ¼ cup milk
1 egg

Toppings:

1 apple, cored and sliced
1/3 cup toasted coconut
1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup yogurt- any flavour

In large bowl, combine all dry ingredients, plus the sliced banana. Then add milk, then the egg, then the melted butter. Combine all. Heat up fry pan at low-medium. Add 1 tbsp oil. Put pancake batter into hot pan, in whatever shapes and sizes you like. Cook about 4 minutes. Flip. Cook until bottom is slightly golden brown. (about 2 minutes) Repeat until all batter is cooked. Place pancakes on dinner plates. Top each pancake with a good drizzle of blackberry sauce and then a generous dollop of yogurt. Next add the sliced apple and then a sprinkle of the cocnut and pumpkin seeds. Serves 4.