Looking for a special breakfast meal this holiday season? How about something with a yummy honey flavor along with the seasonings of gingerbread? I came up with this recipe and just loved it. It’s not the lowest carb’d breakfast you can serve, but it is still about 8 net carbs and is really filling. Add a couple of slices of bacon or sausage and it will last you until dinner.

Honey Ginger Pancakes with Pecan Sauce

2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese, whole milk
2 tablespoons Coconut or Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon Cloves, ground
2 teaspoons Ginger, ground
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg, ground
1 teaspoon Ginger paste
1 teaspoon Ginger, Crystallized, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
2 tablespoons Sugar–free Honey
2 large Eggs
1/4 cup Bakesquick or Carbquick Mix or other Low Carb Flour
2 tablespoons Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

Honey Ginger Pecan Sauce

1/4 cup Butter
2 tablespoons Sugar Free Honey
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Ginger paste
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup Pecan pieces

In a medium bowl, add ricotta cheese, oil, and eggs and beat together with a whisk or a rubber spatula. (I use the small end of my double-sided spatula for this.) Add the seasonings — cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and ginger paste– and add the sugar substitute and sugar-free honey. Hold on to the ginger crystals for now. Mix it into the egg mixture well.

In a small bowl, add the low carb flour of choice, the vanilla whey powder, baking powder and baking soda and mix together. Add to the egg mixture and stir until fully mixed in. The batter should be thick, but easy to spread in the pan. Chop the candied ginger into little bits and stir into the batter. If the batter is too thick, thin with a little water.

Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle until a drop of water skittles across it. Lower to a medium high head and spoon two heaping tablespoons of the batter into the skillet. Spread to form about a 4 to 5 inch pancake. If there is room, add a second pan cake. Cover and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until the top no longer looks wet and the spatula slides easily under the cake. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes until browned on the bottom.

Remove to a warm plate and keep warm in a low oven while you prepare the rest of the cakes.

For the Ginger Pecan Sauce:
In a non-stick pan, melt the butter. Add the ground ginger, ginger paste, and cinnamon and mix well. Stir in the chopped pecans and honey and toast for a couple of minutes. Be careful not to burn them. Pour over the pancakes and serve.

Makes 2 servings of 2 pancakes each.

Pancakes only:
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 286.7 Fat: 21.5 g Net Carbs: 6.1 g Protein: 15.6 g

Sauce Only:
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 418 Fat: 44.9 g Net Carbs: 1.9 g Protein: 3.0 g

Note: Want to cut the calories some? Just use sugar-free maple syrup in place of the Ginger Pecan Sauce or use 1/4 cup of pecan pieces instead of 1/2 cup. That will lower the calories by 100 per serving. Or only eat one pancake and 1/4 of the sauce.