Help Mom lighten up on her big day

HEALTH | Consider brunch that tastes delicious but isn't packed with calories

Traditional brunch fare often is heavy and usually includes fatty meats, such as bacon and sausage.

Eggs Benedict is a case in point -- two eggs, ham and a buttery sauce combined to deliver a nutritional triple whammy of carbohydrates, calories and as much as 30 grams of fat.

Even pancakes and waffles can have a stick of melted butter hidden in the batter, plus more for the griddle.

For a lighter Mother's Day brunch, consider making these scrumptious, Lemon-Lovers' Ricotta Pancakes, which look similar to traditional pancakes but are quite different when you take a bite.

The pancakes get a double hit of citrus flavor from half a cup of lemon juice plus grated lemon zest.

Part-skim ricotta cheese stands in for milk in the batter and lends a subtle cheesecake-like flavor to the pancakes while making them crispier on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. Fat-free ricotta can be substituted, but the results won't be quite as moist and tender.

Since the part-skim ricotta contains a little fat, only a tablespoon of oil needs to be added to the batter. To help reduce unhealthy saturated fat, canola oil is used instead of butter, which isn't missed, thanks to the many other prominent flavors in the pancakes.

To reduce fat even further, the recipe calls for only one whole egg plus two egg whites, which contribute to the light and fluffy texture without adding fat.

Finally, cooking the pancakes on a nonstick surface allows you to use little oil and still get crispy, golden results.

A quick blueberry sauce is a perfect complement to the lemony flavor of the pancakes, plus it adds a nutritious fruit to the dish. If you prefer, maple syrup or a strawberry sauce is delicious, as well.

AP