Six degrees of Kevin Bacon even at the breakfast table

My sons' favorite dinner isn't really dinner at all.

They love it when I serve pancakes for the evening meal, a tradition they've labeled "backwards night."

I feel better about putting pancakes on the dinner table when they're healthy ones. And when I don't have time to crack eggs and mix up a batch from scratch, I grab the box of Lehi Roller Mills Heart Healthy Hotcakes.

Lehi Roller Mills mixes are new to the area (you can find them at Jewel and Costco), but the company, based in Lehi, Utah, has been around for more than 100 years. You might recognize the mill as the one where Kevin Bacon worked and where the gang put on a dance in the 1984 teen classic "Footloose."

Sadly, Bacon doesn't dance through my kitchen when I mix up a batch of hot cakes, but my boys do their own celebratory footwork when I put a stack on the table.

The pancakes have zero trans fats, no preservatives and are packed with fiber, calcium and Omega-3 fatty acids. Knowing there's all that good stuff in the pancake eases my mind a bit when the artificially flavored maple syrup puddles on the plate. (I'm still working on breaking that habit.) Anyway, I add a couple of strips of lean bacon, some apple or pear slices and a tropical smoothie to the menu, and my kids have a pretty well-rounded meal that will tide them over until, well, breakfast.

There are other whole-grain and healthy mixes on store shelves, but put in the ease-of-preparation category, Lehi Roller Mills comes out ahead. The mix comes together by stirring in some water - no eggs, no oil - so they're easy enough to make on school mornings as well.

Seeing red: Eating healthy starts at breakfast, but must be continued throughout the day. Part of eating healthy means eating the recommended seven to 11 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

You can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, with a beautiful salad. Create a salad that starts with two cups of greens, toss in handfuls of onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and dried or fresh fruit, and you could easily have six servings in front of you. Keep in mind that one-quarter cup of dried fruit, one-half cup of fresh fruit or vegetables or one cup of leafy salad greens counts as a serving.

Try this Radicchio, Spinach and Pear Salad, compliments of the radicchio growers at Royal Rose, for lunch or dinner this week.

In a large bowl, combine half a head of radicchio (cored and chopped), a 10-ounce bag of fresh spinach leaves (chopped), three ripe Bartlett pears (cored and sliced) and one quarter of a red onion (thinly sliced).

In a small saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons each of balsamic vinegar and olive oil gently over medium heat until hot. Pour over salad and toss until evenly dressed. Add 6 ounces of crumbled Gorgonzola or other creamy blue cheese, and one-half cup of chopped or caramelized pecans.

Class act: Shirley Corriher, author of the newly released "BakeWise" and the critically acclaimed "CookWise: Secrets of Cooking Revealed" will be in the area later this month for a special class at the Viking Cooking School and Culinary Shop in Glenview. Corriher also is a common face on television and often appears with Alton Brown on Food Network's "Good Eats."

From 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, you can watch (and then taste) as Corriher demonstrates Deep Dark Chocolate Cake, Perfect Shiny Ganache Icing and Chocolate Ribbons, Blueberries and Bourdeaux Pie (topped with mascarpone, honey and whipped cream) and her Best Ever Sour Cream Cornbread.

The class costs $79 and advanced registration is required. The school is at 1140 N. Milwaukee Ave., Glenview. Register at (847) 350-0705.

- Deborah Pankey

• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at (847) 427-4524 or food@dailyherald.com.