Your New Favorite Pancakes!

Eating breakfast is an important way to start your day. But I’ll admit that sometimes I don’t feel like eating breakfast. So I don’t eat! Tip of the day – don’t eat if you aren’t hungry! Seriously though, breakfast is meant to “break the fast” and I do enjoy a variety of breakfasts.

I’m not sure why people think they must eat only “breakfast” foods for breakfast. You know, sometimes I have my left-over dinner for breakfast. If it’s a nutritiously balanced, plant-based whole foods meal, I think it can be consumed for any meal!  But sometimes I do like to enjoy breakfast comfort food like pancakes. I’m going to show you how to make my favorite pancakes without dairy or oils.

The first thing to do is make the “egg”; really we are just making a binding mixture which is what the egg does. Add 3 tablespoons of hot water to 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed in a small bowl. Stir it up and let it sit while you mix the other ingredients.

In a medium bowl, add the following:

• 1 cup gluten free baking flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose 1:1 Gluten Free Flour)
• 1 cup almond milk or hemp milk or soy milk (whatever you have in the fridge!)
• 1 tbsp. pure maple syrup (or leave it out and just add some syrup when you are eating them)
• 3 tsp. baking powder (be sure it is “aluminum free”)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon (optional; more or less to taste if you use)
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 – 2 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce (this is a great substitute for oil)
• ½ cup blueberries or raspberries (optional) – can be fresh or frozen

Then add the flax/water mixture. With a wire whisk, mix all of the ingredients together.

In a non-stick skillet, heat the pan over medium-high heat add ¼ cup of batter for each pancake; being sure that there is enough space between the pancakes to flip. I’m trying to cut back on my oils so I’ll use a non-stick pan that doesn’t require oils, but you can add oil if you wish. Just remember, oils have a lot of calories, fat and no fiber – so if you choose to keep oils in your diet, do so in moderation and opt for only high-quality, unrefined oils!

Cook about 5 minutes and then flip to cook another 5 minutes on the other side or until the pancake is fully cooked.

Serve with pure maple syrup and extra cinnamon or berries if desired. There are many variations with dairy-free chocolate chips (or raw cacao nibs!) or other berries or fruit, like apple.

Put the leftover pancakes (no judgement if there aren’t any leftovers!) in a sealed container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days.

I’d love to hear about your creations so leave me a comment please!