Ahhh!...it’s Saturday morning...it’s Austin’s designated “pancake day.” It’s a regular work day for my hubby so it’s just me and my son at home. Pancakes are the focal point and the starting point of his weekend breakfast. He usually has his smoothies during school days but in the weekend, he looks forward to what he calls his “deluxe breakfast.” On Friday evenings, he’ll actually ask me “what time do I wake you up to make my breakfast, Mama?” I leave our home very early during the work week so Saturday morning is just the only time I get to sleep in a bit...my own little way of indulging.
So I try to do different variations of pancakes. You see, he started having some food sensitivity almost a year ago. For six months, he had to be strict with the list of food he can’t eat and I sort of work around this list. These days, we’ve been introducing some items every now and then and it seems to be working for him. No more breakouts so far. However, he can’t just go crazy yet so most times we still stick to no eggs, definitely no dairy and although he’s not really completely allergic to gluten, we try to simplify and use oat flour, buckwheat flour and the occasional spelt which poses no problems for him.
Blueberry pancakes are his favourite but this week, I felt like making pancakes that’s a cross between chocolate banana bread and something I grew up eating in the Philippines - banana fritters. How yummy! It brings back childhood memories for me (although at my age, I can't really eat this too much). It would have been better if the bananas were from my dad’s backyard but hey, organic Ecuadorian bananas will do just fine. They are not local but Canada is just not the land for banana trees. I hope everyone will enjoy this as much as we do.
Austin’s Saturday “Deluxe” Pancakes (Banana, Chocolate and Strawberry Vegan Pancakes)
Ingredients (preferably organic)
Dry Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. oat flour
1/4 c. buckwheat flour
3 Tbsp. cacao powder
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla powder
1/4 tsp. Himalayan crystal salt
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
Wet Ingredients:
1 1/2 nut milk of choice (I used homemade cashew milk)
1 very ripe banana, chopped (to be blended with the nut milk)
1 banana thinly sliced (to be mixed with the batter)
coconut oil to cook the pancakes
Garnish:
sliced strawberries
sliced bananas
cacao powder
maple syrup
Method:
1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
2. Combine the one banana with the nut milk in a blender and pulse until well blended.
3. Pour the nut milk/banana mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the banana slices then stir the mixture until well combined then set the batter aside for at least 10 minutes.
4. Heat a little coconut oil into a skillet and pour 1/4 c. of the batter for each pancake making sure 4 banana slices go to each one. Turn the heat into low and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes. It should form some bubbles on top and check the underside for doneness, then flip over to cook the other side.
5. You can place the cooked ones in a warm oven while waiting for the rest to be done. This makes about 10 pancakes.
6. Serve by sprinkling cacao powder, top with a mixture of strawberries and more bananas then drizzle with pure organic Canadian maple syrup. Enjoy!
Suggestions:
1. If you want a thicker mixture, you can reduce the nut milk to 1 1/4 then the pancakes will be more dense and thicker.
2. You can also use other berries for toppings. By mixing the berries with bananas, it gives it a little tartness for an enhanced flavour. If you are using blueberries or strawberries, make sure that they organic since they are on the dirty dozen+ list of produce high in pesticide. You can check the list here.
Last week, I received my interim certificate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I’m halfway through my holistic health coach training. How exciting! It felt like I just started yesterday but it has already been 20 weeks. I am very grateful for this small victory and I can’t wait to finish the whole course!
I hope everyone is enjoying this time of year. Toronto had some winter weather with some snow and freezing rain last week but I will wait patiently for the trees and flowers to bloom. I am looking forward to take pictures when they do!
Warmly,
Lina