Few thoughts are more delightful than pancakes on a Sunday. When I was little my parents let me help make the batter, which consisted of adding milk and eggs to the boxed pancake mix. While this is one way to streamline the otherwise lengthy process of making pancakes from scratch, you end up with a meal rich in refined flours - not to mention drowning them in butter and syrup. But I get it, it’s easy. Over the years I’ve learnt if it’s not easy, I’ll never make it often, no matter how healthy or delicious it is.
So what keeps pancakes as an occasional treat in my home is that it takes so long to make them if you’re trying to avoid the mix. I love this redefinition of an old favourite.
These are pancakes that are ready in under 15 minutes with only three whole unrefined ingredients - which means pancakes loaded with protein and fibre to sustain a day full of hiking, beach playing, and gardening.
My childhood pancakes were delicious, which is the main reason we choose the majority of the foods we eat at the end of the day. They were topped with plain yogurt, seasonal fruit, peanut butter, and jam. The yogurt may sound weird but it’s worth a try at least once. Weekend pancake breakfasts with friends were a tradition during university, and I slowly but surely converted most of my hesitant breakfast guests to yogurt-on-pancakes lovers. By adding more flavour with yogurt or natural peanut butter you may even find you need less syrup and butter.
Banana Oat Pancakes
Serves 1 Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1/3 cup slow oats
1 ripe banana
2 eggs
Pinch of sea salt
1 tsp avocado oil (for cooking)
Toppings:
2 Tbsp plain yogurt (or Tree Island Vanilla Bean yogurt)
1/2 cup sliced strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries
Directions:
Combine banana, oats, eggs and salt in a blender. Blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Preheat a skillet on medium heat, add a little avocado oil.
Pour enough batter for one or two pancakes into the skillet.
Flip once the batter begins to bubble, after about 2 mins. Cook on other side for another 1-2 mins.
Serve pancakes topped with 1/2 cup sliced fruit, 2 tbsp plain or lightly sweetened yogurt.
Nutrition facts per serving (including toppings above): 460 calories, 22g protein, 17g fat, 56g carbohydrates, 8g fibre, 21 sugar, 254mg sodium, 705mg potassium
Enjoy! - Shannon Smith, RD