Guys…
I can’t even begin to tell you how PUMPED I am to be finally putting out my grain-free PALEO & VEGAN banana pancakes!
For a while I’ve been looking for a pancake recipe that Satya could enjoy with me (because I LOVE pancakes). Buuuuut, we’ve decided not to feed Satya any grains until she’s about 18 months. Why you might ask? Babies don’t produce salivatory amylase until that age – which is what helps to digest grains – making grains harder on the digestive system. They can also cause some inflammation in babies, and honestly, we just want to do our best to make sure she’s the happiest, healthiest baby we can!
Do some people feed their kids grains? Yup. And do those kids turn out fine? Of course they do. No judgement to any mama’s – we’re all over here doing our best, and trying to keep ourselves and our tiny humans alive. Ok? Your kid isn’t going to be horribly harmed if they eat grains, but it MAY adversely affect their digestion.
We’ve also been mindful not to give her processed/refined and overly sugary foods. I mean, the kid is already addicted to blueberries, I’d hate to see what would happen if we gave her anything sweeter?!
So, these pancakes…
Here’s the thing: I’ve never liked the idea of putting sugar IN the actual pancake anyway. Like why would you? You’re literally just going to pour liquid sugar all over the top of it and barely taste the pancake anyways! I’ve also been trying to reduce my personal intake of grains lately, as they’ve been upsetting my stomach. So I’ve been mindful to have grains once a day.
It’s not a hard and fast rule or anything, just something I’m becoming more aware of.
The more I practice Ashtanga and meditation, the more in tune I become with my body and the more I realize what foods work and what foods don’t.
At this point in my life, grains aren’t working so well. So I adjust my diet accordingly. And in true Mel fashion, I don’t compromise on taste… EVER! So I went to work creating a pancake recipe that used no added sugar
These pancakes are so, freakin’ simple to make. I think the hardest part was trying to wrangle Satya as I prepared the batter, and fried them on the pan.
They require just 7 simple ingredients:
- Almond flour
- Tapioca flour
- Banana
- Cinnamon
- Water/Almond milk
- Chia seeds
- And optional blueberries
and like, it’s hard to say because I spent half the time minding a baby but I’d say 15 minutes to make? Not even.
Now, these pancakes are a little thicker than the typical pancake. But if you like your pancakes thinner, you can totally add more water or almond milk and they’ll turn out juuuuust fine. Thinner.. but fine!
I’ve made these a few times now, and by far the best results I’ve had were when I blended the batter in my vitamix, as opposed to whisking in a bowl. You could use any blender really. But I have always struggled with banana bread, and banana baked things. If the banana is too chunky, it stays really moist but almost “uncooked” tasting.
When I blended everything together it gave the batter a really nice smoooth texture that made for a really consistent, delicious, evenly cooked pancake.
If you don’t want to bust out the blender that’s cool, but your pancakes might be a little chunkier that’s all!
PANCAKE HACK:
Use a measuring cup (I like 1/3) to spoon the pancake batter onto the pan – this will result in the most perfect, consistent pancakes you’ll ever make.
Now for the sauce…
Ok, I’m ALL about reducing the sugar content of things. Sugar is delicious, and don’t get me wrong I REALLY like sugar, but my body doesn’t like it.
Too much sugar can cause inflammation in the body, tax your liver, and lead to weight gain. So we really want to be mindful of how much sugar we’re taking in, and limit it where possible. Which is why I’m all about modifying pancake syrup to be lower in sugar.
For this recipe you can literally use any nut or seed butter, (about 1/4 cup) and mix it with 1 tbsp of maple syrup spooning in 1 tbsp of water at a time until desired consistency. I find this sauce super delish, but Vikram thought it was weird.
Whatever, Vikram.
He also “doesn’t really like pancakes, anyways” (meanwhile, he LITERALLY scarf’s them down whenever they’re in front of him).
Now, if you don’t want to make this sauce, you don’t have to! They taste equally delicious with just maple syrup drizzled on top, and some fruit for garnish!
Ok, are you ready for the actual recipe yet?!
If you try this recipe out please please let me know how you like it! Take a picture, post it on facebook and tag me @melissasinghwellness #yogifuel
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
pancakes
|
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 medium banana mashed
- 1 cup water/almond milk
- 1/2 cup blueberries optional
- 1/4 cup nut butter of choice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp water Plus extra
Ingredients
Pancakes
Optional Sauce
|
|
- Starting with the water, place all ingredients into your high speed blender, (EXCEPT BLUEBERRIES) and blend until a smooth batter has been created. Once the batter is smooth, transfer to a bowl and fold in the blueberries. If you find the batter too thick, add a little more liquid. NOTE: The thinner the batter, the thinner the pancake. The thicker the batter, the thicker the pancake - ESPECIALLY because we aren't using baking powder.
- Turn your stove to medium heat (or griddle pan) and place a frying pan on top. Lightly coat the pan with coconut oil (non-stick works best). Let the pan heat up for a couple minutes before placing your pancakes on top.
- Using a 1/3 cup, spoon your batter onto your pan of choice. Use the bottom of it to spread the batter into a perfect circle. I kept my batter quite thick, so I needed to do this in order to make them a normal shape.
- When little bubbles are forming on the top of the pancake, and the outsides are getting a little "dry/crispy" it's time to flip! The pancake should be sturdy and not falling apart.
- Leave on the other side for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate when done.
- Take 1/4 cup peanut butter and place it in a bowl with 1 tbsp maple syrup. Mix together with 1 tbsp water, and continually add water until desired thickness is created. If you're feeling lazy, you could also just spread some nut butter on top of your pancake, and top that with a little maple syrup.
- I did not give Satya this pancake with maple syrup, just a little bit of nut butter
- This recipe would be good for babies that are ALREADY eating solids (not like, your 3 month old).
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