Breakfast Recipes

Oatmeal Buttermilk Cinnamon Pancakes
Yield: 20 (4-inch pancakes)

I love pancakes, but have not loved the way traditionally-made pancakes make me feel…like I’ve just eaten a candy bar because they are so “refined” and sweet.   Soaking the oats in buttermilk overnight helps to break down the oats and make them easier to digest.  This hearty pancake recipe helps keep your blood-sugar levels even by using oats as the base and some good fat to boot.  You will feel nothing but nourished after eating them even with some “real” blueberry maple syrup drizzled on top!  Make these pancakes the new tradition for Saturday mornings.

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
3 cups buttermilk
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons Sucanat
*½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 large free-range organic eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Butter for the griddle

Procedure:

  1. Stir oats into 2 cups buttermilk in a medium bowl and let stand, overnight, covered in the fridge.
  2. Whisk together flours, Sucanat, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until combined well.  In the oat/buttermilk mixture stir in remaining 1 cup buttermilk, eggs until well combined.  Stir in the dry ingredients until just blended.
  3. Brush a large skillet or griddle with a little butter and heat over moderately high heat until droplets of water scatter over the griddle.  Pour the batter onto the griddle by ¼-cup measures and cook pancakes for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden, brushing the griddle with some of the melted butter as necessary.
  4. Transfer pancakes as they are cooked to a sheet pan and keep warm in a preheated 225° oven.  Serve pancakes toped with blueberry syrup.

Notes:

Sucanat is unrefined, evaporated sugar cane juice…with all of its mineral and micronutrients in tact.  You can purchase Sucanat from a health food store.  I always use this in the equal amount that a recipe calls for white sugar. 

 

Blueberry Syrup Yield: 2/3 Cup

Sometimes kids can get a little crazy with pouring too much maple syrup on their already sweet pancakes.  This recipe for blueberry syrup gives them something sweet and good to pour all over their pancakes without all the sugary sweetness of just plain syrup.  

Ingredients:

1 (6 oz) container fresh blueberries or 1 cup frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Notes:

Bring blueberries to a simmer in a small saucepan with maple syrup until blueberries burst, mixture is thickened and reduced to 2/3 cup, about 10 minutes.  Serve immediately over pancakes or homemade ice cream…yum!