Once upon a time this winter, Nora wanted snowman pancakes. I was happy to oblige, conditionally. They also had to be healthy pancakes. We both got what we wanted, with a bonus:they turned out purplish (thanks to a key ingredient: black rice). Juvenile dream come true: We are officially Purple Snowman Eaters. Great times in the dead of winter. The pancakes were delicious (Frank ate 6), and really fun to make with Nora.
My recipe for Healthy Pancakes (aka Purple Snowmen) follows…after a brief history of our culinary frolic.
We started with eggs from our own chickens. Can you spot the double yolker? How does a double yolker translate in a recipe? One extra extra large? Two?
With enough liquid added (wet ingredients minus egg whites), my whole grain mixture was reduced to a fine texture in my blender. I didn’t want chunks of grain. Folding the batter gently into the whipped egg whites made for nicely fluffy pancakes. Fluffiness is rare in gluten free recipes.
(Nora of course designed the actual snowmen.)
However, there’s an intense learning curve in flipping Snowman Pancakes… Nora’s first attempt looked Calvin & Hobbes-esque.
We happily accepted Ezra’s input, with his amazing engineer skills (snowman decapitation, cured).
Yummmm. Nora loved her purplish snowmen with sugar on top. Mom, on the other hand:
Enjoyed my healthy purplish pancakes just a little more grownup. I made a delicious topping with my mom’s frozen blueberries, fresh lemon, agave, freshly ground nutmeg, and a spot of almond extract (just a spot!). Added a dollop of whipped cream with a pecan to make it extra pretty…oh, and finally,a spoonful of apricot jam (love how apricots and blueberries mingle). Mmm.
1/2 cup Buttermilk (Substitute sour cream+ yogurt, or ricotta cheese, if needed)
1/2 cup Nuts (almonds, pecans, unsweetened coconut) (almonds, pecans, unsweetened coconut--nuts will be ground in blender with the rest of the ingredients)
1/3 cup Butter or Coconut oil (or both together...melted)
1/3 cup Agave ((or honey, or raw sugar))
1 1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Almond Milk ((or milk, or soy milk))
2 Teaspoons Vanilla extract ((or use fresh vanilla beans))
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons baking powder (I use Calumet; baking powders with aluminum taste nasty and aren't good for you)
5 eggs, separated (yolks go in the blender with other ingredients; egg whites are whipped with baking powder)
Directions
Separate eggs first. This will give your egg whites time to reach room temperature while you assemble the other ingredients...room temp is optimal whipping temperature for eggs. Yolks go in the batter with all other ingredients.
(Remember to wash your quinoa. Your pancakes will taste bitter if you don't. Washing your rice isn't quite as critical, though I think it improves the flavor). Put all ingredients, minus the eggwhites, in your blender. Blend WELL; you want a smooth texture. Set aside while you take care of your egg whites.
Beat your egg whites until they are white and fluffy, forming defined peaks. A little at a time, fold the batter from your blender into your whipped egg whites, taking care not to over mix.
Use a large spoon or small measuring cup to drop batter onto a hot griddle (350 degrees), forming snowman shapes. Pancakes are ready to turn over to cook on the other side when bubbles form in the middle. Kinda hard to tell when they're completely done...you have to take a peek and see how they look.
Lemon Blueberry Pancake Sauce
Combine about 2 cups of frozen blueberries with the juice of a whole, large lemon, 3/4 cup of agave, a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg, and a tiny drop of almond extract. Mix. Serve over hot pancakes with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
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Looks yummy!!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Hugs,
Deb
Thank you Debbie.
I know what I’ll be doing next weekend! They look beyond delicious~*
Tabetha recently posted…Snow, Outages & MLK Motivations~*
Thanks Tabetha! Assuming you have power…(= (I don’t know; do you think Dutch oven pancakes would work?)
Lynaea