Robbie is 9 mo. old now and he loves these easy peasy pancakes for breakfast. This is not my recipe – thanks to Laurel Cellemme for showing me how to make them while we were camping last summer!
Ingredients for about 7 pancakes – the proportions listed are approximations
1 ripe banana
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c. almond meal (I use Trader Joes)
1/2 c. flour or pancake mix (all purpose, whole wheat, gluten free, anything will do)
1 spoonful of cottage cheese (or ricotta or greek yogurt)
A few Tablespoons of almond milk
A few Tablespoons of Oatmeal or Happy Baby Oatmeal
Butter for frying
Instructions
Heat the butter in the pan or griddle on medium low heat while you make the batter.
Mash one ripe banana in large bowl.
Mix in the wet ingredients (beaten egg and splash of almond milk and spoonful of cottage cheese/yogurt).
Slowly mix in the dry ingredients (almond meal, flour/pancake mix, oats/baby oatmeal) until the batter is a consistency you like for pancakes. I use about 2 Tablespoons of baby oatmeal.
Fry the pancakes in butter on low heat. Make them as big or small as you like.
Serve warm with jam, applesauce or nut butter or just as is.
These keep for a couple days in the fridge (they make a great snack on the go) and freeze well.
Some notes about the preferred ingredients:
Any pureed fruit, like applesauce, could be substituted for the mashed banana.
Freshly made (homemade) almond milk is best. When not available, Almond Breeze unsweetened almond milk, in either vanilla or plain, found in the refrigerated section is nutritious (high in Calcium and contains natural vitamin E instead of synthetic) and tastes the best. Not to be mistaken for the shelf stable Almond Breeze which is not as tasty.
Dairy products are ecologically expensive but nutritious and delicious so I typically use dairy in small amounts. Organic, grass fed dairy products- butter and cottage cheese/ yogurt/ ricotta in this recipe – are preferred because they best for the environment and our health. Raw milk is preferred but hard to find. Its important to avoid ultra pasturized (UHT) milk which is heated to very high temperatures, extending the shelf life while killing any traces of beneficial live properties in the milk. Most dairy products these days are free of growth hormones (RGBH) but organically grown is typically more respectful of the environmental resources used to produce them. Grass fed cows have higher amounts of healthy fats in their milk.
Butter is best for frying although a high heat tolerant oil or coconut oil could also be used. Avoid using olive oil for frying as high heat destroys its beneficial properties. Canola oil, which used to be considered a top choice for health, is now more controversial because of the deoderizers used in processing. Butter is minimally processed and, if obtained from the cream of a grass fed cow is a good choice because of the healthy fat profile – butter is high in saturated fat which is good for frying but grass fed cows also produce a good amount of conjugated linoleic acid (one that is good for you!)
Nothing beats locally produced, free range, organic eggs – they are high in choline, vitamin A and taste great. I get mine in a CSA or from my local farmers market.
I add oatmeal to the recipe for added fiber and texture. I use Happy Bellies oatmeal for my baby because it contains a decent amount of iron which he specifically needs at this stage. At another stage in his development I may choose to omit this ingredient or use plain whole oats purchased in the bulk section of the grocery store instead. My friend Laurel likes to run her oats through the food processor to make a rough-ish oat flour which is another option you might like to try.
Chocolate chips could be added to make these into a healthy dessert.
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about this recipe!
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