I Love Saturday Pancakes (Paleo-Style)!

It’s Saturday. It’s the Saturday after I found out I am still cancer-free (six years now). Time to celebrate! What better way than with one of my favorite weekend treats: Saturday pancakes! Pancakes are one of my most favorite foods ever. I do miss them since giving up wheat. We ate at Perkins recently and while I enjoyed my omelet and bacon, all I could think about was those wonderful fluffy pancakes dripping in syrup. Woe is me….

I’ve tried a couple of gluten-free and paleo pancake recipes recently and actually came up with one of my own: Paleo Banana Almond Pancakes. These pancakes are great for when you have that one lone overripe banana in the basket that no one wants to eat. Woe is the banana….. I know these pancakes aren’t as good the real thing, but they are still pretty darn tasty. Plus, if I don’t put too much syrup on them, I don’t feel so full, bloated and tired the rest of the day. Regular wheat pancakes always tended to do that to me. I loved to eat them, but I didn’t love how they made me feel.

Gluten-free and paleo pancakes are different than regular wheat pancakes. They don’t have as much structure, so they must be made smaller in order to not fall apart. I have an eighth-cup measure that I use to pour the batter out. It works great, but you could also pour them out by the heaping tablespoonful. I have a well-seasoned non-stick griddle, but I still find it very helpful to oil the griddle. Trust me – oil the surface well! I just dip a paper towel in the oil and lightly wipe it across the griddle surface. These are wonderful served with a little maple syrup and some crisp bacon. It’s a wonderful treat that won’t have you regretting it later.

Banana Almond Pancakes
Paleo, Low-Carb, Not Low-FODMAP*
makes 10 pancakes

Ingredients
1 large ripe banana, mashed (about 1/3 cup)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon walnut oil (plus more for oiling the griddle)
2 – 3 tablespoons almond milk (or milk of your choice)
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat griddle to 350 degrees F (or heat a skillet over medium heat).
2. Combine the banana, eggs, walnut oil, milk and cider vinegar in a large bowl. Mix well. Add the almond flour, flax, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and stir until well combined. Batter will be thick.
3. Lightly oil griddle or skillet surface with walnut oil. Pour batter onto griddle using an 1/8 cup measure or a heaping tablespoon. Pancakes are ready to flip when bubbles pop on surface of pancake. Continue cooking other side until golden brown.

*These pancakes are made with almond flour/meal, which is high in oligosaccharides, and therefore may not be appropriate for the elimination phase of the low-FODMAP diet.

Nutrition Facts per pancake (calculated by MyFitnessPal): Calories 103, Carbs 6g, Fat 8g, Protein 4g, Fiber 2g, Sugar 2 g.