Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Yes, I lied. I never really did get back to posting here. I have found a few recipes that I wanted to document so that I don't lose them and I can share them with people. My 17 month old daughter is dairy and soy free so it's been a little bit of a challenge to plan meals and find foods that she can eat.

My dear friend introduced me to this recipe and gets all the credit. She's done most of the playing around with it and was the one to rave about them. I just adapted it to work for our family being dairy/ soy free. This is a great recipe to get some veggies into your toddler and it's pretty quick to mix up! They are also easy to freeze and throw in a to-go container for on-the-go snacks! I have not made them egg-free but I'm pretty sure that they can be made by substituting the egg with flaxseed meal + water. 


Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Adapted from Mayo Clinic

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup water

2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup flour (I use white whole wheat but works well with all purpose as well)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 almond milk (or any milk alternative) OR 1/2 cup 1 percent low-fat milk + 1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt

1 banana, peeled and mashed 

1 egg, lightly beaten

* optional: ground flaxseed meal, wheat germ, shredded vegetables* (carrots, zucchini, broccoli), dried cranberries, chia seeds, mashed sweet potato, chocolate chips

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the oats and water. Microwave on high until the oats are creamy and tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and canola oil. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Whisk to blend.

Add the milk/ yogurt and banana to the oats and stir until well blended. Beat in the egg. Add the flour mixture to the oat mixture and stir just until moistened.  Mix in an of the optional ingredients at this time. I add in about 1/2- 3/4 cup of shredded vegetables usually.  *works best if you squeeze excess water out of shredded vegetables.

Place a nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles as it hits the pan, spoon 1/4 cup pancake batter into the pan. Cook until the top surface of the pancake is covered with bubbles and the edges are lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook until the bottom is well browned and the pancake is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Repeat with the remaining pancake batter.

update: I now cook them in a stainless steel pan coated with coconut oil and they cook up perfectly. I do find that the density of the batter can make them difficult to cook all the way thru, especially when shredded vegetables are added. I would add more milk if you find they aren't cooking through. 

This is a regular banana oatmeal pancake:

 And this is one with zucchini, broccoli, carrot, chia seeds, flaxseed meal and wheat germ: