I can’t say pancakes are my favorite food.
No, I have too many favorite foods to pick just one. Sweet potatoes, blueberries, pesto, good bread, kale, hummus, tomatoes…I love them equally. Pancakes are on that list too.
And I had the good fortune to happen upon the perfect recipe. It is perfect because though I use it over and over I’ve never made the same pancakes twice. Maybe that seems counterintuitive, but I like recipes that I can tweak however I please without freaking out about the possibility of debacle. Flexible recipes, customizable recipes. Tim and I have made these pancakes so many different ways I’ve lost count. They have been breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.
And these pancakes have quinoa in them. Quinoa. You know, the “mother grain.”
Also, we apologize for being a bit M.I.A. lately. We’ve had final projects and final exams due, and – well – life going on. So we’ve been a bit busy. We will soon be back to regular posting. But for now we offer you this humble pancake recipe and all its glorious, innumerable variations.
Quinoa Pancakes (adapted from Everyday Food)
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked grains (quinoa, amaranth, brown rice, or wheatberries)
3/4 cup flour (spelt, whole wheat, white, buckwheat, oat, etc.)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (more or less to taste)
2 eggs (or the equal amount of chia seeds, activated)
1 tablespoon oil (coconut, olive, canola, etc.) or butter
1/4 cup milk (coconut, almond, rice, cow, goat, sheep, camel, etc.)
2 tablespoons liquid sweetener (maple syrup, honey, agave, brown rice syrup)
Method:
In a bowl, combine all ingredients.
I recommend whisking the egg before adding it, but it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t.
If you’re using coconut oil, heat it before hand so it’s a liquid.
If the batter is not liquidy enough, add a little water or more milk.
Add something special to the batter…or don’t. It’s your choice.
Grated carrot, apple and ginger, stirred into the batter.
Or you could add anything else you like: banana, chocolate chips, blueberries, cooked sweet potato chunks…
Spices are a good idea too: cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, ginger, curry…
Or make a compote to go on top. Apple, cranberry, clove is a particular favorite. Tim has made a banana cardamon compote too.
Put a skillet over some heat (a stove top, a rocket stove) and coat it with oil or butter. Once hot, drop batter onto it by the spoonful. Make cakes whatever size you please. Cook until bubbles start to appear, then flip. Remove when brown on both sides. Repeat until batter is gone.
Consume as you wish.
