Oat Pancakes (wheat free)

Oat Pancakes (wheat free)

These pancakes are perfect for a weekend breakfast because they are filling, healthy and delicious!  Better yet, they are very simple to make and require only a blender. That’s right, only one thing to wash!

• 1 1/2 cups wheat free oats
• 1/2 cup gluten free flour
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 heaping tablespoon local honey or coconut sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 large organic eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp grape seed oil or melted coconut oil
• coconut oil or butter for cooking

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients, except egg and coconut oil in the base of a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Add egg and pulse a few times until egg is fully incorporated.
3. Heat a pan over medium heat and melt a teaspoon or two of coconut oil.
4. When hot, pour the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.
5. Brown on both sides (about 2-3 minutes per side) and serve hot with maple syrup or sliced berries and organic greek yogurt.

Nutritional Nuggets:

We love oats for the following reasons:

1. Oats will prevent cravings.  A whole food like oats will take longer to digest, making you feel satiated.
2. Oats provide high levels of fiber, low levels of fat, and high levels of protein.
3. Oats stabilize blood sugar levels (key to weight loss) The high fiber and complex carbohydrates slow down the conversion of this whole food into simple sugars. The high levels of magnesium nourish the body’s proper use of glucose and insulin secretion.
4. Oats remove your bad cholesterol (without affecting your good cholesterol).  Many studies have shown that the unique fiber in oatmeal called beta-glucan, has beneficial effects on cholesterol levels.  Oats contain unique antioxidants beneficial for heart disease.  A study at Tufts University shows that the unique antioxidants in oatmeal called “avenanthramides, help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.”
5. Oats contain lignans which protect against heart disease and cancer.  Plant lignans get converted by intestinal flora into mammalian lignans. One lignan, called enterolactone, is thought to protect against breast and other hormone-dependent cancers as well as heart disease.
6. Oats protects against heart failure.  A Harvard study on 21,000 participants over 19 years showed that found that men who enjoyed a daily morning bowl of whole grain (but not refined) cereal had a 29 percent lower risk of heart failure.
7. Oats enhance immune response to disease. The unique fiber in oatmeal called beta-gluten also has been shown to helps neutrophils travel to the site of an infection more quickly and it also enhances their ability to eliminate the bacteria they find there.

Linda Ljucovic, Holistic Nutritionist, Balance Point Health Centre, Oakville

If you liked this recipe…try these:

Quinoa Porridge

Omega 3 Power Oatmeal

Banana Bread Oatmeal