Blueberry Pancakes

Those of you that read yesterday's blog post know about this crazy diet we are undergoing because of some food allergies and sensitivities our son is having. Mostly, we are following a gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free and corn-free diet (amongst a few other things you can read more about here). I woke up yesterday morning craving something I thought I couldn't have (like most dieters out there) and realized that I COULD have it, I just had to be creative in the way I prepared it! I just needed to find substitutes for the milk, eggs and sweeteners! The following is the recipe I used and if I don't say so myself, they were mighty tasty. More importantly I got a "those aren't bad!" response from our son that kept snacking on them after he came home from playing soccer! That means it's a keeper. I hope you enjoy!

Oh, and in the past 2 days I have come to LOVE Coconut Oil! I have never used it before but it is super healthy and amazingly tasty! Here's what it looks like in case you've never seen it in the store before:

This recipe will yield roughly 12 medium sized pancakes (5 inch diameter).

Ingredients: 

Pancake Batter:

• 3 T flax seed
• 3/4 C water
• 2 C coconut milk
• 1 T honey
• 1 T molasses (I normally hate this stuff, but it's good for you and it works here!)
• 1 1/2 C white rice flour (or coconut flour)
• 2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t freshly ground nutmeg (if you don't grind it fresh, don't use it b/c it won't taste the same)
• 1 C blueberries
• 1/2 t lemon zest (optional, but I love it with blueberries)
• 1 t coconut oil (to grease the skillet)
• Syrup for topping: coconut nectar, agave, 100% maple syrup....just pick a healthy one! 

Blueberry Compote

• 1 1/2 C blueberries
• 1/2 t Stevia (natural sweetener)
• 2 T coconut oil

Directions:

Pancake Batter:

1. For your egg substitute:

Combine water and flax seed in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. In the meantime, whisk all of the dry ingredients and lemon zest together.

3. Pour the cooled egg substitute into a bowl with all of the wet ingredients and whip until combined.

4. Add the dry ingredients and mix until it is the consistency of pancake batter. 

I had to add a little more flour to make mine thick enough, but the recipe includes that so hopefully you won't need extra!

5. Stir in the blueberries!

6. On a hot skillet (about 350 degrees), add the coconut oil and brush to coat.

7. Use a scoop to pour the pancake batter onto the skillet and cook until bubbling all over.

8. Flip and cook until slightly brown on both sides and puffy in the middle.

In the meantime....

For the compote:

9. Heat coconut oil until melted in a sauce pan.

10. Add the blueberries and Stevia and saute on low until mixture resembles a compote.

11. Add to the top of the pancakes, along with a drizzle of your favorite healthy syrup and devour!

The taste to me was great! The texture was a little different, but extra moist (which I liked.) I hope all of you healthy foodies give it a whirl and let me know what you think!

Bon Appetit!