These Quinoa Pancakes are part of my attempt to get myself back on track. I’ve gotten into a bad habit lately — picking up breakfast sandwiches on the way into work.
I’ve been too tired (aka lazy) to plan my meals ahead of time so I gravitate towards what’s easy – fast food. I love breakfast sandwiches – don’t get me wrong! It’s not the eggs that are the problem, it’s the bacon or sausage, coupled with the croissant / muffin / biscuit that holds all that goodness together. Too much fat, too many carbs, not so many health benefits.
I’ve made oatmeal pancakes before and I really like them, so quinoa pancakes seemed like a no-brainer. Don’t expect light and airy pancakes. The quinoa gives these some body.
Most pancakes, including these, can be made in advance, packaged in portions, and put in the frig or even frozen. In the morning when I’m tired I can just grab my food and stumble out the door. I can heat them up at work, top them with some fruit (fresh or frozen), and it’s a nutritious, low-fat start to my day!
I made a few tweaks to the original recipe. I didn’t have wheat bran so I crushed up some bran flakes and used those. I used 2 whole eggs instead of 1 egg + 1 T oil because I didn’t want to waste the yolk. I also added more spice because I love spices! The batter is thick, similar to muffin batter, so I used an ice cream scoop to drop it onto the skillet. I patted the batter down on the skillet to make them about 1/4 inch thick.
These are delish and I’ll be making them again. I hope you enjoy them too!
Quinoa Pancakes
Adapted from Rachel Cooks
Stuff you need:
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons ground flax-seed (flax meal)
1/4 cup wheat bran or crushed wheat bran cereal
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup almond milk or skim milk
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Now what?
In medium bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, ground flax-seed, wheat bran, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, and salt.
In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and syrup until smooth.
Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine. Do not overmix!
Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter or non-stick spray and heat over medium-high.
Drop batter by ice cream scoop onto skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top, 2-3 minutes. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes.
Serve with maple syrup or top with fruit.
They’ll travel well and would be great in lunches or to take to a pot luck.
