Oatmeal banana pancakes

A healthier breakfast indulgence

My family loves pancakes — and coffee cake, muffins, and everything that should be a special treat but happens to taste great every weekend. So in an attempt to bring a dash of healthy to the table for at least one breakfast, I found a recipe for pancakes made with ground oats and banana instead of flour and white sugar. 

I'd never made anything like these before and was plenty skeptical. And no, these pancakes will in no way replace traditional pancakes in my book — but they'll be great to swap in every so often. The key, I think, is to really blend the batter so it's smooth — that way you lose the mushy oat texture. Also, the riper your banana, the sweeter and more flavorful the batter. 

This recipe makes enough to feed four people, if you have something extra to serve on the side like fruit or sausage. For a party of two, cutting the recipe in half would be just about perfect. Or, you could freeze the leftover pancakes — I hear that works like a charm!

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OATMEAL BANANA PANCAKES

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
2 cups oats
1 and 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk
1 large ripe banana
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 heaping TBS honey
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
2 TBS butter, melted

WHAT YOU'LL DO:
Place all ingredients except egg in a blender and blend until smooth. Add egg and pulse until combined. Heat griddle or large pan, slather pan with butter, then pour 1/4 cup scoops of batter onto the griddle. At first, cook about 3 minutes on one side, then turn. As griddle gets hotter, cook 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve with the toppings of your choice.

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Now my family still topped these cakes with butter and syrup, but at least I could feel good about giving them a more hearty base for their sugary flourishes. Myself, I went for a little layer of butter (duh) and a very thin layer of Nutella... Okay, and maybe a dusting of powdered sugar. What can I say? I'm no angel.