One thing we have a lot of these days: apples.
I buy a half-bushel (about 20 pounds?) of “seconds” from a local orchard for $6. Can’t beat that. Right now, honeycrisp apples are being harvested. These apples don’t keep well in the fridge for long periods of time like galas, and apparently they’re not the best for apple pies (haven’t tried personally, but that’s what the nice woman at the stand told me), so what’s left? Eat ’em quick, eat ’em fresh. Since they have a shorter shelf-life, honeycrisp apples probably can’t be found at Wal-mart or most neighborhood supermarkets. They’re more of the fruit stand variety. And boy, are they amazing! Probably my favorite apple. Crispy, light, and sweet with a slight lemon tang. Honeycrisp is definitely an appropriate name for this delightful fruit.
My husband’s been ultra-busy this past week so dinners have been just me and the kids. Which requires it to be simple and fast, and more kid friendly since I don’t have the support of my hubby to encourage the kids to try new/exotic foods and/or food combinations. Tonight we had pancakes topped with fresh applesauce.
The thing I love about this recipe (my pancakes are always a little different each time around since I experiment with different flours and ingredients) is that they were really fluffy and big (they puffed up quite a bit). I really liked the mild flavor created by the combination of almond milk and the two different flours. Even though I used two bananas it didn’t make it taste “bananay” (although to more discerning/picky taste buds it might?), but rather gave it a moist texture. I added the flax seed for a nutritional boost (golden flax seed is lighter than regular and has a milder taste) and it acts in the same way oil and eggs do in a traditional pancake recipe.
I’m a HUGE fan of whole wheat pastry flour, which has all the fiber and nutrients of whole wheat but is lighter and more favorable for recipes in which you don’t want a dense or heavy product. Also, a great choice if you’re transitioning your family away from refined products. We had a bunch of leftovers–sometimes we freeze these, but usually we put them in a zip lock bag in the fridge and the kids eat them as snacks the next day.
This dinner may seem sparse, but for us it was more than enough. Add sliced oranges as a side dish, or if you’re feeling ambitious, add hash browns and/or a tofu scramble.
All in all, it took me, from start to finish, about 20 minutes, maybe less, to put this together. My kind of meal.
Whole Grain Fluffy Pancakes
3 c. whole wheat pastry flour/white wheat flour (not the same as whole wheat!)
1 c. fine cornmeal flour
2 TBS. baking powder
2 TBS. sugar (OPTIONAL)
2 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 c. original almond milk
1/4 c. ground or whole golden flax seed
2 medium ripe bananas
Sift dry ingredients with a wire whisk. Combine almond milk, flax seed, bananas, and cinnamon in blender until flax seed is thoroughly blended into mixture. On a medium-high non-stick griddle, use about 1/4-1/3 c. batter (I used a round ice cream scoop to help me be precise) and cook for 1-2 minutes, flip, and cook for half as long on other side until golden brown. Top with applesauce, maple or fruit syrup, nut butter, and/or a bit of earth balance.
Makes 24, 4-inch round pancakes.
Nutrition Info: (based on CRON-O-METER) Per 4 inch round pancake, 101 calories, 2.5 g protein, 19.4 g carb, 1.5 g fat, 1 g fiber, 3 g sugar, .396 g omega-3 fats
Fresh Applesauce
3-4 medium/large apples (I used honeycrisp), seeded and cut into large chunks
1-2 TBS. fresh lemon juice (start out with less, you can always add more later)
handful of pitted dates (about 4-6)
Combine in blender and blend until dates are thoroughly blended. Will keep in the fridge for a day or two (but I’ll bet you won’t have any leftovers!).
Comments