The Main Ingredient – Blueberry and Vanilla Chip Pancakes
As I sit here in the kitchen at 7:10am on Tuesday I am happy to report that I am in the process of fulfilling my four year olds request for pancakes on a school day. Usually pancakes are a weekend only specialty. But we just got back from vacation and we are still on East coast time and so are waking a bit earlier than usual. With a whole extra thirty minutes in the morning, I actually have time to cook breakfast! This recipe is my own creation that came from omitting and adding several ingredients from a recipe my friend Karlyn gave me several years ago. I am constantly reinventing it in different ways but the five basic ingredients are so simple I have memorized them and hardly even measure them out. I just kind of put it all together.
It is simply, 1 egg, 1 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons of oil, 3 teaspoons of baking powder and enough milk to make it into a batter. (1, 1, 2, 3, splash, splash, splash) I usually make blueberry, chocolate chip or banana chocolate chip pancakes. Use your imagination to concoct a family favorite of your own.
Ingredients
1 egg – preferably from a pastured hen
1 cup of organic white flour
¼ cup of wheat germ (optional)
2 tablespoons of canola oil plus 1 tablespoon to grease pan
3 teaspoons of aluminum free baking powder
1 ½ cups of milk (almond milk, rice or soy are O.K. too)
2 teaspoons of agave nectar (optional)
1/3 cup of fresh or frozen organic blueberries
1/3 cup of white chocolate chips
Place a large skillet or a griddle on the stovetop, grease pan or griddle with about 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Turn on heat to medium – low.
In a large bowl beat the egg. Add the flour, wheat germ, oil, baking powder, and milk. Stir until smooth enough to just drip off a spoon, adding a bit more milk if needed. Stir in agave nectar. Stir in blueberries and chips.
With a large spoon or small ladle, pour batter onto griddle or into pan in 4” circles. Leave enough space so the circles do not touch. Turn heat down to low and when pancake edges look firm, flip with a spatula. Continue cooking until golden brown, about 3 more minutes. Transfer to plate and serve with real maple syrup.
Makes about 14 four-inch pancakes.
Tip: I prefer Bob’s Red Mill Double Acting Baking Powder. It is aluminum free. After all who wants metal in your pancakes (unless it is iron)? Keep your baking powder in the refrigerator, NOT the pantry. You can also freeze it. I really noticed a difference in both the taste of the pancakes and how well they rose. They are much lighter and fluffier with fresh baking powder!