Golden Cornmeal Weekend Pancakes

It’s a sunny Sunday and I am craving pancakes. Usually the craving dissipates and I lazily return to my regular soft-boiled egg and a slice or two of power bread, or even just granola with yogurt and fresh blueberries. But today was different. The sunrays gently warmed the kitchen, and the percolator was noisily bubbling away, wafting the delicious coffee aroma my way.  Even if I am alone, I still should treat myself to pancakes, right? I can always freeze the leftovers….

So off I went creating, developing, and soon the kitchen counters were covered with my various flours, seeds, sweeteners, and kitchen utensils. I was in my element and I was happy. I wanted bright and gold pancakes, with a crispy edge but still soft on the inside. Something a little nutty, but not overwhelming so I could toast the leftovers in place of bread for another breakfast another day.

Using masa harina in this recipe gives the pancakes that soft sunny glow and comforting taste of cornbread. Mixed with both brown rice and tapioca flours, this base is great for those on a gluten-free diet. However, since tapioca flour contains no fiber, I decided to add ground psyllium husk to help increase the soluble fiber content of the pancakes. I know I like to talk and hound about fiber often, but its importance is not to be disregarded. Remember fiber helps balance blood sugar, aides in digestion, feeds healthy gut bacteria, captures excess cholesterol, and can even clean away cancerous cells. You can read more about fiber here and here. I also added whole flax seeds which not only pack 8g of fiber per ounce but also are a great source of alpha-linolenic fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation in the body! Finally utilizing soymilk in place of dairy and applesauce and honey in place of sugar, this pancake remains very allergen friendly. A little ginger and a little lemon zest brighten the flavors to match the golden color of the cornmeal.

Now that we have such wonderful pancakes, what can we put on them?

Here are a few of my favorite ways to eat pancakes:

1. Top with a dollop of plain yogurt (dairy or non-dairy), roasted walnuts, and fresh berries.

2. Spread with almond butter, top with banana slices and a drizzle of maple syrup.

3. Top with sautéed greens and an extra virgin olive oil fried egg , salt and pepper and hot sauce.

4. Toast a frozen pancake and:

• Cut into slices and dip into a soft-boiled egg
• Open-faced sandwich: top with crème fraiche/avocado, tomato slices, oregano, salt and pepper

Golden Cornmeal Pancakes

Makes 12 pancakes

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup unsweetened soy milk

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons ground psyllium husk

1 tablespoon raw honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Juice of ½ small lemon

Dry Ingredients: 

1 cup brown rice flour

½ cup masa harina (fine corn flour)

½ cup tapioca flour/starch
1/8 teaspoon xantham gum

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons whole flax seeds

Extra virgin coconut oil for frying

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl add water, soy milk, applesauce, ground psyllium husk, honey, vanilla, lemon juice, and ginger and mix together. Let stand about 5 minutes to allow psyllium husk to swell.

2. In a separate large bowl, mix together brown rice flour, masa harina, tapioca flour, xantham gum, sea salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flax seeds.

3. When the psyllium mixture is ready, gently fold into the flour.

4. Heat a small frying pan to medium-low and add a bit of coconut oil. Use a ¼ cup-measuring spoon to drop batter into pan. You may need to spread the batter out a bit with a spatula to get desired shape. Fry on both sides and keep warm in oven (175 degrees).

Note: Freezing is a great option for leftover pancakes. Allow remaining pancakes to cool completely and put into freezer safe Ziploc bags. You can easily reheat them by toasting individual pancakes in toaster on high. It’s a quick and easy way to enjoy pancakes without the clean up!