Happy National Pancake Day (with REAL Maple Syrup Please)

Pancakes are my daughter's favorite but I struggle with making them healthy and I must confess that many times I serve up pancakes made from Pamela's Baking and Pancake mix and move on, but on the days that I have more time I like to try and make them healthier for her.

Pancakes are a simple combination of flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, eggs, milk and fat. You can find numerous recipes on the internet or in any basic cookbook (when I googled there were 1.9 million hits). I am not a chef or an expert baker but I experiment with great enthusiasm in the kitchen. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but to follow are the things I have done to the basic pancake recipes to make them healthier.

Here is a basic recipe that I found from Food.com

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Flour - I would exchange the white flour for a more nutritious version. Whole Wheat, Coconut, Almond, Chickpea, Rice or any combination of healthier flours you like. You can also add a nice vegetable protein powder to your flour mixture.

Baking Powder - I use a non aluminum baking powder but I found this great blog, The Healthy Home Economist, with a recipe containing just two ingredients that I am going to try next time.

Sugar - I would use coconut sugar, honey, applesauce, rice syrup or maple syrup (if you use a liquid sugar you will need to adjust the milk component)

Eggs - I make sure to purchase organic, free range eggs (it is even better when you have a friend who has chickens and you use those!) I also like to whip the egg whites separately and fold them in to make fluffier pancakes.

Milk - I often exchange with rice, soy, or almond milk but if I use milk I use whole organic milk

Vegetable Oil - I use olive oil or coconut oil

My last suggestion, and desperate plea, is even if you don't want to spend the time making better pancakes (like me on a random Tuesday morning) I beg you, please use REAL maple syrup and not those chemical ladened maple "like" products. They are BAD, BAD, BAD for you and your family. Below is the list of ingredients found in one "Aunts" maple syrup like product:

INGREDIENTS: CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, CELLULOSE GUM, CARAMEL COLOR, SALT, SODIUM BENZOATE AND SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVES), ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE.

Really, what Aunt is whipping that up in her kitchen? What the heck is Sodium Hexametaphosphate? Please follow the link to the data sheet which clearly states "May be harmful if swallowed or inhaled" Are you freakin' kidding me!! Do you want to eat that or give it to anyone you love? I don't think so! Spend the extra money and use less maple syrup, which you will because it has real flavor.

Finally, you can top pancakes with fresh organic berries or a simple sauce made by heating berries in a saucepan and adding just a bit of maple syrup, rice syrup or coconut sugar.

Let me know how you make better pancakes!

All my best,

Linda