Apple Cinnamon Oat Pancakes

Sunday mornings remind me of waking up to family breakfast. My father’s favorite meal to cook was breakfast. And as morning came, it wouldn’t be a surprise if you woke up to the smell of bacon and syrup! Your mouth would instantly begin to water.

It was difficult not to dive in right away and I think Mom and I always felt guilty, but we’d run out the door on our morning run before we would dig in to a delicious breakfast!

Breakfast has also always been my favorite meal of the day! I always loved all breakfast foods and believe or not, I used to love venison breakfast sausage (before I was a vegetarian or vegan, of course!).

Since the season is changing and apples are in season in New York state, I decided to add apples and cinnamon to my homemade whole wheat pancake recipe. But you really could add anything you like….chocolate chips, blueberries, etc. I love homemade pancakes because they don’t have all the preservatives and crap that they use in store boughten mixes. And they are easy to make too!

The first thing I always do is get out all my ingredients.

Special note on agave nectar: Agave is common in the vegan community as a alternative sweetener to sugar, honey, or syrup. Sugar (white sugar to be more specific) is processed using animal bones to make it white. Honey, although a natural sweetener containing antioxidant properties and beneficial nutrients, is made from bees. And syrup may or may not be vegan depending on the source – pure is best! Agave is also popular because it is lower on the glycemic index (but still may cause a rise in blood sugar and does contains a high amount of fructose). 

Next, I added my dry ingredients (oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cane sugar, cinnamon) to a medium sized bowl. Then my wet ingredients (almond milk, agave, and flax egg) to my smaller bowl. For the flax egg, I use 1 Tbsp. flaxseed meal and 3 Tbsp. water. I usually mix it together in a cup or bowl then let it sit for a minute before adding it to my wet ingredients.

Then I peeled, cored, and cubed the apples. I used 2 apples. My parents have an apple slicer that is so awesome to do this, but I just use a vegetable peeler and paring knife. Then mixed all the ingredients together in one bowl then folded in the apples.

If the batter seems thick, you may want to add more almond milk. After you have your skillet warmed up coated with oil, add 1/4 cup fulls of batter to the skillet. Flip with a spatula once the edges are golden brown. Since mine were thicker than regular pancakes, I did cover them for a few minutes to help cook them inside since the outside will cook faster.

Spread with butter (I use Earth Balance, dairy and soy-free). Then drizzle with pure maple syrup or agave and enjoy!!

Yield: Makes 10-12 pancakes

Ingredients:

•  1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 1/4 c. whole-wheat flour (I used low-carb whole grain flour)
•  1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. flexseed meal
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 1 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup cane sugar
• 1/4 cup organic blue agave nectar
• 2-3 apples, peeled, cored, cubed

Directions: 

1.  Heat griddle or large pan with oil or non-cooking spray over low-medium heat.
2. Combine dry ingredients.
3. Mix flaxseed meal with water then let it sit for a minute.
4. Combine wet ingredients and add flax egg.
5. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients together.
6. Using 1.4 cup spoonfuls, add batter to griddle. Cook until golden brown on opposite side then flip. Drizzle with agave nectar or pure maple syrup!

Enjoy!