Banana Pancakes, Grain Free

My recent ventures onto the paleo diet have opened up a whole new world of cooking without dairy. This pancake makes for a hearty breakfast with no need for maple syrup – my favorite is to defrost a bag of organic berries for the topping. Thank you to Mark’s Daily Apple for the inspiration!

 Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 1 heaping tablespoon almond butter (feel free to substitute with your favorite nut butter)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 170 degrees and place an oven safe plate inside. As you cook each pancake, transfer it to the plate to keep it warm.

In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas and combine the remaining ingredients – mix well. On a skillet heated to medium, lightly “butter” the griddle. Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set and then transfer to your warming plate in the oven.

Peanut Butter – Banana Smoothie

A yummy healthy snack for when you get those milk shake cravings

Ingredients

• 1 cup soy milk (I prefer plain unsweetened in this case)
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter (or your favorite nut butter)
• 1 banana
• 5 ice cubes

Directions

Combine, blend until smoothie consistency, and drink!

Baked Banana Oatmeal Bars

This breakfast favorite was adapted from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.
The original can be found here Baked Banana Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 3 cups quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup almond or soy milk
• 2 tablespoons “butter”
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 bananas – mashed  

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and stir well. Spread in a greased 9×13 pan.

Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. Once cooled, separate into bars with a spatula. They bag up individually very well. Makes a great on-the-go breakfast.