Winter Warmer Series: Flippin’ Good Flapjacks

We will be posting a series of recipes to help win you over from those winter blues! Our first recipe is the perfect place to start: Pancakes! Jack Johnson was spot on when he proclaimed banana pancakes to be weekend mood-food. And, we don’t know about you, but for us, as it gets colder, two words spring to mind… Pancake weather! These flapjacks are a healthy spin-off of their original counterparts, but taste just as good! Bring on the Sunday brunches and breakfast munches with family, friends and these fabulous flapjacks.

They contain whole grain oats and banana which together pack a powerful nutrient punch of fibre, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, copper, biotin, vitamins B1, B6, C, magnesium, chromium, zinc, and protein! Talk about a mouthful!
The health benefits of oats have been documented in numerous studies, but below is a recap:

• Oats may reduce asthma risk in children
• Oats may boost the nutrition profile of gluten-free diets
• Oats increases appetite-control hormones
• Oat beta glucans improve immune system defences
• Oats may help to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
• Oats may improve insulin sensitivity
• Oats lowers LDL cholesterol
• Oats helps to control blood pressure

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cup oats
• ½ cup whole-wheat flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ cup low fat milk*
• 2 ripe bananas
• Cinnamon & sugar mix
• Fresh lemon wedges
• Spray and cook

*For those who are lactose intolerant or allergic to cow’s milk, any milk alternative can also been used

Method:

1. Pulse the oats in a blender for about 30 seconds until it forms a fine ‘oat flour’. Add the regular flour, baking powder and salt. Mix to incorporate.
2. Blend the banana until it forms a paste.
3. Add the banana and the milk to the dry ingredients. Mix well.
4. Heat a medium sized pan on the stove (don’t let it get too hot, these flapjacks brown quickly!) We cooked our flapjacks on heat setting 4.
5. Spray your pan with spray and cook.
6. Drop a spoonful of the mixture on the pan, it doesn’t bubble like normal flapjacks, so flip them after about 30 seconds.
7. After flipping your flapjack, flip again to ensure that it is properly cooked.
8. Keep warm; serve with ½ tsp. cinnamon & sugar mix and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
9. Makes 12 medium sized pancakes.

And just how guilt-free is this pleasure you may ask? Each flapjack with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon sugar contains 420kJ, 4g Protein, 20g Carbohydrate and 2g Fat. Added bonus? These are egg free and can be made dairy free (and therefore vegan) if a milk alternative is used. What are you waiting for? Get flipping!