Pancakers.

Omelettes are wonderful, quiche is divine, but sometimes on a cold winter morning, nothing will do but a pile of steaming golden flapjacks.


These pancakes (pancakers, as my husband affectionately calls them) are made chiefly from nuts and seeds, and pack a heavy wallop of protein to keep you satiated for hours. However, they have a light, nutty texture and are wonderful with a variety of toppings. We've served ours with apples (or chayote squash cooked to impersonate apples! Thank you, Lauren!), hot rhubarb-cranberry sauce, mixed blueberries into the batter, and even topped them with whipped cream and sliced strawberries macerated in a little bit of lemon juice. I hope you find these to be as comforting as we have. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Pancakers

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 2 T. oil
• 8 drops stevia extract
• 2 T. erythritol (Or, substitute 2 pkts. Splenda)
  
  
• 1/4 c. nut flour (I use almond flour, but any type of nuts ground finely will do)
• 1/4 c. flaxseed meal
• 1/2 c. whey protein concentrate (I use Bob's Red Mill)
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. sea salt
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 t. baking powder

In a small bowl, combine sweeteners, eggs, buttermilk, and oil. Mix well, and set aside. (This gives the erythritol a little while to dissolve.)

In a second bowl, combine nut flour, flax, protein powder, spices, and leaveners. Whisk to combine. Then add wet mixture to dry mixture, and combine thoroughly.

Leave the batter out at room temperature for about 10 minutes, to give the flaxseed a chance to work its magic. Otherwise, the pancakes will turn out woefully thin and flat.

Meanwhile, preheat a large skillet over medium heat. When a drop of water dances on the surface, melt butter in the pan (I find a combination of a little oil with the butter works nicely) and coat evenly. Now, working quickly, drop three or four heaping tablespoons of batter into the pan, leaving plenty of room between them. These spread a lot, and are nowhere near as elastic as flour pancakes, so leave yourself room to maneuver between them. I can fit three flapjack sized pancakes in my 12" skillet.

Here comes the tricky part. Unlike flour pancakes, these cook very quickly and don't give all the telltale signs of being ready to flip (bubbles popping on the surface, etc.). If the edges get dry, most likely the bottom is already scorched, as protein powder scorches very easily. Any darker than light golden brown will taste unpleasantly burnt, like browned scrambled eggs. Ick.

So, watch them carefully, adjusting your heat if necessary, and as SOON as you can get your spatula underneath them, flip them over! They will need just a moment on the second side. If your heat is too high, they will scorch, but if it is too low, they won't get puffy. Practice makes perfect! Everyone's stove/pan scenario is a little bit different. :) Serve immediately with your toppings of choice.

I can make anywhere from 8-12 flapjack sized pancakes out of this recipe. They are very filling-- plan on an adult eating three or four 4"-5" diameter pancakes, unless they are VERY hungry. I count 8-10gr. net carbs in the entire recipe, depending on what variety of nut you are using (add about 1gr if using Splenda, too), so counts per pancake will vary.

(Click for a bigger image. Yum.)