Healthy Indulgences

Going to keep this post short and sweet. It’s been a busy weekend! Summer term is already wrapping up, with only a couple weeks of class left.

This morning, I got a craving for pancakes! I’ve been searching for a healthy low carb version of those fluffy white stacks of carb-fog-inducing bliss ever since I saw my friends chowing down on flapjacks at my favorite breakfast diner, The Golden Griddle. It’s a mandatory stop on our annual trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at the end of the school year. Every May, Dukies take over this quaint restaurant for a weekend, and get served by the likes of our super friendly waitress Kathleen, and other purveyors of Southern hospitality. We’ve had Kathleen as our server for two years running, so going to Golden Griddle now feels like a special welcome from the small beach town.

These pancakes are just perfect–fluffy, light, and lacking that musty whole grain flavor that tends to be associated with “healthy” bread products. In other words, they taste every bit as good as high carb white flour pancakes! They’re not grain-free, but they are dairy-free and gluten-free if made with certified gluten-free oats. I grind mine into a fine meal in my Magic Bullet or coffee grinder. If you’re looking for grain-free pancakes, check out this recipe using almond meal from Laura Dolson’s low carb about.com site. The blend of coconut and oat flours used here is much more budget-friendly (and low in calories, if you’re interested) than a nut meal based dish. Stay tuned for a recipe for all natural sugar-free “maple syrup”! If you don’t mind sucralose/Splenda sweetened products, the Maple Grove Farms brand sugar-free syrup is a satisfactory replacement for the carb filled “real thing.”

I eat a small serving of two flapjacks as an accompaniment dish to my standard breakfast of scrambled eggs and nitrate-free bacon, not as a main meal. Double or triple the batch to share the love!

Topped with real buttah. Viva la low carb!

Healthy Low Carb Pancakes

Makes 2 medium flapjacks. Serves 1.

Ingredients:
1.5 tablespoons organic heavy cream OR 2 tablespoons coconut milk
1 large egg
3.5 tablespoons water (use only three if using coconut milk)
1/4 cup sifted oat flour (made from GF oats)
2 tablespoons sifted coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon NuNaturals pure stevia extract OR 2 tablespoons sugar-free sweetener

Preparation:
Heat a nonstick pan (yes, I use nonstick and refuse to apologize) to medium heat, or until a drop of water sizzles and “dances” around the skillet. You don’t have to grease it. When measuring oat or coconut flour, sift a bit of it (or whisk it until the lumps are broken up), and lightly spoon the amount called for into a tablespoon or quarter cup measure. Level off with a knife. Whisk together egg and cream, and add dry ingredients. Whisk batter very well until there are no longer lumps. Let it sit for a minute or two to thicken up. Pour or scrape batter on to skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on surface of pancake. Flip and cook other side for about 30 seconds. Serve with butter and sugar-free maple syrup, or a bit of honey, if desired.

~12g net carbs per serving

What is your favorite healthy breakfast? Leave a comment and share it with us!

Recipes from other blogs you might enjoy:
Grain-Free Coconut Flour Pancakes @ Organic and Thrify
Gluten-Free Flapjacks @ Elana’s Pantry
Low Carb Almond Ricotta Pancakes @ Denver Low Carb Examiner
Purely Pecan Pancakes @ Local Forage