Whole Wheat Makeover #2: Pancakes with Strawberry Syrup

We all know that whole grains are good for our health, but I’ll be the first to admit that I gravitate towards a fluffy bright white piece of bread over a dark brown and seed-covered one any day. But when I started to read about the process of bleaching and otherwise refining flour, and the benefits of eating whole grains, I kind of put myself on a mission to find ways to eat whole wheat WITHOUT sacrificing taste and texture. So every once and a while I’ll do a post with a “whole wheat makeover” and let you know how that mission is going! The first makeover was that whole wheat bread a couple posts down, so this is number two.

When I woke up today and opened my eyes, the first thing I thought about was pancakes. I don’t know about you, but I consider pancakes to be one of the ultimate comfort foods. There’s something about having warm, syrup covered cake for breakfast that just makes the day brighter (could it be the spike in blood sugar? hmmm…) Jason actually cooks breakfast more than I do, but since I don’t have class today I decided I’d do the honors. We usually use a Better Homes and Gardens recipe for buttermilk pancakes, but that recipe with it’s butter, white sugar, and white flour is delicious with ZERO nutritional value. Here’s my shot at making a more healthy version with an easy strawberry syrup to go with it:

Easy Whole Wheat Pancakes

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 T. soft wheat or cake flour (I use White Lilly all-purpose)
• 1 T. demerara sugar
• 2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 almond milk
• 2 T. coconut oil
• 1 t. vanilla extract

Combine the dry ingredients in bowl until well mixed.

Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the remaining ingredients.

Whisk together just until smooth.

Done! So easy right? Heat a nonstick pan to medium-heat or a griddle to 350 degrees. While you’re waiting for the pan to heat, make the strawberry sauce. You’ll only need a few ingredients.

Simple Strawberry Sauce

• fresh strawberries ( I use 4 berries per servings of pancakes, so I have here)
• 1/2 t. cornstarch
• lemon juice
• water
• sugar to taste

Slice the strawberries into thick slices, about like this:

Put the strawberries into a small saucepan with a couple wedges of lemon juice, a couple tablespoons of water, and a pinch of sugar if you want the syrup a little sweeter. Place pan on medium high heat and allow it to cook down for about 5 minutes. The strawberries should start to get soft and the liquid will turn red.

Dissolve the cornstarch in about a tablespoon of water and add it to the pan. Cook a few more minutes until the sauce is a pretty see-through red color and thick in consistency. Turn the heat off and allow to cool.

Quick note: You can do this syrup with any fruit you like, or a fruit mix, and it will be great. I did it with blueberries on Christmas morning and it was quite tasty.

In the meantime, spoon the pancake batter onto your hot, greased griddle with a 1/3 cup measurer. You know the old rule, once the batter makes bubbles on top, it’s ready to flip.

Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides. Stack and add warm strawberry syrup.

Sit back and enjoy breakfast!

Yummmm. Thanks for reading!