Oatmeal and Banana Pancakes [Vegan]

When it’s summer vacation, every day can be Saturday.

We’re halfway through the summer and have been working hard making the most of it. How has your summer been so far? On hot sunny days, we’ve been out on the lake, visiting the beach, splashing in wading pools and running through sprinklers. On overcast or misty, rainy days, we’ve been visiting galleries, playing games, watching movies and spending some time in the kitchen coming up with treats to celebrate our time together. What have you been doing? And do you have suggestions for things to try?

Before we know it, it’ll be time to get back into normal routines.

In the meantime, at our house, since summer vacation means every day is Saturday, the girls have been frequently requesting their favourite weekend breakfast: pancakes. And no longer is it only Emma consuming the pancakes; Katie has enthusiastically jumped on the pancake bandwagon too. I’ve had to increase the quantity of pancakes in a batch (by nearly double!!) and have made a few other tweaks to our pancake recipe — the one the girls thought couldn’t be improved upon. They really truly cannot get enough of these fluffy and delectable pancakes which have become our go-to pancakes a few times a week.

It’s still summer. There’s still time for lots of visits to the park and sandcastles at the beach. And Saturday morning pancakes – on Monday, or Thursday or Friday. Or whenever.

Oatmeal and Banana Pancakes [Vegan]

inspired by our standard pancake recipe
(makes 8-10 pancakes)

2 tbsp ground flaxseed
6 tbsp water
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup quick rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground kosher salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 tbsp melted unrefined coconut oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups rice milk, room temperature
maple syrup (optional)
ground cinnamon (optional)

Pre-heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high.

In a small bowl, vigorously mix together the ground flaxseed and water. Set aside when well combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in the ground flaxseed mixture, banana, rice milk, coconut oil and vanilla and mix until just combined. Do not over stir. Let the batter rest for a minute or two.

Add the batter to the preheated pan by half-ladle full and wait until bubbles have formed and popped. Flip the pancake and cook for a few minutes longer. They should be fluffy and golden in colour. Serve immediately with maple syrup and cinnamon to taste.

Enjoy!

Tips and Suggestions:

This batter will be lumpy. When making pancakes, this is a good thing. Be sure to not overmix the batter and remove all the lumps.
These are great at room temperature for no-crumb, easy on-the-go snacks. Pancakes are one of the few snacks that are great in the car for this reason: no crumbs.