Quinoa Pancakes with Coconut Walnut Syrup

Whether you know me personally or you only know me from this blog, you probably learned that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and the undisputed ruler of my breakfast table is the humble pancake. While they are delicious, unless you eat a pretty sizeable stack, they don't tend to have the "staying power" to get me through to lunch. Enter quinoa, my new secret satiety weapon.


If you caught my recent post on Red Quinoa Tabouleh, then you're already well-versed in the many nutritional benefits of quinoa. But quinoa is available in a variety of forms, each of them useful for a different cooking applications. There are over 120 different varieties of quinoa, and quinoa flour and quinoa flakes are widely available in most health food stores and an increasing number of supermarkets. This recipe is written so you can add a little leftover cooked quinoa to the batter, giving you a pancake with a satisfying whole gain feel.  If you have really picky eaters who will complain about anything "foreign" in their pancakes, use quinoa flakes - they are virtually undetectable when added to batters and baked goods.  Quinoa as a simple addition adds extra protein, fiber, B vitamins, and potassium to your breakfast. It's also gluten free, so if you swap gluten-free flour for the regular flour in this recipe, you'll have a great high-protein, gluten-free breakfast.

To make this dish a little extra special, I made a delicious syrup to top these secretly healthy pancakes. Walnuts are also a superfood, loaded with heart healthy omega-3's and vitamin E, plus they add a nice unexpected crunch. The flavor of the walnuts is balanced by sweet coconut flakes, which truthfully offer no health benefits to this recipe whatsoever, but they are delicious! To bring it all together, I use 100% real maple syrup. Real maple syrup is worth the price - it contains significant amounts of manganese and zinc to help your heart and immune system, and offers a stronger maple flavor than maple-flavored syrups, helping you use less which saves you calories. As an added bonus, the natural sugars in maple syrup are less likely to cause gas, bloating, and indigestion than more highly processed sugars in maple-flavored syrups. While this recipe doesn't make a ton of pancakes, they are definitely filling and you probably will have some leftovers. Let these cool completely on the counter, then arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer until frozen. Transfer the frozen pancakes into freezer bags to store for a fast and easy weekday breakfast - just reheat in the microwave. Enjoy!

Quinoa Pancakes, serves 4
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup cooked quinoa OR 3/4 cup quinoa flakes

Mix eggs, baking powder, and baking soda, let stand for 5 minutes until foamy. Stir in sugar, salt, vanilla, and oil. Alternate adding in flours and buttermilk until batter is smooth. Stir in quinoa or quinoa flakes. Ladle onto a hot griddle and cook until bubbles form and pop, then flip.

Coconut Walnut Syrup
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1 cup pure maple syrup

Toast walnuts in a dry, empty skillet over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently until fragrant. Warm syrup, add toasted nuts and coconut flakes, and enjoy immediately.