Almond Flour Pancakes (WF/GF/DF/Low Carb)

If you are sugar free, wheat free and dairy free, and want to eat low carb, breakfast options are limited, just because our American culture is SO heavy on carbohydrates as the way to start our day. I remember my Mom, who always seemed to be dieting my entire childhood, say “If I eat breakfast, I’m hungry the rest of the day”. And she was right! She would have a bowl of cereal (mostly CHO/Sugar) and milk (again, mostly CHO/Sugar), and toast (CHO), and NO PROTEIN. Without protein and fat to slow down the digestion into your system, the typical American breakfast shoots a giant sugar load into your bloodstream, which in turn, causes a huge insulin spike, and overcompensates, and with many of us, we are STARVING 2 hours later. Why? Because although we’ve digested our breakfast, we still have too much insulin floating around screaming “feed me”!! Again, it isn’t your fault. You just have to know how to eat carbs wisely. Here is a very low carb, low sugar, high protein breakfast alternative to protein smoothies or eggs:

Almond Flour Pancakes:

This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks “The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook” by Elana Amsterdam. Elana’s website is also an awesome source for going gluten/wheat free. You don’t have to be celiac to go gluten free. More on that under links.

Ingredients:

This makes 8-12 small pancakes, enough for two. You can easily double the recipe. These are best made very small, as flipping them is a bit trickier than the standard pancake! They are so good my 25 year old son ate all the ones in our freezer!

INGREDIENTS:

2 large eggs
2 T raw organic honey (or reg honey) or stevia if you want to get really low carb
1 T vanilla extract
½ cup water
1½ cups blanched almond flour (see sources below)
½ teaspoon salt (I use sea salt)
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 T arrowroot powder (this helps the pancakes hold together better)* (there are some carbs in arrowroot, about 12 in total recipe)
2 T coconut oil, use 1 T with each “batch” (don’t put in batter!)

* Unlike cornstarch or flour, arrowroot powder has a completely neutral taste.

In a blender, combine the eggs, honey, vanilla, and water, process on high for a minute until smooth. Then, add the almond flour, salt, baking soda, and arrowroot powder, blend until thoroughly combined. You will need a small ladle to place the batter on the pan and a scraper to get the batter out off the sides. You may want the batter to sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken up. It will be thick, and you’ll need a scraper to get it out of the blender.

Heat a griddle and melt 1T of coconut oil and cover the pan. Ladle pancakes about 4- 6 at a time, depending on the size of your pan. REMEMBER, YOU ARE COOKING NUTS, they will burn easily. Do NOT have your flame as high as you would for pancakes, probably only half as high. I suggest medium low and watch it carefully. They will take longer to crisp up, but when they do, turn them. I found these make less “bubbles” than the regular ones, and you almost have to peek under to know when to turn them. They seem fragile, but they do flip if you are careful. That’s why smaller is better! I would advise cooking these on a well seasoned griddle or a ceramic non-stick pan. (see which pans I recommend here)

I served these with bacon for a pretty filling and low carb breakfast on weekends. You can, if carbs aren’t an issue, serve with raspberries (2 pints with ½ cup orange juice cooked down to a sauce) and fresh blueberries, or you can use maple syrup, (100% ONLY) but realize that adds sugar. Enjoy!