This is a pancake with love! I have worked a few times to perfect this recipe and today I finally got it. To me, pancakes are a splurge, usually reserved for the weekends. I am very finicky about restaurant pancakes as they are so filled with refined flour, no flavor, and no fiber – making my stomach feel like it has a rock in it with all the calories and carbohydrates.

I’m always tinkering with my pancake recipe to make it a little healthier, less blood-sugar spiking, and more satiating. Today I hit the mark. I use no white flour – instead, I use whole-wheat flour, ground oatmeal, and almond meal (my secret ingredient!  Although secret no more) to give my pancakes the crunchy texture I love without having to fry them in tons of oil or butter to achieve a crisp crust. These are filled with fiber and have some added protein from the almond meal.  They are so satisfying with a cup of coffee and a drizzle of maple syrup.  I’m finally happy with not having to fix my recipe anymore!

Whole-grain almond pancakes

Makes 8-10 5-inch pancakes

1/2 cup rolled oats, coarsely ground (I do a few pulses in my food processor)

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1/4 cup almond meal

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup plain yogurt

2-3 Tbsp water

1 egg

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup blueberries

Canola oil, for frying

1.  In a medium bowl, combine the oats, whole-wheat flour, almond meal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

2.  In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, water, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.  Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients and whisk together until incorporated.

3.  In a large frying pan, add about 1 Tbsp canola oil and just a small sliver of butter (not even 1/2 Tbsp) as the butter will aid in browning the pancake.  Over medium-high heat, add about 1/4 cup drop of pancake batter (I can usually do 3-4 pancakes at a time with my large frying pan).  Top each pancake with a few blueberries.  When the edges of the pancake are slightly browned and bubbles appear in the middle of the pancake (about 3ish minutes), flip them over and cook for another minute or so.  Repeat until there is no more batter, adding a little bit of oil or butter to the pan if needed after each batch.