Quinoa Pancakes

Quinoa Pancakes (Video)

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And it’s true! After as many as 12
hours without food, our bodies are ready for some FOOD! And it’s important to be sure we’re giving them

what they need, not just what’s convenient. Many people feel that cooking breakfast is just too time 
consuming, so they’ll grab something packaged or–worse!–picked up at a drive-thru on their way to 
the office or –way worse!– drop the kids at school. To be sure, cooking breakfast may be a tiny bit 
more work, but both nutritionally and economically, it’s a much better choice.

Of course, with a little planning, there are a few things you could have ready to eat in the fridge, depending on the type of breakfasts you like. Yogurt with berries or apples could always be stirred together the night before, and topped with a handful of nuts right before consuming. You can put all the ingredients of a smoothie into your blender container the night before, refrigerate, and just blitz it right before you’re ready to eat. If you’re not stuck on traditionally hot eggs for breakfast, hard cooked, already-peeled eggs can be kept in the fridge in a glass container and consumed faster than that granola bar! (No packaging to tear away!)

But If you or your kids like to start the day with something hot, I’ve got a power breakfast that will literally take about 3 minutes to prepare. And it’s so good, it may get eaten even faster! If you have time the night before, cook some green apples and cinnamon in a little butter until soft to serve as a topping. Or you could top with some stevia-sweetened Greek yogurt and berries. Or coconut butter. Or strawberries mashed with a bit of xylitol or stevia. Are you getting the picture? There are lots of options for toppings! All of them could be prepared the night before and refrigerated, so after your 3 minute prep time, all you have to do is spoon it on and dive in. If you’re on Kaufmann 2 and really like something sweeter, try a little pure maple syrup or honey, or butter and palm (coconut) sugar crystals, all in moderation, of course.

If you haven’t gathered by now, I’m a big fan of cooking more than is needed for any given meal so that you have left-overs for a second go-round. Here we’re using quinoa that has been prepared in water. (While it’s yummy cooked in chicken broth, I usually use water precisely for this reason: any not consumed at dinner remains a blank canvas for another meal.) And while I have nothing against egg yolks, I’m using just the whites of two of the eggs to keep the pancake from tasting too “egg-y”. A packet of stevia, or a few drops if you use liquid stevia, will sweeten the pancakes slightly, but isn’t necessary. These pancakes are at the same time light and hearty. The substantial amount of protein (about 18 grams!) along with the slow-digesting carbohydrates from the quinoa make for a very satisfying and long-lasting breakfast. Please try them and let me know what you think! They’re my new personal favorite!

Quinoa Pancakes
2 teaspoons coconut oil (or grapeseed oil)
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (prepared in water, not broth)
1 packet stevia, optional

Melt coconut oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. (I prefer a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, but a safe/green non-stick would work, as well.)

Beat egg and egg whites together well. Stir in quinoa and stevia, if using.

Pour mixture into oiled pan. Immediately cover pan with a tight fitting lid. Cook for 1 minute. When you check, the bottom should be just golden brown and the top should look almost completely set. Flip pancake and cook on second side for one additional minute. Serve immediately.