I love getting nutrition advice from unexpected places. I help teach a workshop to parents of young children in a low-socioeconomic area of Los Angeles. My role is to give them nutrition information to help them choose and prepare healthy food for their families. Last week, however, I came away with some great nutrition advice from one of the parents. That advice turned into these deliciously healthy green wholewheat pancakes.
While I was demonstrating how to make a smoothie with spinach, one of the moms in the group explained that she adds spinach to her pancake mix. What a genius idea. Not only does it add some vitamins and minerals to your breakfast, it also makes the pancakes a wonderful green color. As soon as I got home I set about creating a recipe for healthy green wholewheat pancakes, and came up with this one. They taste just like regular, fluffy, wholewheat pancakes with no hint of spinach. But the vibrant green color was a hit with both of my children. They also freeze really nicely, so you can make a big batch and take them out when you need them. Breakfast in a jiffy.
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1 cup raw spinach
- Combine the milk and vinegar in a bowl and let it sit for a few minutes to curdle (essentially, you are making buttermilk).
- In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt.
- Put the egg, butter, milk/vinegar mixture, and spinach in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed (don’t over mix or you will get tough pancakes).
- Heat a skillet over a medium heat, add a touch of vegetable oil, and pour about ¼ cup batter per pancake onto the heated griddle.
- Once bubbles start to surface, flip the pancake and cook for another minute or so, until both sides are lightly brown.
- Serve with maple syrup, banana, jam, cream cheese, or any other topping of your choice.
Did you know you can change the course of your health just by eating the right food? I am here to show you how you can eat simple healthy food without stress, guilt, or shame.
Very healthy! Looks tasty too. Thanks for sharing!
Great idea! I love this and will be passing it on. What a great way to get a shot of nutrition in an otherwise energy dense food. I’ve added shredded zucchini before but this recipe inspires me to think of all the vegetable ingredients that could be added. Thanks!
Yes, these are great pancakes. Two thumbs up!!!
I used coconut almond milk in stead of regular milk and Smart Balance instead of butter and I didn’t have the apple cider vinegar so I use red wine vinegar and I used organic agave nectar instead of sugar. They came out light & fluffy and delicious.