Breathing Blueberry Pancakes: Gluten Free, Packed with Nutrition

We've covered the value of flax seed and almond flour in previous posts (here and here), so now it's time to make some pancakes! These pancakes are super easy to make--we just microwave them. No standing over the skillet for a half hour with another half hour of clean-up after the meal--which is sometimes not possible if your asthma is flaring. These take about five minutes to pull together into a hearty, healthy meal.

Here's a list of just some of the health benefits these pancakes offer; They lower your blood sugar, improve cholesterol levels and are full of Omega 3 fatty acids as well as protein and fiber. In terms of nutrition, they offer a lot more than any pancake made with flour ever will.

Makes: 2 pancakes (double and triple the recipe to make more)

Serves: 1 person.

Time: 5 minutes for prep, 1 minute to cook.

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup almond flour
-2 tbsps. ground flax seed (for best flavor, I prefer the golden flax seed)
-1/2 tbsp butter (soft or melted in microwave)
-1/2 tsp. baking powder
-1 egg white (you can use the yolk, if you want, but I don't like the eggy flavor)
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 tbsp Stevia
-1/4 cup (approximately) water
-1/4 cup blueberries

Reminder: Always store flax seed and almond flour in the refrigerator to extend shelf life and prevent the oils from going rancid.

Instructions:

-Spray two baking containers with non-stick spray. You can use any microwave proof dish, but select something that is about the diameter of a pancake. I use the small bowls from a set like this.

-Mix all ingredients, except the blueberries and 1/4 cup water, in one of the baking containers.

-Assess the batter texture. Add some of the water and stir and assess again. You want a goopy, pudding-like consistency in the batter.

-Split batter into two separate containers--use the one you mixed in and another to make the second pancake.

-Sprinkle blueberries on top of pancakes.

-Microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. (Check at the minute mark if this is the first time you've made them and see if they're done. They should be dry, not tacky or gooey.)

-Transfer to plate, top with butter and syrup and serve!

A note on maple syrup: I'm sure someone is wondering 'isn't it sugar and isn't sugar bad?' Well, yes and no. Natural sugars like maple syrup and honey come with health promoting enzymes and other micro-nutrients. Used sparingly and sourced locally, they are fine in small amounts.

If you like to drown your pancakes in syrup though, I would suggest opting for a diabetic syrup (they are quite tasty, although full of chemicals) or only making these pancakes when you are not on steroids. Further, if you have these pancakes for breakfast, try to limit sugar and carbohydrate intake the rest of the day to balance out the sugar load in the syrup. Exercise after eating this meal will blunt the impact of the pancakes on your blood sugar as well.

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