Its lazy Sunday and Sunny Day. My mind started crunching for quick breakfast ideas. As its fall season here in North America, I craved for something warm and sweet to dig into, but not too sweet and definitely not my usual peanut butter or strawberry jelly sandwiches. When I saw ripe bananas sitting on my counter the light flashes in my brain immediately. Yes, it said Banana pancakes is perfect for today’s morning. Healthify it–> Whole Wheat. But, there is no maple syrup or honey to go with it today…again the light flashes..its Sauteed Apple.

The whole thing got whipped up in just 30 mins. Pancakes are mainly made with whole wheat flour, ripe banana, yogurt, milk , egg and flavored with vanilla essence and cinnamon . I added chopped walnuts for myself  and hubby. My girl got an extra love  dose with chocolate chips and chocolate syrup to go with it. She gobbled it up asking for more chocolate syrup for every few bites. I sifted the dry ingredients in a large bowl and blended the wet ingredients in the blender quickly and added them both with a light hand. Take care not to over mix them, as there are chances of dense and hard pancakes. Nuts add nice crunch to the pancake and along with stir fried apple. Sautéed Apple is usually made my stir frying apple in butter and adding lot of sugar. Here we fry them with a little olive oil(extra light) and add only teaspoon or two sugar.

These Pancakes are fluffy, moist and flavorful.  Sautéed Apple gives nice crunch, sweetness and tartness to the whole dish.

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Servings: 6 (medium size)

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour : 1 1/2 cup

Mashed Ripe Banana: 1/2 cup (about 1  banana)

Egg : 1, Large

Low Fat Milk: 1 cup

Greek Yogurt: 1/4 cup  (I used low fat plain yogurt)

Cinnamon Powder: 1 Tsp (Optional)

Light Brown Sugar: 2 tbsp (Can use granulated sugar and can add more sugar as per your taste)

Baking Powder: 2 tbsp

Salt: pinch

Vanilla Essence: 1 tsp

Any Nuts/Chocolate Chips: 1/2 cup

Procedure:

1. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon together and set aside
2. Blend banana, egg, yogurt, vanilla and milk together and transfer to another large bowl
3. Gently mix the flour mixture to the wet ingredients few spoonfuls at a time. Take care not to over-mix it. Do not mind few lumps
4. Heat Griddle or pan on medium-high heat and add 1 tsp of oil. Scoop or pour the 1/4 cup of batter on the pan making a medium size pancake
5. When small bubbles form in the center, flip the pancake on the other side. Brown it lightly on this side and stack them on a plate

Notes:

1. If batter seems thick, add milk one by one tablespoon until batter seems easy to spread on pan
2. If not serving immediately, stack them in aluminium tray or cookie sheet and transfer to warm oven at 200°F until served
3.  Pancakes freezes easily to 2 months. Thaw it in refrigerator the night before and pop it into oven at 350°F or toast it in toaster just like bread slices.

Sautéed Apple

Ingredients:

Apple : 1 (I used Gala)

Oil: 1 tsp

Light Brown Sugar: 2 tsp

Cinnamon Powder: 1 tsp

Cornstarch: 1/2 tsp

Water: 1 cup

Procedure :

1. Slice the apple to 1/8th inch thick slices
2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add the apples and fry for 3 mins stirring occasionally
3. Add cinnamon powder and fry for 2 mins until translucent
4. Add sugar and let it caramelize
5. Add 1/2 cup water and let it come to boil
6. Prepare cornstarch batter by adding it to remaining water and pour in the pan
7. let it cook for 3-4 mins and become thick
8. Pour on the prepared pancakes

Notes:

1. This recipe can also be used on french toast, waffles or any oats crumble
2. Can also be served warm with simple vanilla ice cream for a hearty dessert