Pumpkin Peanut Butter Quinoa Pancakes

These were so amazing that I contemplated crying when they were over. I love the combination of pumpkin and peanut butter. Plus the pumpkin keeps the pancakes moist. The cauliflower sounds weird, but trust me! You can't taste it, and it makes your pancakes thick and cake-like. 

                             

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Quinoa Pancakes

Ingredients:

 

3/4 scoop Peanut Butter Cookie protein powder (by Metabolic Nutrition)

3 tablespoons quinoa flour 

1/2 tablespoon psyllium husk 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 stevia packet 

1/3 cup riced cauliflower

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

3 tablespoons egg whites

2 tablespoons almond milk

1/4 teaspoon butterscotch extract (optional)

DIrections:

1. Preheat a large non stick pan over medium hear. Coat with cooking spray. 

 2. Place cauliflower in a food processor and finely chop. Place in a bowl and microwave 40 seconds.

3. Add all ingredients including the cauliflower to your food processor. Blend until smooth.

4. Add pancake batter to your pan by the spoonful. Cook until edges set and then flip. Cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side. Serve with your favorite toppings/fillings!

Cafe Mocha Protein Pancakes

These pancakes had the perfect amount of coffee flavor . I layered these with stevia sweetened Greek yogurt and topped them with Wild Friends Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter (one of my top three favorite nut butters!). Perfect. 

                                     

Cafe Mocha Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 scoop Cafe Mocha protein powder (I used Dymatize)

1/3 cup riced cauliflower 

2 tablespoons oatmeal 

2 tablespoons coconut flour

1/2 tablespoon psyllium husk

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 packet stevia

1/4 teaspoon coffee extract

2 tablespoons Greek yogurt 

3 tablespoons egg whites

2-3 tablespoons almond milk 

Directions:

1. Cook cauliflower rice in the microwave for 40 seconds.

2. Grind oats into oat flour with a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients (includig the cauliflower!) and blend well. 

3. Heat a large, nonstick pan over medium high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Make sure the pan is hot!

4. Add the batter by the spoonful. Flip when the edges set and small bubbles start to form. Cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. 

Chocolate Creme Brûlée Protein Pancakes

I found sugar-free Creme Brûlée coffee syrup at Target, and I thought it would be fun to use in some recipes. Came out delicious.  Someone should come out with a Creme Brûlée protein powder. Just saying. 

                                    

Chocolate Creme Brûlée Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 scoop chocolate protein powder 

2 tablespoons coconut flour

2 tablespoons oatmeal

1/2 tablespoon pysllium husk

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 packet stevia

1/3 cup riced cauliflower 

2 tablespoons sugar free Creme Brûlée syrup (from Target)

2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

3 tablespoons egg whites 

Directions: 

1. Preheat a large non stick pan over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray. 

 2. Place cauliflower in a food processor and finely chop. Place in a bowl and microwave 40 seconds.

3. Add all ingredients including the cauliflower to your food processor. Blend until smooth.

4. Add pancake batter to your pan by the spoonful. Cook until edges set and then flip. Cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side. Serve with your favorite toppings/fillings!

Tips for Fluffy Pancakes

I've been getting a lot of questions about how I get my pancakes so thick and fluffy :) So here are some ingredients and tips to make your own!

Ingredients:

Baking Powder

Psyllium husk

Coconut flour 

Cauliflower 

You can order psyllium husk and coconut flour from Vitacost. It's an online health/grocery store where I order the majority of my ingredients from. Use this link for a discount off your first order:

Baking powder is a mix of baking soda and an acid. It is a leavening agent, which means its added to recipes in order to produce carbon dioxide to give rise to the finished product. Make sure your baking powder is fresh- old baking powder will make your product flat. No one wants flat pancakes! 

Psyllium husk helps to bind your pancakes and gives them extra texture and fluff! I use about 1/2 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon in my recipes. It's also a great source of fiber.

Coconut flour makes light, fluffy pancakes. It absorbs more liquid than other flours, so you'll need to add extra water, milk, etc. when cooking with this. It can be used alone or mixed with another type of flour to make delicious pancakes, breads, cakes, bars- anything!

Cauliflower in pancakes?! Yes, and I swear you don't taste it! Cauliflower makes your pancakes dense and cake-like. To incorporate cauliflower for that cake-like look and texture, simply process raw cauliflower in a food processor or blender, then place in a bowl and microwave for 40 seconds (I usually use about 1/3-1/2 cup for my recipes). Blend it with your other pancake ingredients until smooth.

Pancake Techniques:

While preparing your pancake ingredients, make sure you pre-heat your pan. I usually preheat my non-stick pan over medium high heat and spray with no n-stick spray (you can also use coconut oil or other oil). Make sure it's hot before you add your batter. Do not use high heat. Keep it on medium and be patient :)

DO NOT over mix. This will lead to flat, sad looking pancakes. 

Make sure your batter is thick. Thick batter= thick pancakes.

Hope this helps! More questions? Ask away!

Flaxseed Chicken Burgers

No breadcrumbs here- just veggies, spices, and flaxseed! Simple to prepare and they don't dry out.

Flaxseed Chicken Burgers

Ingredients:

1 lb ground chicken breast

1/2 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove 

2 sticks of celery, chopped

2 tablespoons flaxseed

1 tablespoon salt-free garlic pepper seasoning

1 egg white

Directions:

1. Place the celery, onion, and garlic in a food procesor to finely chop. 

2. Place chicken, chopped veggies,  seasoning, and flaxseed in a large bowl. Mix well.

3. Divide into 4-5 burgers depending on how big you want them. Cook on a grill pan or George Foreman until done and no longer pink. My George Foreman took about 5 minutes. Enjoy!