Oatmeal Pecan Pancakes

Is there anything better than a Sunday morning? Right now I can't think of anything.

I'm hot and cold about breakfast. I'm usually happy with yogurt and granola but there was something about today that made me want to make Sunday breakfast like my mom does when I visit her. But I didn't want plain old breakfast pancakes (and I didn't have buttermilk on hand) so I found a great oatmeal pancake recipe using my buddy Google.

Health wise, these pancakes are amazing. Oatmeal provides heart healthy whole grains and fiber, pecans give good fats and proteins, and soymilk gives extra protein and calcium. They are incredibly fluffy and light from the egg whites, and there is no oil or butter in the recipe. Another bonus: these pancakes are gluten-free!

I tried them 2 different ways. First, with heated crunchy peanut butter and strawberries. I wanted to use the few strawberries I had been hoarding in my freezer since I picked them from the Jones backyard last summer. I heated them on the stovetop with a couple spoonsful of sugar. It tasted like a great peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I also had to have one with the classic organic pure maple syrup. The maple syrup came from Lutsen, MN and was amazing! I made the whole batch (got 8 large pancakes) and am looking forward to the leftovers.

Oatmeal Pecan Pancakes

1 cup milk or water (I used vanilla soymilk)

3/4 cup oats

3/4 cup oat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

4 egg whites

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Heat milk until very hot, stir in oats and let sit for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat egg whites with hand mixer until stiff peaks form.

Mix remaining ingredients with milk and oats and fold in egg whites. Add pecans.

On non-stick skillet or griddle, spray cooking spray or add a tiny bit of butter. Scoop one big ladle of pancake batter and cook over medium-high heat until bubbles form. Flip and cook a few minutes more until golden on the other side.

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