Monday, September 14, 2015

Spinach Pancakes!



So as you may be able to tell from my previous spinach muffin post, I love finding ways to add veggies into breakfast! My 3-year-old loves eating foods that are different colors, so when I asked him if he wanted some green pancakes he was completely on board! Like the spinach muffin recipe, I found this one on Weelicious. I love the recipes on this site. I have tried several, and they have all turned out great! So let's get started with these spinach pancakes! 



These pancakes start like most others, start by whisking together 1 cup white whole wheat flour, 1 Tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Then set this aside. 


Next put 1 cup of spinach leaves (pack them into the measuring cup!), 1 cup of buttermilk*, 1 large egg, 1 Tablespoon of canola oil (or you can use coconut oil that has been melted and cooled), and 1 teaspoon of vanilla into a blender and blend until it is completely pureed. **Updated 11/22/15 to say that I used 1 1/2 cups spinach the last time I made these with very good results. The pancakes were a little less fluffy, but they were still very tasty!** 

*For the buttermilk, I added 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar to a measuring cup and poured in milk to come up to the 1 cup line. Then just let it sit for 5 minutes, and voila! Homemade buttermilk! 


  It should look like this pale green liquid pictured below. 


Next, take pour the wet ingredients from the blender into the flour mixture in the bowl. 


And mix them together until it is just moistened. It is important to never over mix pancake batter! Not over mixing helps to ensure your pancakes will be fluffy, and don't we all want fluffy pancakes? 


After you have your pancake batter ready, preheat an electric griddle or a large skillet. I set my griddle to 325 for pancakes. I would say medium heat if you are using a large skillet on a stove. If you make a lot of pancakes, I highly recommend purchasing an electric griddle. You can make several pancakes at once, which means you can get to eating them much sooner! 

Also, it is a good idea to let your pancake batter rest for about 5 to 10 minutes. I usually just wait until my pancake batter is completely finished to preheat the griddle, and by the time it is preheated the pancake batter has had plenty of time to rest. 

Grease your griddle or skillet with butter or oil. I take a stick of butter and wipe it across the top of my griddle...it's a little tip I learned from the Pioneer Woman, and she knows her stuff! Then just pour whatever sized pancakes you like. I make rather small ones because my son likes to pick them up and eat them like cookies. 


**Updated 11/23/15: I have recently started making pancakes for my children using a 1 Tbsp measuring spoon. It creates the perfect sized pancakes for little hands to hold on to! See below! 


While they were less fluffy than without the extra 1/2 cup of spinach, they still puffed up nicely! 


Cook the pancakes until small bubbles appear and the edges start to look dry, 
then flip them over. 


Cook until the second side is browned, then remove to a plate. I then spread them with a little butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 


The little boy couldn't wait! He actually ate 5 of these, so I call that a successful recipe! 


The baby girl approved too...although I don't think I've ever given her anything she did not like. 


I like my pancakes covered in maple syrup...yum! Please excuse my Minnie Mouse plate...it was leftover from my daughter's first birthday party, so I'm eating everything on them. These pancakes were very good! We've made them twice now and will continue to make them! 


When you make tiny kid-sized pancakes, you don't feel so bad about stacking 3 of them right together! 


These were seriously yummy!! 




Here's the recipe if you want to give them a try! 

Spinach Pancakes
Adapted slightly from Weelicious

Ingredients
1 to 1 1/2 cup packed fresh spinach
1 cup buttermilk*
1 large egg
1 tablespoon canola oil or coconut oil (melted and cooled) 
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
2. In a blender, combine the spinach, buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla and blend until smooth.
3. Pour the spinach mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 
4. Heat a large pan or griddle over medium heat and grease with butter or oil.
5. Pour batter onto griddle to make small to medium sized pancakes. Cook until small bubbles appear and the edges start to look dry and browned. 
6. Flip the pancakes and cook until browned on the opposite side. Serve. 

*For buttermilk, I used 1 Tbsp white vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup of total liquid. Let sit for 5 minutes and use in place of buttermilk. 




Want more kid-friendly food ideas? Check out my board on Pinterest! 

Follow Mom2Jude and Lily's board Toddler and Kid-friendly Food on Pinterest.






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