Chocolate Teff Pancakes

Made with teff flour, almond milk and chia seeds they are egg- and dairy-free and almost gluten-free (teff contains a trace amount of gluten).

These pancakes are so yummy! My kid loves them for a weekend treat. But they are hardly "treat food" when you consider the nutritional powerhouse on this plate! There's so much nutritional value here that I have to break it down....



Teff flour

• all 8 amino acids
• high in fiber
• rich in iron, calcium, magnesium
• contains trace minerals like zinc and copper
• contains vitamins, A, B1, B2, B3, B6, E and K
• very low gluten level *almost* gluten-free

Chia seeds

• high in protein and fiber (5 grams of fiber in 1 tbsp)
• rich in calcium, antioxidants and omega 3s
• gluten-free
• becomes gelatinous in liquid and can replace egg in cooking

Bananas

• high in potassium and fiber
• rich in magnesium, vitamins B6 and C

And then there's the Cast Iron pan

• Cooking in an iron skillet greatly increases the iron content of many foods. (A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that the iron content in 100 grams of spaghetti sauce jumped from 0.6 mg to 5.7 mg after being cooked in a cast iron pot.) Factors that boost the iron content from cast iron include acidic foods, longer cooking time, frequent stirring/turning, and using a newer iron skillet. (from health.columbia.edu)
  

Finally, the Almond milk is rich in calcium and most brands are fortified with vitamin D.

Recipe

1 ripe banana
3 tbsp teff flour
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp real vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
coconut oil for cooking

This recipe makes 1 serving (3 pancakes). Just double it to serve a couple of people...

Method

1. Mash banana in bowl.

2. Add teff and coconut flours, chia seeds, kosher salt, vanilla and mix.

3. Pour in enough almond milk to make it pourable (about 3/4 cup).

4. Stir in the baking soda.

5. Melt coconut oil on medium hot cast iron skillet.

6. Pour batter to form 3 to 4 pancakes.

7. Turn when tops are bubbly and edges are dry.

Sorry, these pics don't make the pancakes look very pretty!

8. (Optional) When cooked on both sides, drop some chocolate chips on top and continue to cook for about a minute. Chips will start to melt.

9. After transferring to a plate, use a butter knife to spread the chocolate evenly over tops.

Kids should find these pancakes sweet. The almond milk and banana do enough to sweeten them, sugar is not needed. I use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips and that seams good too.

I personally find them a bit too sweet and I actually add some sourdough starter or kefir to the mixture when I make them for myself. I like them to have a slightly sour tang but Mr. J and Little M like them as per the recipe above.