Flat Belly Pancakes

Pancakes have always been one of my very favourite things to eat. What's not to like? They're light, soft, fluffy, and super versatile: you can and add any sides or toppings that you want. Because they're so easy to cook up from scratch, pancakes were probably the first thing I ever learned how to make myself. Some of my best family memories are about Sunday morning breakfast, with my siblings eating pancakes faster than I could make them. Sometimes my dad would take over and make pancakes shaped like bears and dinosaurs.

I've tried many pancake recipes over the years and I was happy to find one in The Flat Belly Diet Cookbook. Not only is it the healthiest pancake recipe I've tried, it's also the yummiest. The book recommends serving them with banana slices, raspberries, walnuts, and honey, but you can have them with whatever you fancy or happen to have on hand.

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES
adapted from The Flat Belly Diet Cookbook

For the pancake mix
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
6 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

To make one batch of 6 6-inch pancakes, you will need 1 1/3 cups of the mix. Store the rest in a jar in a cool, dry place.

For the pancakes
1 1/3 cups pancake mix
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk*
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*It's easy and cost-effective to make your own buttermilk. Place 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice in a 2-cup measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1 cup. Stir and leave for 5 minutes.

Add the water, egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the buttermilk and mix well with a fork.

Add the the pancake mix and cinnamon and stir with the fork until smooth.

Lightly coat a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium. Pour in enough pancake batter to make a 6-inch pancake. Cook for about 2 minutes until the sides are puffy and the underside is lightly browned. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more. 


Flat Belly Pancakes