![\"The](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_1812-e1582589463123.jpg\")
<\/a>The finished, unadorned product! Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the one at the top of the page.<\/p><\/div>\n
When I was in New York visiting my little mo once, I announced that I was making her fresh blueberry pancakes. She said she was so excited about that! So I went out and bought the freshest blueberries to top them with, along with the most expensive whipped cream I could find. I even had to buy a frying pan<\/em> for the occasion! (My non-cooking mother\u2019s kitchen was not exactly chef-ready.)<\/p>\n I slaved over a hot stove, and then proudly presented Maybelle with the first pancake, topped with fresh blueberries and whipped cream. She oohed and aahed and declared it to be the most delicious thing she\u2019d eaten in a long while. I was sooo proud of my culinary prowess. But then, as I was delivering her\u00a0second<\/em>\u00a0pancake, I noticed that she hadn\u2019t even eaten her first<\/em> one at all, so what could she have possibly been raving about?!<\/p>\n It turned-out that she was basically using the pancake as a\u00a0plate<\/em>, and eating just the blueberries and whipped cream! I asked her why she was doing that, and she very calmly told me, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t like pancakes.\u201d Oysh.<\/p>\n PANCAKE STORY ABOUT CLARENCE<\/strong><\/p>\n My much<\/em> better pancake customer was my beloved Clarence, the Singing Dog. For the last few years of his life, he and I would have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast every day. (No wonder I gained weight then! And no worries, dog lovers\u2014Clar Dar did\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0get any of the chocolate!)<\/p>\n The second I got out of bed and walked into the kitchen, he\u2019d come to the edge of it, all excited and banging the floor. We sang a pancake song as I made them, (remember\u2014he was the famous singing dog on TV!,) and then he\u2019d run ahead of me to the coffee table in front of the TV for our gourmet breakfast. I\u2019d tear off tiny pieces of my pancake, and put them on a plate for him, with a bit of whipped cream, of course! And he would go nuts with happiness.<\/p>\n But the second he was done, he would flat-leave me, and go back to bed with Mr. X. And you know what? My pancake breakfast with my precious pup was the highlight of my day, every<\/em> day! And his, too, of course.<\/p>\n Now, with those happy memories, I celebrate National Pancake Day with you, by sharing my most healthful breakfast recipe. I hope you love them as much as Clarence loved his.<\/p>\n RECIPE FOR BANANA-PEANUT BUTTER-CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The \u00a0way it should look\u00a0for company.\u00a0Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n This makes about nine pancakes, of varying sizes, (which are rarely pretty, so please be aware of that, and don\u2019t curse the ones you<\/em> make,) but I swear, it\u2019s really perfect for just two hungry people who are not eating anything else for that breakfast or brunch. (Mr. X eats about six<\/em> of these in one sitting, with no butter or syrup\u2014just plain, while I<\/em> eat three, drenched in whipped cream! With a big glass of skim milk. And sometimes we just leave them on a plate in the kitchen, and snack on pieces of them throughout the day, cold!) If you\u2019re alone, just halve it.<\/p>\n And the third<\/em> best part, (after their health value and deliciousness,) is\u2014they are incredibly easy to whip up!!!<\/p>\n INGREDIENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n These are all healthful, good for you ingredients. (Even dark chocolate chips!) There\u2019s no added sugar, and not even any dairy! Yes, that is<\/em> correct\u2014these are made with no butter or milk. [Note #1: According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,\u00a0e-words are not dairy!] [Note #2: You may be able to make them vegan by substituting applesauce for the e-words, but I\u2019ve never tried that. I just think<\/em> it will work.]<\/p>\n So here they are:<\/p>\n 4 very ripe bananas<\/p>\n 4 e-words, or the equivalent in e-word whites, (which is what I<\/em> use, for extra health value.)<\/p>\n 1 cup of quick oats (not to be confused with regular<\/em> oatmeal; quick oats are different, but just as good for you. And you can get a canister of them at dollar stores!)<\/p>\n \u00bd cup of peanut butter (I use chunky because I like that bit of extra crunch.)<\/p>\n \u00bd\u00a0teaspoon salt<\/p>\n \u00bd cup dark, or semi-sweet, chocolate chips<\/p>\n DIRECTIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n Mash the bananas.<\/p>\n Add in the e-words, the oats, and the salt, and mix well.<\/p>\n Mix in the peanut butter, and make sure to mix the whole thing really well. The batter will never<\/em> be smooth, (nor should<\/em> it be,) so don\u2019t even try to make it such. It\u2019s fine the way it is. Just make sure all the ingredients are blended enough.<\/p>\n Now mix in the chocolate chips, just so that they are distributed throughout.<\/p>\n Spray whatever pan you\u2019re going to make the pancakes in with cooking spray. (Just make sure that it isn\u2019t garlic<\/em>-flavored!)<\/p>\n The batter just beginning to cook. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n This is actually the only semi-hard part because this batter doesn\u2019t stay together like regular pancake batter does. Whether you make one large pancake at a time in a frying pan, or two to three on a griddle, just make sure that each one is an easy-enough size to be able to turn over.<\/p>\n I put the batter in from a ladle, so I can control the size of all of them. You have to really<\/em> watch them because they don\u2019t bubble-up on one side as regular pancakes do.<\/p>\n When you think that one side is done, very\u2014and I do mean very<\/em>–carefully turn them over. I actually use two<\/em> spatulas working in concert, to get it done without making too big a mess. (Just make sure your pancake turners are big enough to accommodate whatever size your pancakes are.)<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>