Banana Pancakes with Coconut Syrup

If you are like me, you're not a huge fan of banana flavored things. For instance... I think banana flavored "Runts" candy are one of the most disgusting flavors I can think of. However, banana bread, I usually enjoy. It has enough spices to compliment the banana flavor. So, this morning when my daughter is suddenly demanding "BANANA PANCAKES!" (which she has never had!), my first thought is "...yuck". Seeing as how I look forward to a delicious Saturday morning breakfast with my family, I decided to put my foot down, "Nope, no banana pancakes, if you want pancakes I will make the whole wheat pancake recipe".

However, after hearing my husband say that maybe he would just skip breakfast and listening to Katelyn's continued plea for banana pancakes, I gave in and started looking for a recipe. As usual, I headed to Allrecipes.com and searched for banana pancakes by the highest reviews. I found what looked to be a relatively simple recipe and headed to the kitchen. That is when I remembered the homemade coconut syrup that was still in the refrigerator from last Saturday's breakfast. Hmm, maybe banana pancakes with coconut syrup wouldn't be half bad.

I was wrong... they were AMAZING! Really, the word amazing in the case does not just mean that they were really good pancakes. No, amazing in this case means that I think I could open up a bed & breakfast and have people coming for miles just to eat pancakes. They were light and fluffy and the banana flavor was very mild. Paired with the delicious, coconut syrup they were nothing less than a tropical paradise of flavors.

Note: This was also a really fun recipe to make with kids. Katelyn had fun mashing the bananas. I love having her in the kitchen with me. As she was mashing she was yelling, "Look, I am like a mommy!" It was so cute. :)

Fluffy Banana Pancakes
makes 12 - 4" pancakes

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (mine bananas didn't have any brown spots yet)

Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vanilla, vegetable oil and bananas. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides.


Coconut Syrup
from The Sister's Cafe

7-8 T. butter
¾ c. buttermilk
1 c. sugar
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp coconut extract

Place butter, buttermilk and sugar in a pot. Then turn stove on medium and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add soda and flavoring. It will bubble up; just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the 'fizz' to reduce before serving.

Black Bean and Chicken Enchiladas

(Note: This is not a picture of my recipe, I just wanted to get your taste buds excited!)

Chicken enchiladas are one of the most delicious Mexican foods that I can think of. My ideal enchilada is cooked in a creamy sauce rather than the usual red enchilada sauce, which I don't enjoy eating at all. Every time I get the chance to eat at On the Border, I order their "Enchiladas Suizas" which are cheesy chicken enchiladas with a creamy tomatillo sauce. They are unbelievably yummy. However... being on Weight Watchers has completely opened my eyes to the number of calories that are in all the foods that I love. So, I took on the challenge of creating an enchilada recipe that would be both delicious and easy on the waistline. These are creamy enchiladas with a little kick (which can be altered according to your tolerance).

Black Bean and Chicken Enchiladas
Serves 8

6 small chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
8 low carb tortillas (I like the Carb Balance ones)
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1 can green chile enchilada sauce
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 t. garlic salt
1 t. onion poweder
a few shakes of Tabasco sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 cup mozzerella cheese (you could use a mexican blend)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9"x13" baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl, mix together cream of chicken soup, green chile enchilada sauce, sour cream, cumin, garlic salt, onion powder and tabasco. Pour about 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared 9"x13" pan.

Saute onions and peppers in a pan over medium heat just until softened. In a large bowl, toss together chicken, black beans, corn, green peppers and onion. Stir in 1 cup of the sauce mixture into the chicken mixture.

Fill eight low carb tortillas evenly with the chicken mixture and place in the 9"x13" baking dish. Spread the remaining sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Sprinkle cheeses over the top. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden and the cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite salsa and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Blender Waffles/Pancakes

Wheat Berries

I have made these twice already and they are delicious! In case you are wondering what "whole wheat berries" are... they are just wheat kernels that haven't been ground into flour yet. I don't know why they call them berries. :)

Whole Wheat Blender Waffles (or pancakes*)

Submitted by Erin from The Sister's Cafe

Makes 12 - 4" pancakes

1 c. plus 1 Tb whole wheat berries
1 c. milk
2 eggs
4 Tb oil
2 Tb sugar (or honey)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla - my addition

Blend wheat berries and milk on high for 4-5 minutes, until batter is smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend on low for a minute, or until incorporated. Cook on hot waffle iron. (Stir batter before pouring into waffle iron, because the heavier wheat particles will settle at the bottom.) Makes about 10 waffles.

*To make pancakes instead of waffles, use 1 c. wheat berries and 2 Tb oil.