Amaranth Oat Griddlecakes

Let’s see, where do I start this story…?

When I first discovered The Edible Perspective a few months ago I became instantly intrigued. Ashley has so many things going for her that I just adore. She lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. She’s always experimenting with new and healthy foods. She went on a detox from just about every potential allergen you can imagine and STILL ended up creating amazing things in her kitchen.

Needless to say, a couple posts in I was hooked and I’m still a loyal follower today.

• A couple months ago when she posted her recipe for Puffed Amaranth Cereal, I was fascinated and went straight to the health food store to pick up some amaranth grain. I honestly knew nothing about it before I did a little research and found out its nutritional benefits. Check them out here if you’d like.

I tried puffed amaranth cereal and really liked it. I especially took note of how filling it was as I didn’t feel hunger pangs for hours after having one small bowl with a little milk. Amazing, right?

Well, in saying all of that, there are 2 reasons why this post came to be.

1. I had a lot of amaranth grain left over from cereal experimentation that I’ve been wanting to use up.

And 2. I found a griddlecakes recipe in a binder gifted to me at my bridal shower and it looked too good not to try.

So, I got a little creative, subbed amaranth flour for WW flour, and slimmed the recipe down to make a little more than one serving – perfect for me and a little leftover for another meal.

Amaranth & Oat Griddlecakes

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine’s Griddle Cakes [March 2005 issue]
serves 1 + a little extra

Ingredients:

1/3 cup amaranth flour [ground from amaranth grain]
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk [or sub skim milk + 1Tbsp. lemon juice]
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 Tbsp. canola oil [or sub other oil, like coconut]

Instructions: Preheat griddle to low-medium heat. Whisk together dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls, then combine. If batter is too dry or wet, add amaranth and oats or buttermilk to compensate. Scoop 1/4 cup measurements onto griddle and cook until bubbles form on top and texture appears almost dry [about 4-5 minutes]. Then flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Serve with desired toppings. The original recipe suggested marmalade and clotted cream. I went for something less fancy…

Did you think I was going to eat pancakes without putting peanut butter, banana and honey on top? Yeah, nice try. I don’t think so.

My first-run experiment turned out so well! I can honestly say that I couldn’t tell a real difference in the texture or taste compared to regular pancakes, which I was very pleased with.

I hope you enjoy these if you give them a try. I will certainly be giving them another go – maybe next time with coconut or blueberries. We’ll see how adventurous I feel : )

Happy pancaking!