Simple pancakes with apples, banana and raisins.

Vegan, gluten free 

With apples in season right now it’s a great time to use them more often in cooking and baking. There is an abundance of varieties at farmers markets or stores, but for me it’s more fun to go to an orchard and pick them from the trees or up from the ground.

From a recent trip to an orchard in Galien, near Three Oaks in Michigan, I brought a huge bag of Honey Crisp apples – my favorite variety.

This simple based on apples pancake recipe can be prepared all year round. I used the Honey Crisp from the orchard, perfect for this dish because of their sweetness, juiciness and a bit of a delicate crunch, which creates more texture in the pancakes and makes you chew them mindfully. And when you are aware of what you are eating you can enjoy it more!  Granny Smith, Gala and other varieties will also work in this recipe, as long as they are not mealy or mushy.

To be consistent and keep my recipes vegan and gluten free, I experimented with several gluten free flours and decided to use a combination of three: almond, oat and white rice flour. If gluten doesn’t bother you, the regular organic all purpose flour will also work, but the gluten free flours will make the pancakes crispier on the outside. Another option is to use just one type of gluten free flour, like oat flour.

For an extra crunch, I added sesame seeds and slivered almonds. These loaded in protein and healthy oils ingredients are less common in pancakes and are optional, but will make the taste more unique (in a good way!).

Health benefits of apples:

• Are high in pectin, antioxidants and Vitamin C
• Contain soluble fiber that binds with and removes excess fat preventing its absorption by the body
• Regulate cholesterol and sugar levels

.Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana, mashed with a fork
• 2 medium apples, coarsely grated
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup gluten free flour (almond flour, oat flour or white rice flour)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
• 1 tbsp slivered almonds (optional)
• 1/2 inch ginger root, peeled and finely grated
• pinch of salt
• coconut oil (for cooking)

Preparation:

Coarsely grate apples using the side of the box grater with larger holes. In a medium bowl combine with a spoon the mashed banana and the grated apples, cinnamon, raisins, grated ginger root, sesame seeds and slivered almonds. Mix the flours (or one type of flour) with baking powder and salt. Gradually add flour to the banana-apple mixture stirring until well combined and quite dense. If necessary, add a bit more flour (for juicier apples). Heat a medium frying pan and lightly grease it with coconut oil. With a spoon, scoop about 1/10 cup of the pancake mixture, place it on the pan and
form a 3-inch circle moving the spoon from the center of the pancake towards the sides. Fry on both sides until golden brown, for about 2 minutes over medium heat. Dust with powdered organic sugar and sprinkle with red currants (optional). You can also serve it with red currant or cranberry sauce.

Note: The acidity of a raw apple can eat away at your
dentine and damage the teeth. To prevent that eat your apple in a single sitting or with other snacks such as almond butter to neutralize their acidity. Or eat them cooked, like in these pancakes!😋