You can’t swing a magazine that includes recipes these days without hitting an article about quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah). Bon Appétit had an article on grains in their June edition as did Fine Cooking. And certainly for good reason. Don’t let the tiny size fool you – this supergrain is packed with fiber – in fact it contains more protein than any other grain with 14 grams per half cup – plus 6 grams of fiber. It’s a whole food, gluten-free, and delicious.
And this superfood is also super versatile. There is almost always some cooked quinoa in my fridge. A couple days a week I take 1/2 cup and heat it with whatever fruit I have, milk and a dash of cinnamon. It’s also, as the cooking magazines are showcasing, a great base for salads. It pairs well with almost anything, can be made ahead of time and will hold up beautifully, if not even taste better the next day.
So when I saw a recipe for Banana-Nut Pancakes in SELF magazine that used quinoa, and no flour, I had to try it and I must say, I love these pancakes (which are high words of praise from someone whose least favorite meal of the day is breakfast). I have made a few modifications to their version for this recipe.
Weight Watchers SmartPoints*: 10 points (without syrup)
*These points were calculated using the official Weight Watchers SmartPoints calculator. I am in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers.
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup milk (I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp pure vanilla (feel free to experiment with different extract flavors)
- cooking spray
- 4 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- 4 Tbsp walnuts, chopped
- Fruit of your choice
- Drizzle of real maple syrup, if desired
- Mash the banana in a medium sized bowl with a fork.
- Add the next 4 ingredients (through vanilla) and whisk to mix.
- Coat skillet or griddle with cooking spray and heat over medium high.
- Pour batter to desired pancake size, cooking until firm and golden on both sides.
- Top with Greek yogurt, chopped nuts and fresh fruit.
At this rate, I just may become a fan of breakfast yet!