Real Food, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, IBD-AID (Phase I), Paleo
Banana Pancakes can be as simple as one banana and two eggs.
I consider banana pancakes to be a foundational recipe for any whole foods kitchen. They are easy to make. They also satisfy that craving for baked goods, without containing any flour or added sugars.
But Are Banana Pancakes “Good” For You?
From a nutritional standpoint, banana pancakes contain a full serving of protein. Thank you, eggs. The banana can provide different things depending on whether you use a ripe or slightly green banana. If it is ripe, yellow or yellow with brown spots, the banana is easiest to digest. It offers more antioxidants when ripe. The drawback is that it’s also higher in sugar. A banana that is slightly green will be much less sweet. Instead of sugar, it will contain resistant starch, which is a prebiotic. That’s not a typo. Probiotics are good bacteria that thrive in the gut. Prebiotics are food for the good bacteria that live in the gut. More on this later.
Food For Healing
Five times over the past three years, due to c-diff or ulcerative colitis flares, I was unable to eat. I literally could not digest any food at all. If I tried to eat anything more than broth, the pain was excruciating. Each time this happened, I had to crawl my way back to a healthy diet. This was done slowly, one day at a time, one meal at a time. I always began with a liquid diet. I would mostly keep to broths and smoothies, but as I got stronger, I craved solid food. Something to chew. Enter banana pancakes.
On a sliding scale of digestible foods, ripe banana and eggs are considered two of the most easily digestible things one can eat. So, each time I was ready to try chewing again, this was added to the rotation of meals. Though the prebiotic fiber in slightly green bananas is considered good for the gut, it is also tough to digest and not recommended for those with severely compromised digestion. If you are actively repairing or healing the gut from severe trauma, stick to bananas with brown spots.
While recovering from GI illness, I ate the pancakes without syrup or honey. A very ripe banana will make sweet pancakes.
The Method
Banana pancakes can be as simple as one banana and two eggs. As my ability to tolerate different foods expanded, I would sometimes branch out by adding vanilla or cinnamon to the mix. I’ve even played with adding rolled oats to the batter. Basically, the banana and eggs are sufficient on their own, but also make a great starting point for expanding into other flavors and texture profiles.
I hope you enjoy this easy recipe. Perhaps it will become a staple in your kitchen as it is in mine.
Banana Pancakes
Notes
Serve with maple syrup or honey. If the banana is very ripe, you may not need any toppings at all.
Ingredients
- 1 ripe or unripe banana (see above for when to use each)
- 2 eggs
- Avocado oil for the pan
Instructions
- Heat a pan over medium heat.
- Mash the banana in a bowl.
- Add the two eggs and stir until well combined.
- When the pan is hot, add just enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.
- Spoon batter into the pan. I do best with pancakes 3-4 inches in diameter. I find they’re awkward to flip if much larger than that. I can fit three pancakes in a 12 in. pan.
- Allow pancakes to cook for 2-3 minutes. They will not bubble on top like traditional pancakes. They are ready to flip when you can easily slide a spatula underneath.
- Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the next side.
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