Quinoa Teff Pancakes

Have you ever eaten pancakes for breakfast and then in less than an hour or two it feels like you're starving again? Chances are your pancakes weren't rockin' the lasting protein power of these next Nielsen family breakfast favorite! 

Seriously, don't be fooled. These pancakes look & taste sweet and innocent but, on the inside, each pancakes holds s powerful 1.5 grams of protein and each of the essential 9 aminio acids! Weew! 

How'd we do it? Let me explain... Well, it's all a long story. Let me sum up... 

So you might have noticed I've been MIA for a while. I mean a LONG while. It was initially because we moved. Now if that isn't enough of a life change try MOVING AGAIN on top of that! Pure craziness. We're finally settled now and thankfully I don't have to live out of a suitcase or boxes anymore. ;) Now what does this all have to do with Quinoa Teff Pancakes you might ask? Well, along that journey, my mom and I were able to team up again in the kitchen. She has been loving the nutritional power of Teff and wanted to incorporate it into a pancake made from cooked quinoa. 

So seriously, each pancake has 1.5 grams of protein? Yep, and an entire batch packs 46 grams! How in the world?! Let me explain what's inside:

• QUINOA: I've talked about Quinoa before and it's SUPER food qualities. There's 12 grams of protein in 1/2 cup dry Quinoa! It's literally called a super food because it contains all the 9 essential amino acids. You can read more about Quinoa and learn how to cook it quick and easily on my website HERE. 
  

• TEFF FLOUR: It's one of those un-tapped Gluten Free flours that you don't see too much of in recipes. (It's becoming a more common gluten free flour you can find in your local healthfood store but if you can't locate it, we have a link to purchase it HERE.) Teff Flour is seriously a nutritional powerhouse. It's the smallest grain in the world and provides an excellent source of dietary fiber, protein, iron, amino acids, vitamin c, and especially calcium.  In fact, the calcium content in Teff surpasses that of all other grains! Teff is also high in resistant starches which means that it can benefit blood-sugar management because the body burns it off slower. Resistant starch from Teff also helps with weight control and colon health. In only a 1/2 cup of Teff Flour there are 10 grams of protein! 

• EGGS: Just one large egg holds 7 grams of protein! This recipe uses 3 for a total of 21 grams from eggs alone!  

Now that you know the facts, don't let the healthy scare you aware. These babies are sure to be a crowd pleaser! 
Enjoy. 

Quinoa Teff Pancakes

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free)
Created by jalene & her mom alene

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Makes about 40 (3 inch) pancakes
Ingredients: 

• 1 & 1/4 cup cooked quinoa (packed in the cup)
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 3 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
• 1 & 1/2 tsp gluten free vanilla
• 1/2 cup teff flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (optional, helps them hold together a titch better) 

Directions: 

1. Preheat a griddle over medium heat. 
2. Using a blender (I used a Blendtec) combine all of the wet ingredients: cooked quinoa, milk, syrup, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Blend until smooth. I did power level 3 for 45 seconds. 
3. Then add the dry ingredients to the blender: teff flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend until combined. Scrape the sides if necessary. 
4. Pour the batter onto your preheated pan and lightly brown the pancakes on each side. Serve warm. (We had ours with Kodiak Red Raspberry Gluten Free Syrup and unsweetened applesauce!) 

Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers in an airtight bag.