My brother-in-law Kyle is three years old. He is the coolest kid I know. Kyle is my inspiration for this column since he is allergic to so many food items typically present in our diets (including super healthy things like seeds!) It really is unfortunate that he is allergic to some great things like peanut butter, some tree nuts and things typically used to make breakfast items (my favorite meal), but his mom rocks and she has MacGyver’d some clever tricks to make eating (somewhat) easy for Kyle. She gave me the scaffolding for awesome allergen-free (even of SOY and WHEAT) mini pancakes that Kyle apparently is obsessed with. Allergic breakfast lovers rejoice! I decided to add a recipe for a delicious allergen-free brunch-esque side dish to fill you up on weekend mornings as well (or weekdays if you have extra time!)
Mini Cinnamon Oat Allergen Free Pancakes
Makes about 6 mini pancakes
1/2 c rolled oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill brand; Kyle’s Mom Christine uses 1 packet McCann’s Irish Oats (soy free), prepared according to package (usually with 1/2 c water)
Equivalent of 2 eggs (either using Ener-G egg replacement or 2 flax “eggs”)
1 tsp. Coconut Oil
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 cup fresh berries (strawberries or blueberries are delicious in this recipe)
Mix prepared oatmeal with the two “eggs” (either the Ener-G egg replacement OR the flax eggs) in a medium bowl until mostly uniform texture.
Heat coconut oil in a shallow pan on low until it coats the bottom and begins to form small bubbles.
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough into pan and slightly flatten with spoon, sprinkle with cinnamon.
Cook for about 1-2 minutes on one side then flip pancake GENTLY –as they are fragile– and repeat on other side.
Remove from heat and cover with fresh berries and organic maple syrup; Enjoy!
Easy Baked Broccoli Zucchini Scramble
Makes about 3 servings
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh broccoli heads
1 zucchini sliced thin
1 medium tomato sliced very thin
1 cup roughly chopped kale
2 cloves garlic diced
1 tsp. Olive Oil
Black Pepper to taste
Sea Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350F
Heat olive oil in cast iron (preferably) pan
Sautee kale and garlic until kale is soft and garlic is a bit browned, remove from pan and place in a bowl, but retain heat in pan
Add broccoli and zucchini to pan and sautee until zucchini is a bit softer, do not cook all the way through
Remove pan from heat and add back kale and garlic into the pan, top with tomato slices and salt and pepper
Place entire pan carefully in oven (if not using cast iron, place ingredients in casserole dish before transferring to oven)
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until kale is a bit crisp
Carefully remove from oven and serve with a spatula as a side dish for breakfast or brunch!
Have a fantastic weekend and take some time to have a family style brunch!
Photo: Kate Coffey
