If you love light and fluffy pancakes these are the best ever! Plus they are super nutritious and very easy to make.
These pancakes are Candida (and Diabetic) Safe. However, even if you don’t have the Candida or Diabetes Blues you’ll want to try this recipe. Hands down these are the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten.
Very satisfying, if you’re a pancake lover like me, who occasionally gets the urge for pancakes at breakfast or brunch. And most happily of all, they are easy to digest and won’t sit heavy in your tummy afterward.
There’s also a yummy Candida Safe pancake syrup recipe for you to try. Or, you can opt for using your favorite maple syrup on top of your pancakes and simply enjoy (if being sugar free is not an issue for you).
Make your pancakes an even more memorable experience, by following my instructions on how to substitute Cinnamon essential oil for the recommended Cinnamon powder.
WHY Oat Bran?
These nutritious and delicious pancakes are made with oat bran. Using oat bran is the secret to making your pancakes extraordinarily light and fluffy, as well as keeping them sugar free.
Oats are widely recognized as one of the healthiest grains you can eat. Oat bran is the outer layer of the oat groat beneath the inedible outer hull. Oat bran is contained in oatmeal, but is also sold alone. One of the wonderful things about oat bran (especially for Candida and Diabetes sufferers) is that it is totally sugar free. You can eat as much as you like if you’re on a Candida (or Diabetes) Safe Diet.
Oatmeal and oat bran are naturally gluten free. However, they can be processed in a facility that manufactures wheat products containing gluten. So, to be safe, you may want to buy oat bran that is certified gluten free if you suffer from Celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity.
Oat Bran Benefits
- Using oat bran makes your pancakes super light and fluffy and easy to digest. They won’t sit heavy in your tummy after eating.
- Nutrient dense and packed with many important vitamins and minerals, plus beneficial fiber content.
- High soluble fiber content may prevent blood sugar spikes and control blood sugar levels, both of which are an issue with Candida sufferers and diabetics.
- High soluble and insoluble fiber content may help relieve constipation and support bowel health.
- High soluble fiber content may help suppress hunger signals and boost fullness which can aid weight loss.
- Source of multiple antioxidants which can prevent against proliferation of chronic disease.
- Contains higher amounts of protein and fiber than regular oatmeal and is higher in beta-glucan.
What is Beta Glucan?
Beta glucan is a form of soluble dietary fiber that's been strongly linked to improving blood cholesterol levels, as well as boosting heart health. You can actually find it available as a food supplement.
Studies show that Beta-Glucan is an immune stimulant and acts to protect your immune system from foreign invaders, i.e. virus, bacteria and fungi. It has shown anti-carcinogenic effects and can prevent the development of cancerous tumors and cell toxicity.
Studies show that 50% of all US adults have diabetes or are pre-diabetic.
A review of 10 studies in people with type 2 diabetes found that consuming 6 grams of beta-glucan daily for 4 weeks significantly lowered their blood sugar levels. While consuming just 3 grams or more of beta-gluten for 12 weeks
Candida Safe Pancakes (Makes 4 medium or 3 large pancakes)
Use fresh, organic ingredients if available.
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat bran
- 1 cup pure water or almond milk (unsweetened)
- Optional: 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
- 2 eggs
- Optional: 2 Tablespoons ghee (melted), or substitute 1 Tbsp coconut or extra virgin olive oil for 1 Tbsp of ghee
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
- Optional: 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla powder (to taste) - Pure vanilla powder is the entire vanilla bean (pod and beans) that has been ground into powder. It lends an incredible amount of vanilla flavor to anything you're baking. Extracts use alcohol or glycerine as carriers for the aroma which contain sugar, so not Candida (or Diabetic) Safe.
- Optional: 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (substitute 1 drop cinnamon leaf essential oil). Check safe use Cinnamon oil.
Cinnamon has been shown to reduce fasting blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity. It is also a digestive aid, an immune stimulant and has anti-microbial effects. Also, research suggests that it may help people with diabetes. A 2010 study showed that cinnamon may benefit insulin sensitivity, sugar and fat levels, inflammation, blood pressure, and even body weight.
Directions
- Add oat bran to a small bowl.
- Warm water (or almond milk) first then add it to your bowl of oat bran.
- Add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (if using) to water (or almond milk) and stir thoroughly into oat bran.
- Presoak oat bran covered for 7-24 hours to make oat bran more digestible and destroy phytic acid (click link to find out more about phytic acid in my blog, Delicious Low Cal Candida Safe Oat Bran Muffins for the Holidays). Soaking bran in water alone will neutralize a small amount of phytic acid and helps make the nutrients in oat bran more bioavailable. It is considered more important to destroy phytic acid for vegetarians (non meat eaters) as phytic acid binds to minerals in the gut and can cause mineral deficiency overtime. This is not such a concern for non-vegetarians, as meat contains high amounts of minerals, like zinc, that will replenish your supply of minerals that may be lost when eating grains.
Prepare Skillet
Preheat skillet to Medium High. You may want to start warming your skillet before making your pancakes to make sure skillet is sufficiently hot enough for cooking pancakes. Sufficient heat helps your pancakes rise and be light and fluffy. Pancakes are especially good cooked in a cast iron skillet, if you have one. Add 1 tsp - 1 Tbsp high heat vegetable oil like coconut or olive oil to skillet. Use a paper towel to spread oil and lightly coat bottom of skillet. Absorb any excess oil in the paper towel.
Pancake Batter Preparation
- Combine dry ingredients (salt, baking powder and cinnamon powder if using) in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- Melt ghee (and oil) if using together. Pour into a medium bowl.
- Add eggs to soaked oat bran (or first combine with ghee and/or oil if using) and whisk together for several minutes.
- Add pre-soaked oat bran and cinnamon essential oil, if using instead of cinnamon powder, into the eggs, (ghee and/or oil if using) and mix together.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix thoroughly together.
- For a looser pancake batter add 1/4 to 1/2 cup additional water or almond milk.
- Cook as you would regular pancakes.
- 4 Tablespoon ghee. May substitute 1 Tbsp of ghee with coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil).
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp organic pure vanilla bean powder (to taste). Pure vanilla bean powder is the color of black powder. It contains the entire vanilla bean pod and beans which gives your syrup a dark color resembling something like maple syrup. It's a little pricey, but imparts an extraordinarily rich and full bodied vanilla flavor that is unmatched. Whisk vanilla bean powder and ghee together.
- Optional: 6 Tablespoon filtered water.
- 1/16th - 1/8th teaspoon stevia or monk fruit powder (to taste).
Instructions
- Melt ghee in small bowl or pyrex measuring cup.
- Add pure vanilla and sweetener powder and whisk together.
- Optional: Heat water (if using) in separate small bowl. Add to melted ghee, sweetener and vanilla powder mixture and whisk together before pouring on top of your pancakes. The oil and water (of course) will not stay blended together evenly so you'll have to whisk them together just before pouring on top of your pancakes.
Alternate Pancake Syrup
As above minus the water. You'll also use half the amount of pure vanilla bean powder and stevia extract. Melt the ghee and add vanilla and sweetener powder. Stir vigorously to blend ingredients. Pour flavored ghee mixture on top of pancake and spread with a fork to completely cover top of pancake.
Enjoy!
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