first of all, it feels great to be back. the last few weeks have been the some of the most memorable and cherished times i have ever had. we had an incredible wedding, and a very relaxing, yet adventurous honeymoon. however, as dorothy gayle once so eloquently said, "There's no place like home." and that is exactly how i am feeling. frank and i are back as husband and wife in our little space we call our home, surrounded by the things we've collected, bought, and shared memories with, and nothing feels better. home is truly a wonderful thing.
i'm a little ashamed of this "recipe" if you will. it was thought up and conceived out of fear and anxiety. not of whether making instant oats into pancakes would work, but out of wedding nerves. my normal go-to breakfast is boring by most standards: a pack of instant oatmeal, with a half spoonful of honey, some cinnamon, and berries. as our wedding approached i began craving things i normally don't eat but once in a blue (take pancakes for instance). this one particular morning i couldn't fathom the thought of gumming oats, and chewing berries that were lodged inside the pasty oatmeal, and for whatever reason i thought: i must have PANCAKES! these random ideas usually do run through my mind, and when they're food ideas i often latch onto them until i make them as good as i think they can be. much to my surprise, this particular idea worked the first time. because we were in a rental house, i didn't have my usual flours i work with, so my options were limited to the oatmeal pack. i substituted the 1/2 cup of water i usually use, for almond milk and an egg (in the recipe below i used ground flax with the same results), and added some salt that was on hand. i added my usual amount of honey, cinnamon and berries, and cooked one large pancake in a skillet. i smothered some extra honey on top, dug in, and shared it with my dad. it was a good morning.
i decided to share this "recipe" because if you've been living out of a suitcase for almost a month like i have, and you're not in your home kitchen with everything that is familiar to you, this is a great little recipe to have and whip up in a pinch. whether you're using sugar in lieu of honey, or dairy milk instead of almond milk, it's all good. similarly, add different spices, or make it a savory pancake for dinner - options have no end.
instant oatmeal pancakes
| makes 1 very large pancake, or 2 medium pancakes |
ingredients:
- 1 packet instant oatmeal (i use Whole Foods brand)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (adjust the salt if your instant oatmeal contains sodium)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water (or 1 egg)
- 1/2 teaspoon honey, plus more for serving
- cinnamon to taste
- a handful of blueberries
- a nub of coconut oil, for cooking
instructions
- in a small bowl prepare your flax. combine the ground flax with water, stir to combine - let rest for 5 minutes or until the consistency is that of an egg
- in a medium bowl, combine the instant oats with the salt and a few sprinkles of cinnamon - mix. add the milk, flax mixture, honey, and berries - stir to combine
- heat a small skillet on medium, when the skillet is hot, add the coconut oil. either use entire batter to make 1 large pancake, or split the batter to make 2 pancakes. use the back of a spoon or a spatula to flatten the pancake/s
- cook for roughly 2-4 minutes on each side, depending on the size of your pancake/s
- remove from heat and slather with honey
enjoy!