empty cupboard pancakes

I really love to cook.  And in times like this morning, I am really glad I am comfortable in the kitchen.  The kids wanted pancakes.  But our cupboards were nearing empty.  No all purpose flour, minimal spelt flour, almost empty milks...  After the pancakes, however, a trip to the store is in my immediate future.

Pancakes are such a wonderful intro food for the beginning cook.  They are so easy to make, and they are even easier to experiment.  You can substitute flours, sugars, add fruit, add spices, and the measurements don't have to be perfect.  The consistency can be a bit runny for a thinner pancake, or a bit thicker for a more robust pancake.  You can make savory pancakes, or sweet; seedy pancakes, grainy pancakes, potatoey pancakes, eggy pancakes.....  The list goes on and on.

These pancakes were completely improvised, and were absolutely delicious!

Since I had minimal flour, I took some old fashioned oats and put them into the food processor to make an oat flour.  And then I used the last bits of whatever flours we had left, and it turned into a downright healthy pancake.  Protein from the spelt flour, fiber from the oat and whole wheat flours.

empty cupboard pancakes

1/2 c. ground oats

1/2 c. spelt flour

very scant 1/2 c. whole wheat flour- I added just enough to make the right consistency

2 tbs sugar, or honey, or maple syrup, or brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

a few shakes of cinnamon

1 1/4 c. soy milk (I actually ran out of soy milk at about 1/2 c, so I supplemented the rest with almond milk, which also ran out- I really wasn't kidding about the empty cupboard!)

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla (this is approximate- I didn't actually measure.  I just emptied the rest of the vanilla into the bowl)

3 tbs melted Earth Balance dairy free butter

Combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Mix well.  If you use honey or maple syrup in place of the sugar, put that in with the wet ingredients.  In another bowl, mix the eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Pour the wet into the dry, and mix to just combine.  It's ok if there are lumps.  Slowly add the butter, mixing as you go, so as not to cook the eggs.

In a preheated skillet set to medium low, pour little batter circles.  My circle size is usually pretty small, maybe about 3 tbs.  Cook until bubbles form on top of the pancake, which will take about 3-4 minutes minutes.  Flip the pancakes and cook for about 2 more minutes.  

Stack em up, slather em with honey butter, maple butter, maple syrup, whatever you have left in your cupboards!