Carob Flapjacks

So this will be my first time making pancakes with carob instead of cacao, and flax instead of eggs.

The reasons I am doing this are infinite: studies have shown that carob, while tasting similarly to cacao, has lower sugar and no caffeine when compared to cacao. While caffeine has shown that it has beneficial effects, there are also negative effects of too much of the stimulant. Especially for kids, its safer to go with carob.

And as for flax, I wanted to try an alternative, mainly because there have been times I have wanted to make pancakes but have no eggs. Flax, just like eggs, has chemical properties that enable it to rise and expand. A good rule of thumb to remember is to substitute 1 T of ground flax for every 1 egg. 

I found this recipe online, and decided to give it a try:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup carob powder
• 2 T baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla 
• 1/2 T maple syup
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 T flax
• 1 cup whole organic milk

The easiest and least messy way is to put all your ingredients in a large ziploc bag and mash them up. The kids have so much fun with this and this is an easy way to avoid cleaning up mixing bowls and whisks after you're done cooking.

Next step is finding a pan and trying it out! I used coconut oil, but you can also use pastured butter (which means that the cow was grass-fed, which means it gives you the nutrients of the grass (omega 3, 6, and CLA)) I also learned today on the podcast I like to listen to called Balanced Bites that its not about the smoke point of the oil you use, but more about the saturation of the fat. Maybe another blog for another day So you add the oil to your pan, cut the corner off your ziploc bag, and pipette the batter onto the pan. Easy as that! Do you think the kids like it? You better believe they do.....