First Day of School Breakfast: Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Heart Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes

The first day of school is special. It is the first official send off for your child or children to school, and quite possibly the return of normalcy for you. In my house we celebrate this occasion with a hot breakfast. It calms nervous tummies to be able to sit down, relax and enjoy a meal together as we go over what we’re excited and/or nervous about. All my kids are Nervous Nellies, so I have found this tradition first started by my mom, and later my sister, to be very useful. As wild and crazy as my kiddos are in the morning, they will agree to sit down to eat for 15 minutes and just talk.

My favorite breakfast to serve on this day is pancakes. Of course we all have our favorite pancake recipe and I have two that I love. This year I made my personal favorite pancake; Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Heart Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes. Served alongside warm maple syrup, dairy free margarine, fresh fruit, turkey sausage and orange juice (sorry, this is in the big plastic jug and NOT fresh squeezed…remember I only 15 minutes to eat and four kids to get out the door! This is also a fabulous recipe with farmer’s market blueberries sprinkles on top of the freshly poured batter. The result: warm, slightly popped blueberries that burst with fresh berry flavor in every bite. My husband and I have been been known to battle it out over the last Blueberry Oatmeal Pancake…

This is also a whole grain version that happens to be irresistibly delicious. I never would have thought I’d prefer whole grain over my good old all purpose flour but in this case I do. It is truly special, and takes no more than five minutes to whip together. They also freeze really well. Enjoy and hope everyone had a great first day of school!

Heart-Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes

Yield: About 20 pancakes

• 1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 6 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons water
• 11/2 cups soy or rice milk
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat a cast-iron griddle pan on medium heat until hot, and preheat oven to 200ºF.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine oatmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt with a wire whisk. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine water, oil, and soy milk. Pour water mixture into the dry ingredients, and mix with a wire whisk until just combined. Do not over mix; a few lumps are fine.

Spray griddle liberally with dairy-free cooking spray (repeat this process each time you put down a new pool of batter). Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the heated griddle, and cook until small bubbles start to form on top. Flip and cook other side until light brown. Transfer pancakes to warmed oven, and repeat.

Tip: Freeze extras by placing pancakes in a resealable freezer bag, with a sheet of parchment or wax paper placed between each layer. Label with name and date, and freeze for up to 2 months.