+Recipes: Amaranth Pancakes, No Sugar, No Butter

Recipe Connection: Pancakes, no sugar/no butter

This recipe is ideal for anyone who doesn't want the insulin swings, osteoporosis, increased risk of diabetes, excess bodyfat, and tooth decay that come from eating refined sugar. It's also ideal for anyone who doesn't want the clogged arteries and saturated fat that butter provides. These pancakes contain required-for-health unsaturated fats. Not only are they out-of-this world delicious, but just one will fill you up! This recipe makes a batch to feed a family of four for a weekend.

8 tsp canola oil (or any unsaturated oil)

10 eggs, large (preferably free-range)

1 apple

2 cups water

1 cup amaranth flour

1 cup soy flour

3 tblspn arrowroot powder

2 tsp baking soda

Ľ tsp salt

2 oz vanilla

8 tblspn cinnamon

1 tspn nutmeg

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Apply thin coating of oil to pan.
Mix oil, eggs in large bowl.
Puree apple in blender (do NOT peel), using about ˝ the water.
Add pureed apple to mix, rinse blender into bowl with remaining water and 2 tblspn cinnamon.
Mix in amaranth and 2 tblspn cinnamon..
Mix in soy and 2 tblspn cinnamon.
Put pan on medium heat
Mix in the remaining dry ingredients.
After mixing the above, add vanilla.
Add water as needed for consistency (don't let the batter be too thick)..
Use a ladle, in a spiraling motion, to pour batter into pan.
Immediately sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover pan.
Turn cake when first side is golden brown.

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These pancakes use no saturated fat or processed sugar. The cinnamon will boost your metabolism (burning fat in the process), and the high protein of the amaranth and soy will nourish your muscles. The fat in these is the kind your body needs for healthy nerves and tissue, as well as for the metabolism of other fats. These are also high in fiber.

We recommend you not add any sugars or syrups to these cakes (or any other foods), but if you "need" more of a sugary taste, use a fine maple syrup or some honey. Check the label to make sure you are not getting cane sugar in any of its many forms.

Healthful cooking tips

If you're like most people, your idea of healthful cooking means giving up the stuff you like. While that may be true, it does not mean eating dull and boring foods. Quite the opposite.

Most of what constitutes the American diet consists of two flavors:

Corn syrup.
Hydrogenated fats.

That is, most of what you eat tastes pretty much the same. By eating processed "food," you give up dozens of amazing flavors that exist in nature's bounty and that are readily available in your local grocery store. To take advantage of those flavors, you need to start with how you shop. Spend most of your grocery store time and budget in the produce department.

Your grocer has several lettuces and cabbages. Use these as the base for raw vegetable dishes (which taste great with a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing you can make yourself). Iceberg lettuce? Don't bother with it.
Bok choy, also called Chinese cabbage, is an excellent calcium source. Yes, it beats milk on that score. Use the leaves like lettuce and cut up the stalks as if they were celery sticks.
Sweet potatoes are a nutritional power house. You can bake them in the microwave to save time.
Mushrooms are loaded with important nutrients and add great flavor. Buy whole ones and slice them up as needed for cooked and raw dishes.
Squashes come in a variety of flavors. Buy several.
Peppers add zest and are loaded with nutrients.
Eggplant has potent cancer-fighting properties. Dice raw eggplant into cubes and add to salads and soups.
Onions add flavor.
Each time you go to the store, pick up one new vegetable you haven't tried before.
You should own a crockpot. Buy a bag of beans, soak them overnight, rinse them, and then cook in the crockpot (cover beans in 2 inches of water in the pot). You can add chopped garlic when you add the beans, for an aroma that's wonderful and a taste that satisfies.

You should generally avoid buying food that comes in a container. Of course, there are exceptions. Olive oil and vinegar, for example, aren't sold any other way (nor would you want them to be). The key is to avoid things that are adulterated with sugars and damaged fats, and such foods come in containers. Read the labels. A note on beans. Canned red kidney beans come in sugar water, so buy dry red kidney beans and cook them yourself.

Avoid products that contain wheat or corn. You can find alternative flours in most stores, today. Oat flour, for example, is widely avaiable.

Don't buy instant anything. Instant oats, instant coffee, etc., are less healthful than the regular kind.

Recipe Connection: Pancakes, no sugar/no butter

Healthful cooking tips

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