A Tasty Cake: Sweet Potato Pancakes

The other day, the family was in for a treat when I made sweet potato pancakes. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty awesome at making pancakes (toot toot!). I think the change in seasons from summer to fall made me want a sweet potato variety. So, I broke down and made some and they were delicious -- if I might say so myself!

These pancakes are better than what you may get from a restaurant and far better than any box mix because they are made from scratch and include low glycemic index ingredients such as sweet potatoes and whole wheat flour that will help reduce a drastic spike in blood glucose levels.

But make no mistake, these are definitely a treat. I wouldn't recommend eating pancakes every day. Pancakes are actually one of my cheat meals. As you start to eat cleaner, the foods you choose to indulge in will also get cleaner. Back in the day, I used to allow myself some fast food as a cheat. But today, the thought of eating fast food makes my stomach turn.

So, the next time you want to treat yourself with a fantastically delicious pancake, you must try these! Check it out.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
4 tablespoons sugar
2 dashes of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 eggs
6 tablespoons oil
2 cups milk
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

Makes 8-10 pancakes.

Directions: Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl: flours, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon and salt. Whisk together well. Then add eggs, brown sugar, oil and the 2 cups of milk to the dry ingredients, mix well. The batter should be slightly thick and smooth.

In a food processor, add the sweet potatoes and 1/4 cup of milk and pulse until smooth. Add to batter. Mix well.

THE SECRET TO PERFECTLY GOLDEN SKILLET PANCAKES

Heat a nonstick skillet to medium to slightly medium high. Every stove top is different, so you'll  have to play around to find the setting to get perfectly golden pancakes. It took a lot of trial and error in my pancake making experiences to finally get an evenly light gold colored pancake as opposed to a blotchy brown and cream colored pancake.

Having the right stove top temperature is key. You'll also want to let the pan sit on the burner for 5-10 minutes so the whole entire pan is heated evenly. Use an undamaged nonstick skillet, and no oil is necessary. If you're skillet is less than pristine*, put a teaspoon of oil or nonstick spray in the pan and spread it around with a paper towel until you barely even see it anymore. You definitely don't want any pools of oil anywhere. (You'll only need to do this oiling process for the first pancake and that's it.) I always do a tiny test pancake to make sure they come out right, before I start. Also, I find that pouring the batter from my spouted measuring cup pours the mixture well.

Pour enough batter for one pancake only. This will prevent overcrowding and ensure even cooking. Wait for the pancake to be full of tiny little bubbles/holes (2-3 minutes), then with a spatula, pull up the edge of the pancake to make sure it looks ready to flip. When it's golden, flip it. Let it cook for 30 more seconds, then move it to a plate. Repeat process until you have all the cakes you want. The batter will keep in the fridge for a day or two.

Enjoy!

* If you have a damaged nonstick skillet, you should replace it as soon as you can. Toxic particles from the pan can get into the food and that should avoided.