These Fruity Pancakes are loaded with both fruit and flavor. If you’ve ever thought being healthy means denying flavor, then this is one recipe that will show you it truly is possible to have both.

I’ve been doing more and more gluten-free recipes lately because I recently re-read the book by Kathy Freston, Quantum Wellness. Kathy recommends that everyone take a 21-day cleanse at least once a year. It’s actually a cleanse diet that was made famous by one reader in particular, Oprah. If I recall, Oprah had a 5-star chef who followed her around and prepared mouth-watering recipes that met the cleanse guidelines.

Oh, if only!

The only stars in my kitchen are the ones I see after I bang my head on the cabinet door (which happens more than I care to admit). So the trick to getting through my 21-day Quantum Wellness Cleanse was to hunker down and figure out some recipes of my own to try. What’s included on Kathy’s cleanse? It’s really more about what’s not included. Kathy recommends avoiding the following for 21 days:

• Meat
• Dairy
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Gluten
• Sugar

After the initial shock to my system, once I was free of gluten for a few weeks, I felt really good. I’ve continued to eat primarily gluten-free ever since.

You don’t have to be on a cleanse diet to enjoy these healthy and delicious pancakes, but you’ll have the added benefit of feeling a little cleaner as a result.

Fruity Pancakes

(Adapted recipe from Averie at Love Veggies and Yoga)

Ingredients: 

• 1 medium apple, cored and chopped
• 1 medium banana, chopped
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds, ground
• ¼ cup raw almonds
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup gluten-free flour, (I used brown rice flour)
• ⅓ cup dry oats
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• Vegetable spray

Preparation:

1. Blend first 4 ingredients in a blender and then walk away. That’s right. Let it sit for a bit while you go do a few other things. You know, like paint your nails or go do a few yoga poses. But don’t get too relaxed because there are more steps to follow.
2. Next add the gluten-free flour and dry oats into the blender for a few seconds until everything is well combined.
3. Follow this by adding the baking soda, powder, and cinnamon. Add the vanilla. Here is where you can add more water (or soy milk) if you think the mixture is too thick. I like my pancake batter to be more runny than thick so I did add a little bit of water to the recipe at this point.
4. Heat your griddle over medium high heat. Spray some vegetable spray, and pour about 1/4 cup of this fruity pancake batter in the pan. Be sure to allow enough space between the pancakes. When you notice bubbles appearing on the top of the pancakes it’s time to do some flipping. I keep my can of veggie spray handy and while I have the pancake on the spatula, I’ll spray a bit of it on the pan. I stored the finished pancakes in a slightly warm toaster oven.
5. Continue with this process until you’re through with all the batter.
6. Enjoy these gluten-free Fruity Pancakes with sliced bananas and maple syrup.