I love using food to teach my kids about life and culture. Watching the Olympic Games, we learned about the history of the interlocking-rings symbol: The colors were those on the flags of the competing countries in 1914, when the symbol was created. We also talked about how athletes need the best possible “fuel” for their bodies. These all-natural whole-wheat pancakes are a great way to kick off the games.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Prep: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 12 pancakes |
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup low-fat milk, plus more if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon raw or organic sugar
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- Blue, black, red, yellow and green food coloring (I prefer gel; I used India Tree All-Natural Decorating Colors)
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1/2 cup of your favorite fruit, optional
Instructions
- Preheat a skillet or cooking surface to medium-low. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a large bowl. Make a well in the middle, add the egg, milk, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and mix until just combined; add more milk if necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
- Transfer 1/3 of the batter to a medium bowl; set the rest aside. Add the cocoa, the remaining teaspoon sugar and the cinnamon to the medium bowl, and combine. (I add the cocoa to achieve more depth of color without using too much food coloring. Plus, the kids like the idea of chocolate pancakes.)
- Divide the cocoa batter into 2 bowls. Add red food coloring to 1 and black to the other. Divide the remaining batter into 3 bowls, and dye 1 each yellow, blue and green with the food coloring.
- Spray the skillet with nonstick cooking spray or use butter. If using fruit, add it right before you begin cooking. Scoop 1/4-cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until the edges are firm, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 76 |
| Total Fat | 1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 17 mg |
| Sodium | 120 mg |