Chocolate Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

I came up with this recipe during the pandemic, it reminds me of those slow mornings when we were all in lockdown. The only thing I miss about lockdown is the time I had to cook and try new recipes and that every night was movie night lol. I remember it took me months to find the trick to make fluffy but healthy pancakes (because with other recipes I would end up with crepes, not pancakes).

I absolutely love this recipe, its definitely one of my favourites. I wanted to find a healthier option of chocolate pancakes, and I was determined to find a recipe that would actually taste good, so I did! I suggest you read until the end to review my preparation tips since this one is tricky to hit perfectly on the first try.

Anyway, this was my breakfast for at least eight months straight until I fell in love with another recipe. Fun fact: once I find a plate that I absolutely love (especially breakfast), I will eat it every day until I'm sick of it and change it for something else.

Ingredients:

1 banana

1 cup oatmeal flour

1/2 tablespoons baking powder

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 large eggs

1 cup coconut milk (you can use almond, soy, oatmeal, or cashew milk)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon coconut sugar or maple syrup (optional)

Preparation:

*Make sure you do not use a blender to make this recipe, the batter will be too liquid and the pancakes won't be fluffy at all.

Make a puree with the peeled banana (use a fork), and add the cinnamon and maple syrup/coconut sugar in a bowl, mix them all together. Add all the liquid ingredients (milk and vanilla) to the puree and mix until the batter is homogeneous. Then, add the eggs to the mix and use a whisk or fork to integrate the ingredients, allowing the batter to have a thicker texture. Slowly start to incorporate the flour, cocoa powder and all the dry ingredients while mixing. Mix until you notice that all the ingredients are fully incorporated. Let the batter sit for about two/three minutes for the baking powder to do its magic and the batter to thicken a bit more.

Tips from the heart:

- The more black spots the banana has, the sweeter it will be. I often use almost-riped bananas and skip the maple syrup/coconut sugar step as I try not to add extra sugar to this recipe.

- You can use one whole egg + one white or two whole eggs.

- You can always add more cinnamon if you like to.

- If you want to grease your pan, you can use coconut oil.

- If you want to add extra chocolate, you can add sugar-free dark chocolate chips to the mix directly to the pancake in the pan while it cooks.

- I usually eat it with strawberries because I feel they balance out the flavours, but you can use bananas, peanut butter, maple syrup, anything.

Poke Bowl Recipe (coming up sometime soon)

I have been trying a couple versions of this tuna/salmon poke bowl and I think I am getting closer to finding the perfect recipe. I also want to give you variations for the protein, base, sauces and topping but I need to make sure they’re as perfect as the original.

I promise the wait will be worth it!

I took a picture of my favourite version I've done so far.

If you have any suggestions don't forget you can always dm me on Instagram @mariafromtheheart

Oaxaca Lunch Bowl

This is a recipe I came up with inspired by the tex-mex bowls I enjoy at restaurants, but I wanted to try a homemade version of them. This one I call the “I don’t really have time to cook but I need to eat something”, I usually make them with the meal prep I do for the week but making everything from scratch would also work just fine.

1 cup of plain white rice

3 tablespoons of beans

35 g of chicken (or any protein)

1 tablespoon of guacamole

1 tablespoon of toasted corn

1 tablespoon of cheese

1 ½ tablespoon of pico de gallo.

Optional: top it off with sriracha sauce or valentina if you are feeling like making it a little spicy.

Preparation:

Serve the rice at the bottom of a bowl then add the toppings around the plate, see the picture for a guide).

Notes:

• You can always use quinoa instead of rice or include arugula (or any green) as part of the base.

• If you prefer a protein other than chicken, you can use whatever you like best. If you are a pescetarian, salmon works amazingly or if you are a vegetarian or vegan, you can use sweet potato (cut in cubes and season, then put in the air fryer for 20 min).

• These are my quantity suggestions but you can add more or less of any of the ingredients. Adjust the recipe as much as you need so that it works best for you!

And don't forget to cook from the heart.