Broccoli Pancakes

Yes, you read it right.  Pancakes made with broccoli.  How on earth could that possibly be good, you ask?  Well, I know, broccoli doesn't exactly conjure up the idea of baked goods, unless it's in a quiche or a knish or maybe even a strudel, but believe it or not, this actually worked.

Reuters Health recently reported a study which concluded that broccoli will help you live longer, though the unscientific response was that people still struggle with getting enough fruits and vegetables in their diets, specifically those in the Brassica family (broccoli, cauliflower, mustard greens, etc.).  So a friend of mine challenged me with the idea of making a "choccoli" donut since we all know people love their chocolate and the donut might be a good vehicle for this often maligned veggie.  I have yet to master the Choccoli Donut.  Instead I thought I'd start with baby steps by making a broccoli pancake for breakfast this morning.

It's made with my standard gluten-free pancake recipe as a base, but then I pureed a few florets of broccoli with the rice milk for the wet ingredients.  I also added a diced Granny Smith apple, chopped pecans, and craisins to the mix.  The result was a fluffy pancake with enough substance to keep me satisfied all morning.  And you'd never know you were getting the longevity-boosting benefits of broccoli in every bite.  Yum!

Gluten-free Broccoli Pancakes
3/4 cup all purpose gluten-free flour

1/4 cup rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt 
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp xantham gum 
1 cup rice or soy milk pureed with 1/2 cup fresh broccoli florets 
2 Tbl agave syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbl coconut oil, melted

1 Granny Smith Apple, diced

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

2/4 cup dried cranberries

Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together wet ingredients, then add to flour mix. Stir well to combine, then mix in apple, pecans and dried cranberries.  Let batter sit about 5 minutes while you heat your non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Melt about 1 Tbl coconut oil in hot skillet and drop about 1/4 cup of batter in the pan for each pancake. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side until golden grown. Top with real maple syrup.