How can I make healthy pancakes?

When most people think of pancakes, they picture a stack of buttery, syrupy hotcakes - often served with bacon, sausage and eggs. But rather than downing a fat-laden breakfast bomb, you can whip up healthy pancakes using these simple ideas:

• Use whole-wheat flour instead of refined white flour. Whole-wheat flour has more protein and minerals.
• Instead of whole milk, try fortified soy or skim milk. You'll get the same amount of protein and calcium without the extra fat.
• Add fresh fruit or nuts to your batter.
• Rather than using butter between finished pancakes, try apple butter.

Finally, top off with fresh fruit and enjoy!

These Maple, Walnut, and Flaxseed Pancakes contain health-promoting fats. Add whey protein or have them with a side of eggs and your favorite fruit and you've got the perfect breakfast.

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal*
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups reduced-fat (2%) buttermilk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 large egg
1 tablespoon (or more) vegetable oil
Additional pure maple syrup

Preparation (Makes 12 Pancakes; Serving Size: 1 Pancake)

Whisk flour, flaxseed meal, walnuts, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. In a separate medium bowl, whisk buttermilk, 1/4 cup maple syrup and egg. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and whisk just until incorporated.

Brush a large nonstick skillet lightly with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. Working in batches, add batter to skillet by scant ¼-cupfuls. Cook until bubbles appear on surface of pancakes and undersides are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn pancakes over and cook until golden on bottom, about 2 minutes. Brush skillet lightly with vegetable oil as needed between batches. Transfer pancakes to plates. Serve with additional maple syrup.

*Sold at natural foods stores and some supermarkets. If flaxseed meal isn't available, buy flaxseeds and use a spice grinder or coffee mill to grind them into a fine powder.

If you've been denying yourself pancakes for health and waist reasons, Elizabeth Somer, RD, nutritionist and author of The Food and Mood Cookbook, tells you how to rehab your favorite flapjack recipe:

Cut down the calories.

• Use half the oil, margarine, shortening, or butter called for in the recipe.
• Use nonfat milk or nonfat condensed milk -- or low-fat buttermilk or soymilk -- instead of whole milk.
• Use cooking spray to prepare the griddle.
• Keep servings to two 4-inch pancakes.

Pump up the fiber.

• Replace some of the white or unbleached flour with whole-wheat pastry flour. (It's lighter than regular whole-wheat flour.) Start with 3/4 cup white and 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour for every cup of flour called for. Increase the whole-wheat flour every time you cook until you find the proportion you like best.
• Toss in a handful of oatmeal to up the protein and fiber. (You may need to add a little extra milk, too.)
• To make gluten-free pancakes, use buckwheat flour.

Skim off the cholesterol.

• Replace the eggs with egg substitute, or use two whites per yolk.
• For fluffier pancakes, whip the whites separately, and then fold them into the batter.

Skinny down the sugar.

• Replace half the sugar with Splenda.
• Try adding sweet-tasting flavorings: vanilla, nutmeg, and/or cinnamon, and leave out some of the sugar.

Rev up the antioxidants.

• Mix a spoonful of canned pumpkin, grated apple, or whole blueberries into the batter.
• Add some toasted wheat germ or ground flaxseeds, too.

Swap out the syrup.

• Heap on fresh or thawed berries -- any kind.
• Top with a tablespoon of all-fruit apricot jam and a sliced banana.
• Spoon on fat-free sour cream, yogurt, or ricotta cheese mixed with mango chunks or mandarin oranges.
• If you still crave syrup, drizzle any of the above with a little agave nectar (sold in health-food stores). It tastes as sweet as syrup, but it's far easier on your blood sugar levels.

Trading pale, wimpy pancakes soaked in butter and syrup for hearty, healthy ones rich in flavor, fruit, fiber, and nutrients will do more than rehab an a.m. favorite and boost your energy for the day. Training your taste buds to love foods that thwart aging can make you look and feel at least 3 years younger.

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