AIP apple cinnamon plantain pancakes, egg-free, breakfast

You do not always want breakfast to remind you that you are eliminating something. Some mornings you just want a stack of pancakes, and this one gets you there without an egg anywhere near it.

Green plantain, still firm and starchy before it ripens, forms the whole base. That starch is mostly resistant to digestion, so it travels down to your lower gut intact and becomes food for the bacteria that live there. Shredded apple folds in for sweetness and a little pectin, and cinnamon gives it the warm note that makes a stack of pancakes taste like a stack of pancakes instead of a substitution.

The original calls for eggs. Here a gelatin egg holds the batter together instead, and it behaves differently than a chicken egg does: it firms as it cools rather than as it cooks, so pour without rushing and let the first side set before you flip. Grate the apple by hand and let the smell of it be part of the morning, not a chore to get through.

Eat the stack while it is warm, syrup or not. A short stack of pancakes is a small thing to have back.

Ingredients

• 2 large green plantains
• 1 gelatin egg (1 tbsp gelatin whisked into 3 tbsp warm water)
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, plus more for the pan
• 2 tsp alcohol-free vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1 large red apple, shredded

Method

Make the gelatin egg first so it is ready when you need it: whisk the gelatin into the warm water until it dissolves and thickens slightly, then set it aside.

Peel and roughly chop the plantains and add them to a blender along with the coconut oil, alcohol-free vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, sea salt, and the gelatin egg. Blend until the batter is smooth.

Stir the shredded apple into the batter by hand so the apple stays in soft shreds rather than getting pureed.

Warm a skillet or griddle over medium heat with a little coconut oil. Pour the batter in roughly quarter-cup rounds. Let each pancake cook until the underside sets and browns lightly, then flip and finish the second side.

Serve warm. A little maple syrup, a spoon of fruit compote, or nothing at all all work here.

A note on the gelatin egg

A gelatin egg behaves differently from a chicken egg - it sets as it cools, so work without rushing and flip the pancakes once the bottom is firm. If the batter feels too loose, let it rest a minute before pouring the next round.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*