AIP banana spice plantain pancakes, egg-free, breakfast

Allspice is off this month's list, at least while you are moving through the strictest stretch of elimination. Mace is not, and it turns out mace alone can still make a stack of pancakes smell like the ones you grew up eating.

Whole banana and green plantain make the batter, no flour anywhere in it. Banana is a source of potassium, involved in steady fluid balance and how your muscles fire, and green plantain, still green and starchy, is a source of resistant starch, the kind that reaches your lower gut mostly intact and feeds the bacteria waiting there.

Eggs hold the original version together. A gelatin egg does that work here instead, so nothing about this batter steps outside the elimination phase. If it stiffens while you are cooking, a splash of warm water loosens it back to pourable.

Let the cinnamon and mace fill the kitchen while these cook. A pancake that smells this good on an ordinary Tuesday is worth noticing.

Ingredients

• 1 green plantain, chopped
• 1 large banana, chopped
• 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 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp ground mace
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

Method

Make the gelatin egg first: whisk the gelatin into the warm water until it dissolves and thickens, then set it aside while you gather the rest.

Add the plantain, banana, coconut oil, alcohol-free vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, mace, sea salt, and the gelatin egg to a high-powered blender. Blend into a smooth batter.

Warm a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat with a little coconut oil. Pour the batter in roughly quarter-cup rounds.

Cook until the underside is golden and set, then flip and finish the second side. Top as you like and serve warm.

A note on the gelatin egg

Because a gelatin egg firms up as it cools, the batter behaves best when used soon after blending. If it stiffens while you cook, a splash of warm water loosens it back to a pourable consistency.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*