by Nicola Law, Toronto, Canada
My dear friend and yoga teacher, Grace, urged me to share a few easy recipes in her Forever Now website. I am not a very good cook but I try to cook healthy meals every day ever since I moved to Canada 28 years ago.
Raising two girls without domestic help and working full time forced me to think of ways to prep and cook fast. To prepare healthy meals, I use the least amount of fat, sugar and salt. I also avoid processed food and store-bought food with unrecognizable ingredients.
To choose recipes that are “easy” is a challenge. My definition of easy may be different from yours. I am going to make it easy for Grace and that means - few ingredients, utensils, steps and minimal clean-up. With that in mind, I choose pancake which requires simple ingredients and is pretty heathy as there’s only a little sugar and fat.
Ingredients (Makes 7 to 8 pancakes)
1. 1 cup flour (I prefer ½ all-purpose, ½ whole wheat flour)
2. 1 tablespoon baking powder
3. 1 pinch of salt
4. 1 egg
5. 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
6. 1 tablespoon of sugar
7. 1 cup of milk
Method
1. Whisk egg, sugar, milk and oil together until well mixed.
2. Add flour, baking powder, salt and mix well.
3. The consistency of the batter should be smooth. If it is too thick, add a teaspoon of water.
4. Heat nonstick pan and maintain medium heat. Pour batter and cook until the edge of the pancake looks dry. Flip pancake over and cook until the edge of the pancake on the underside is slightly golden. Done.
You can serve the pancakes with maple syrup and butter. I usually eat them plain with the addition of banana and fruits.
You can let your young kids help as this recipe is fool-proof. I think this is much easier than getting dressed and making a trip to McDonald’s.