Oatmeal Pancakes or Waffles and the Dangers of Mixes and Premade Products.

This was requested from several people, the gamers my son games with, and a few people who wanted to know why prepackaged products are unhealthy.  This is the recipe for the oatmeal pancakes pictured with the breakfast sausage post.  Pancakes are ridiculously cheap if you make them yourself.  Double, triple, or even decuple(10x) the recipe and freeze the extras.  Reheat in the toaster.  Quick and cheap!  Second, this recipe can be used to make waffles as well, without altering the recipe.  Bonus: Make what my mom called dollar-sized pancakes (4-6 inches around), and you can make your own pancake breakfast sandwiches.  Skipping the cost of going out for fast food in the morning.  When I was working, I would make sheet pan scrambled eggs.  I'll include the recipe after the pancakes.  It gives you 12 precooked egg squares that can be reheated for breakfast sandwiches or add toppings and eat them on their own.  You can use my vegetarian sausage recipe or buy what you prefer, and presto, you have a morning breakfast sandwich.  You can wrap it in parchment paper if you still miss the feeling of fast food, lol.  You can also just wrap them up for your lunch and tape them shut with masking tape.  Amazon brand parchment paper usually beats other stores' prices.  The wrappers can be composted afterwards.

I was a young mom; I had my son when I was 19 and still in college.  I couldn't afford Bisquik pancake mix, which is what I grew up eating.  Honestly, I hated the baking soda flavor of them anyway.  My real issues with most mixes outside of the more expensive "health food" brands are look at the ingredients below.  When I was a kid, it wasn't as bad as it is today.  By the way, if you ever are unsure about ingredients, I highly recommend using IngredientInspector.org.

Bleached flour has had the nutrients like fiber, protein, zinc, magnesium, and selenium removed by using chemicals like Chlorine Dioxide and benzoyl peroxide in the flour, making it a fairly empty carb.  Though they do enrich the flour by adding iron and B vitamins back.  That doesn't equal what was lost.  I wouldn't recommend using any of the oils listed above, even those not highlighted.  If anyone reads about RFK Jr.'s list of everything he wants to ban, and what was banned last month, and will be slowly phased out by the end of 2026.  The chemicals used to process seed oils are sometimes blown out of proportion.  The problem is that a lot of companies don't specify whether it was a chemical process or not.  Cold-pressed oils, for instance, are completely safe.  But without proper labeling, I would skip them.  Though High Oleic Soybean oil was just banned.  Sodium aluminum phosphate...I was just banned also, which makes me extremely happy.  I'm sure you have seen aluminum-free deodorant, if it isn't safe to put aluminum on your skin...you probably shouldn't eat it, lol.  The EU has it listed as E 541, and they have banned it due to the research showing that it causes adverse reproductive and neurological health impacts.  Dextrose is similar to glucose and, just like glucose, it breaks down very quickly and replenishes energy in a shorter time than other sugars.  The problem is that if sugar is not needed in the body, the body will convert it to fat.  Because it is metabolized so quickly, usually faster than the body can use it, it can cause weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease.  Monoglycerides are a type of fatty acid similar to diglycerides and triglycerides.  It's used as an emulsifier (70% of emulsifiers used in the US currently are either Mono or Diglycerides), a softener, and a preservative.  It's basically a trans-fat that can be derived from either plants or animals.  I haven't seen boxes specify if it is plant or animal-based for vegans out there.  It also promotes inflammation and obesity; raises LDL cholesterol levels and lowers HDL cholesterol levels. Why is this allowed in foods?  The FDA only regulates lipids like triglycerides, but not emulsifiers like monoglycerides and diglycerides.  So Monoglycerides and diglycerides can be labeled as 0% trans-fat even though they contain trans fatty acids.  I couldn't get my LDL cholesterol levels down, even going vegetarian, till I started looking for this ingredient in foods.

As you can see, frozen waffles aren't much better.  Soy Lecithin isn't safe.  Which might seem confusing since I have convinced some of you that you can benefit from eating soy.  The problem is that it's hard to find non-GMO soybean oil on the market, plus it's chemically processed.  Soy lecithin is this gummy waste created from the soy oil refining process, usually with the toxic petroleum-based chemical called Hexane, not always anymore, but this doesn't specify the chemicals used in the refinement process.  Soy Lecithin used to be disposed of until German scientist patented a method of vacuum drying it to make soy lecithin.  It used to have many uses, but today it is primarily used as an emulsifier in foods, infant formulas, and health supplements.  The Journal of Applied Toxicology discovered that it decreases normal pancreatic functions, which can be reversed just 5 days after someone stops consuming it.  Cornell University examined 28 patients taking soy supplements for six months and found that it increased the growth of milk ducts in their breasts, which is a forerunner of breast cancer, as well as raising the risk of brain and reproductive issues.  As for yellow 5, also known as Tartrazine or E102, thankfully, it was just banned.  This is one of the petroleum-based products known to cause hyperactivity in children.  Both Harvard and Columbia have stated that removing this from food would be 1/3 to 1/2 as effective as treatments with Methylphenidate (Ritalin).  Researchers also stated that cells in the gastrointestinal tract are directly exposed to yellow 5.  This makes these cells more likely to develop cancer.  Lastly, it's regularly used in experiments on animals, not making it vegan or cruelty-free.  As for yellow 6, it makes yellow 5 look healthful; it has every health concern yellow 5 has, with possible allergic reactions, asthma, and lung cancer thrown in.  According to the UK and the EU, it is one of the most toxic dyes and is banned by both due to how carcinogenicity it is.  They found it was so toxic that it's not even safe to be used externally as a dye for textiles.  Thankfully, it was just banned as well.  With some of this, we may have to wait till the end of 2026 to see them completely disappear.  I think our kids deserve to have better food.

So, I work shopped a few recipes from cookbooks until I cut the baking powder down until I couldn't taste it.  I also cut out a lot of the excessive sugar in some recipes.  For those of you who asked, I will list mix-in ideas that are amazing for each dosha. Yes, I'll even explain for my Kaphas how to make it wheat, dairy, oil, sugar, and salt free.

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Oatmeal Pancakes or Waffles

Makes 6

2 eggs (Pittas use 2 tbsp ground flax seed with 2 tbsp water) *

1 1/2 cup unbleached wheat flour (Kaphas use oat flour 1:1)

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cup milk (Kaphas use oat milk) 

2 tbsp raw sugar (Kaphas use 1 1/2 tbsp honey)

2 tbsp brown sugar (Kaphas use 1 1/2 tbsp honey)

1/4 cup light olive oil (Kaphas use unsweetened applesauce)

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt (Kaphas skip)

1 scoop pea protein powder (blended split peas) or collagen powder (optional)

There is nothing fancy here.  If you are using the ground flax seed and water, that will need to sit in a separate bowl for 20 minutes to rehydrate.  Otherwise, add all ingredients to a bowl and mix just until the ingredients are combined.  Be careful not to overmix or the gluten in the flour will make the pancakes rubbery.  The batter will need to rest for 20 minutes to rehydrate the oats.  Those using the ground flax seed can soak it while the rest of the batter is soaking, then just add the rehydrated ground flax seed after the 20 minutes are up.  If you are using oat flour, you may need to add extra milk since oats absorb more liquid than wheat flour.  Cook on medium temperature until you see the bubbles pop and the batter no longer refills the holes.  This should give you a nice golden-brown color.

Mix-in ideas

Vatas and Kaphas try Chai Spiced or any spices on their own, or a combination of them

2 tsp Vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ground Cardamon

1/2 inch Fresh Ginger grated

1/2 tsp Ground Cloves

1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper

Vatas top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.  Kaphas drizzle more honey on top.

Pittas try Lavender Mint

3 tbsp Chopped Fresh Mint

3 tbsp Dried Lavender buds

1/2 inch Fresh Ginger grated

1/2 tsp Ground Cardamon

1/4 tsp Ground flaxseed

Top with coconut oil, fresh blueberries, and maple syrup.

Tridoshic, which is fine for anyone

Strawberry Rose

6 Chopped Strawberries

1 tbsp Rose Water

3 tbsp Dried Rose Petals 

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp Ground Cardamon

Vata top them with butter and maple syrup.  Pitta top them with coconut oil and drizzle with maple syrup.  Kapha drizzle with more honey. 

Sheet Pan Eggs

12-18 Eggs (Pitta use 18 egg whites whipped to soft peaks plus some chives for additional flavor)

1/2 cup milk (Kapha use oat milk)

Salt & Pepper to taste (Kapha skip salt, you can use any dried herbs you like instead)

1/2 cup sautéed mushrooms, onions, or peppers, or a combination of all three (optional). Vata skip the mushrooms and peppers

1 cup Cheese (optional), any type for Vata, Soft cheeses for Pitta, crumbled goat's milk feta for Kapha

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Grease a 12x17-inch sheet pan, line it with parchment paper, and grease the parchment paper as well.  Blend eggs and milk and season with salt and pepper.  Pour the egg mixture onto the sheet pan.  Sprinkle with the vegetable mixture and top with cheese if you like.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until eggs are set.  Let cool completely.  Cut into 12 portions, wrap each egg in parchment paper to prevent freezer burn, and place in an air-tight container or freezer bag and freeze.  They will stay fresh up to 2 months.  To reheat, microwave on low power (50%) for 45-60 seconds, flipping halfway through.  Oven or toaster oven at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes.  For best results, thaw overnight.

Frequently asked questions:

Oat flour is expensive. How hard is it to make?  It isn't hard at all; you can use old-fashioned oats and toss them into a high-powered blender or a food processor.  Blend till it resembles flour.

Where do you buy dried flowers?  Dried tea roses are a common spice at Mexican grocery stores.  Some Walmarts and Bashas' carry them with the Mexican spices down the ethnic aisles.  If you still can't find them Amazon has them and the Lavender buds.

Where do you find Cardamon and Rose Water?  Both can be found at Indian or Middle Eastern Grocery Stores.  Amazon also has them.  I recommend buying only Green cardamom.  That way, if you have a curry that wants you to throw in green pods, you toss those in.  If a recipe calls for black cardamon, you just crack the green cardamon using a mortar and pestle, and inside, you'll see it's full of black cardamon.  As for grinding it.  I prefer a hard stone mortar and pestle; mine is made of marble.  A cheap coffee grinder can grind spices as well.  Freshly ground spices have a much better flavor than ground spices that have already started going stale.

*If eggs are too expensive for you or you are vegan, Vatas can use flax eggs as well.  Kaphas Use 1/4 cup of my chia seed gel or 3 tbsp aquafaba (canned chickpea water) per egg.

Flipping pancakes is the closest I'll ever get to acrobatics.

 - Unknown

Oat Milk

Chia Seed Gel

Vegetarian Breakfast Sausage