Pumpkin Spice Banana Pancakes + Chaga Maple Syrup

Remember that cute ditty “Banana Pancakes” by Jack Johnson? That was the jam back in the day. I always presumed the banana pancakes he was referring to were just plain ol’ pancakes with sliced bananas on top. Or perhaps some chunks of bananas thrown into the batter. Well, a couple of years ago after being prompted by the Jack Johnson tune, my co-worker told me how she makes banana pancakes. One banana, two eggs. That’s it. So simple, easy and delicious. And an additional bonus: grain-free (if you care about that sort of thing). I’ve been making these pancakes for my family ever since, with a couple of additional ingredients, my current favorite being pumpkin pie spice!

Banana Pancakes Recipe

Makes about 10 pancakes.

Ingredients

• 1 organic banana
• 2 free-range, organic eggs
• 1 Tbsp. organic pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions

1. Mash banana and eggs together in a mixing bowl.
2. When thoroughly mashed, whisk in pumpkin pie spice and salt.
3. Transfer batter to anything that has a pourable spout.
4. Pour batter onto your favorite buttered pancake pan to create approximately a 4-inch diameter pancakes.
5. Cook on one side until golden brown. On my stove that’s about 3 minutes.
6. Flip and brown the other side.

For funsies, I felt inspired to make a chaga infused maple syrup. Chaga is not your typical tasting mushroom. It contains vanillin, which is also found in the vanilla bean. So chaga has a rather pleasant flavor. Chaga also has a host of health benefits. It contains antioxidant activity of polysaccharides (beta-glucans) that help maintain cell integrity and fight free radicals. It is used in traditional Russian Folk Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine to support gastrointestinal health, and as a tonic to support overall health. And it supports the body’s immune defenses to help us stay healthy.* That all sounds pretty good to me!

Since making this syrup is fairly time consuming, I like to prepare it ahead of time to have on hand in the case of weekday pancakes. This is the perfect recipe to make while you’re doing other chores around the house. It doesn’t require a whole lot of attention, just time. Oh, and a special shoutout to my good herbalist pal Heather Irvine for helping me refine this chaga syrup recipe. 

Chaga Infused Maple Syrup

Makes about 1 pint of syrup.

Ingredients

• 64 ounces water
• 1 cup organic chaga mushroom
• 16 ounces organic maple syrup

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Toss in chaga mushroom.
3. Bring temperature down to a simmer.
4. Simmer mushroom for a few hours.
5. When it looks like you have about 8 ounces of liquid remaining, strain the chaga mushroom from the water.
6. Keep the liquid, this is your chaga “decoction”.
7. Add the 8 ounces of chaga decoction and 16 ounces of maple syrup to a pot.
8. Simmer this liquid and reduce until you have about 16 ounces of total liquid. This will take about 30-60 minutes.
9. Allow to cool. Decant into a jar.
10. Store in the refrigerator. Its shelf life is about 1 year.
    
    

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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For educational purposes only.