In spite of their world-wide reputation as being fattening, pancakes are the perfect breakfast food. It is the toppings and fillings that turns them into fat generators. Take away the butter, milk, sugar, eggs, cooking oil, sour cream, whipped cream, syrups, and jams, and there is nothing left but a perfect balance of protein, carbohydrate, and fat.
Two big pancakes made with cake-flour and smothered in fresh crushed strawberries, sweetened with a good sugar substitute like Splenda, contains less than 250 calories. A tablespoon of cooking oil adds an extra 120 calories, and butter contributes another 100 or so. By the time you add in the sugar, eggs, creams, and syrups, your poor pancakes resemble a skinny dad padded with pillows to play the role of Santa.
Of course, pancakes aren't pancakes without syrup. But now days, syrup doesn't have to be made with sugar. There are many brands of sugar-free syrups on the supermarket shelves. But none of them are as good as some of the things you can make in less than two minutes in your own kitchen!
All you need is water, flavoring, sugar substitute, and cellulose gum to provide the thickness and viscosity of sugar syrups. Maybe add a bit of coloring for a rich, full-bodied look. Mix it for 30 seconds or so in your blender and you've got delicious, thick, slow-pouring maple, almond, strawberry, orange, or lemon syrup.
For a very unusual treat, just add cellulose gum to any flavor no-calorie soda pop. Just imagine - root beer or cream soda syrup! The kids will go crazy! How about a variety of orange crush, lemon-lime, Dr. Pepper, strawberry, peach, and ginger ale. I haven't tried coke or Pepsi, but they should make good syrups too.
You can turn almost any liquid into syrup with cellulose gum. Chocolate milk becomes chocolate syrup, Add some vanilla, cinnamon, and Splenda to soymilk for a healthy and delicious eggnog syrup.
So forget the frozen waffles, toaster strudels, and French toast stix. Stir up some cake flour, baking powder, and water and cook the kids some pancakes. It takes just a couple of minutes. While they are cooking, make a fresh batch of syrup. Everybody will love them and they'll go to school filled with all the even, slow-burning energy they need to keep them active and alert all morning.
Cal Smith is the author or 'The No-diet Diet' featuring pancakes and other low-calorie, high-bulk foods.
