Banana Buttermilk Pancakes (with pecans and vanilla bean)

Banana.  Buttermilk. Chunky pecans.  Freshly grated nutmeg. Vanilla bean. Topped with sweet butter and maple syrup.   Case closed.  End of discussion.  Look no further.

Pancakes get a bad rap.  People think of them as frivolous, fattening, and unhealthy.   But when you use naturally low fat buttermilk, some whole grain, mashed banana and nuts, I think they make a great breakfast.  It's a really nice change from my usual morning English muffin which fuels me for, oh, two hours max before I start rummaging around the kitchen like a wild animal.  These keep me civilized till mid afternoon, at least.

Banana Buttermilk Pancakes (with pecans and vanilla bean)
serves 4
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

• In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients and nuts.

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 small or 1 large)
seeds from I vanilla bean, or 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
about 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
3 Tbsp vegetable oil

• Whisk together the banana, vanilla, nutmeg, buttermilk, egg and oil.   Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing just until it's all combined.  Don't beat the batter too much, lumps are fine.
• Cook on a hot griddle using a 1/3 cup measure to scoop out even amounts of batter.  If your batter gets too thick just add more buttermilk.

Notes:  You could use regular whole wheat, or oat flour in place of the white whole wheat flour in these.

It's back to school in California this week.  I'm not a big fan of the shift to an earlier start date.  It screws with my internal biorhythms.  Nature hasn't given the back to school signal yet.

Maybe these pancakes will help set the mood.  My daughter goes back East to college at the end of the month.  Maybe I subconsciously made these for her.  But she slept right through breakfast.  And lunch, for that matter.  My husband opted for his regular English muffin.

So I guess I won the breakfast lottery in our house today!