Quinoa Johnnycakes

This recipe is from Andrew Weil's True Food Cookbook which my kids gave me for a birthday present. The New England Johnnycakes are usually made with cornflour but of course when you get Andrew Weil's version, it has to be special and healthy hence it is made from Quinoa.

Recipe:

2 cups quinoa

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup evaporated cane sugar

2 tbs plu 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups whole milk

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp expeller-pressed canola oil

1 cup blueberries

1 cup Greek vanilla non fat yogurt

maple syrup for serving

Method:

1. Bring a saucepan with 4 cups water and 1 tsp salt to boil. (I add 1 tbs of oil so that the quinoa will not be sticky). Add the quinoa and stir. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa is dry and fluffly about 20 mins. Let cool. (I used a rice cooker and the result is awesome).

2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk well to combine . In another large bowl, combine the milk, eggs, vanilla, and canola oil and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and blend until just combined. Fold in the cooked quinoa taking care not to overmix. Let the batter rest for at least 1 hour.

3. Lightly brush the cooking surface of a nonstick pan or griddle with canola oil. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the hot pan. Drop 8 to 10 blueberries on top of each pancake. When bubbles form in the batter, flip and cook on the other side until lightly browned. Continue with the remaining batter and blueberries.

Serve topped with a dollop of yogurt and maple syrup on the side.