Vegetarian Recipe #9: Wheatberry Pancakes (from scratch)

I'm calling the "Wheatberry Pancakes" because they're made by grinding actual wheat berries. No box mixes or packaged flour required. This is as fresh as they come (unless of course you grow the wheat yourself....).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wheatberries
• 1 cup skim milk (local if possible)
• 2 eggs (free range)
• 2 Tbs. honey (local)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbs. oil (I used olive oil)
• pinch salt

optional toppings:

• fresh fruit
• real maple syrup (strawberries, bananas, blueberries, blackberries, etc.)
• raw nuts

Instructions:

Grind wheat berries using a grain mill, coffee grinder, or blender. If using a blender combine the whole berries with the milk and blend until smooth. If using a grain mill or coffee grinder, grind wheat berries alone. Then add milk. Stir together. Once wheat berries and milk are combined, slowly stir in all other ingredients. That's it! You have pancake batter from scratch.

Heat griddle or electric frying pan to about 300 degrees. Depending on the surface of your pan, grease lightly with cooking spray, oil, or butter so the pancakes won't stick. Pour batter onto pan. When the pancakes begin to bubble and dry out on the edges, flip with a spatula. When both sides of the pancakes are golden, remove from pan. Repeat until all batter has been used. Serve pancakes and top with your favorite toppings.

Note: If using maple syrup, make sure the bottle says "real maple syrup"....I just realized this year that many pancake syrups contain NO maple syrup - just high fructose corn syrup! You'll pay a little extra for real maple syrup, but it's worth it for the taste and your health.

TIP: Freezing Berries

Freezing berries is a great way to ensure you always have fruit available! Find a local berry farm in the summer and pick them yourself or buy from a local Farmer's Market or grocery store at the peak of their season. This way, you'll be certain you're buying the sweetest, most nutritious berries possible! You can even talk to the farmer who grew them....find out if he/she uses pesticides on the plants, etc.

You'll likely get a better product for a better price if you buy when they're in season! So my advice (which I wish I followed this past summer)...buy more berries than you think you'll need! If you're like me, you'll get addicted to smoothies and use several pounds each month! I've run out several times already and had to buy berries shipped in from around the world. Not ideal, but they're work if you're in a pinch!

This method allows you to freeze berries, without them freezing into one large clump! You'll find it's easy to grab a few berries to add to your favorite recipes all year long!

Instructions:

• Rinse all berries in a strainer with cold water.
• Gently rub off any dirt.
• Cut off leaves/stems and halve large berries, like strawberries.
• Lay out a piece of papertowel and set cut/clean berries on paper towel to dry for a few minutes.
• Transfer dry berries to a cookie sheet (that's small enough to fit in your freezer). Keep berries in a single layer so they do not stick together once frozen.
• Transfer cookie sheet to the freezer. Let sit for about an hour, or until outer layer of berries are frozen.
  
• Use a spatula to transfer the berries from the cookie sheet into a gallon freezer bag.
• Remove as much air from the bag as possible and seal.
• Keep in the freezer for up to a year!

Enjoy in smoothies, pies, yogurt parfaits, sangria, etc!