Lentil Pancake Bread {Clean Eating, Gluten-free, Allergy-free} NotDeprived_Becca's Kitchen

I am beyond excited about this recipe...not only is it delicious and versatile, but amazingly inexpensive...SCORE!!! When choosing to incorporate more healthy ingredients into our every day lives, it's also important to not break the bank. Most people think that eating in a more healthful way means more money out of pocket, but I am out to prove that idea wrong.

Gluten-free bread is a difficult thing...either it's really expensive when packaged in the store or if you make it at home, it's full of strange "gums" and flours that you might not have handy or the recipe calls for several cups of almond flour which, while good for you and tastes great, is the most expensive gluten-free flour on the market. Now, I do make my own almond flour with the dehydrated pulp left over after making my Homemade Almond Milk, but I find that flour doesn't perform the way store-bought almond flour does and therefore I use it for other things (like my pie crust...recipe to come!). So, what I've done here with this recipe is bypass the whole "loaf" of bread idea (believe me, I have tried MANY!) and just make the "slices" of bread. Kirk and Kaiden really like bread so the fact that they both LOVE this recipe speaks volumes about how good it is...

Lentil Pancake Bread. That's right, Lentils! So unbelievably simple with only 5 ingredients. Leave them plain to use as bread for sandwiches or add some chocolate chips to make breakfast pancakes.

Read on after the video for all the benefits of Lentils...there are many!


Ingredients:
1 1/2 c Red*Lentil Flour (Just throw some lentils in your blender and grind to a powder...then measure out)
1/2 c Coconut Flour (This takes away from that "beany" taste that the lentils can have, but if you have an intolerance to cocount, just omit and use 2 full cups of the lentil flour)
2 2/3 c water
1 Tbs Honey
1 Tbs Vegetable Oil (Or oil of choice)
1 tsp Sea Salt
Mini Chocolate Chips (optional for breakfast pancakes!)

Directions:
Preheat a skillet over medium heat.
Put water in your (Vitamix) blender first then add the flours and other ingredients.
Start on low and quickly bring to highest setting and blend for about one minute.
Pour into skillet and spread out to size you prefer.
Flip after a minute or so then place on plate to cool.

Serve these in a number of ways...the possibilities are endless!

Reasons to use Lentils:

1. Cost - I can purchase a 900g (almost 2 lbs) bag of lentils for +/- $2.00. I get over 6 full cups of Lentils from one of those bags. 1 cup of lentils yields +/- 24 pancakes = 144 Pancakes for $2.00!

2. Nutrition - Lentils are a rich source or protein, folic acid, dietary fiber, vitamins C & B, essential amino acids and minerals. They also have a high concentration of antioxidents. Because of the high amount of fiber, lentils help rid the body of cholesterol and they help trap carbohydrates which aids in reducing blood sugar spikes in people with diabetes. The fiber also aids in digestion which helps the body rid itself of toxins. The have very few calories, but makes you feel full which also makes them a great weight loss aid. Lentils have also been shown to reduce risk of breast cancer due to the high levels of flavones. There really are so many reasons to include Lentils and other legumes in your diet!

3. Taste - Lentils come in different colors...brown, green, red and orange...and they all have their own unique taste. Some are stronger in taste than others (red being the most mild), but all have a slightly nutty flavor. They taste delicious with rice and onions like in this tasty dish or in a variety of soups. I am in love with Lentils because I can make so many different food items for very little expense!

Kaiden, our 9 year old always takes FOREVER to clean his plate at dinnertime! I'm not exaggerating...it's a running joke in our little family that he will always be the last one done! :) However, these pancakes literally disappear when I serve them! He practically inhales them and asks for more. Now, most people wouldn't even know from the finished product that there are lentils in these pancakes so feel free to keep them in the dark! However, my boys are fully aware of the main ingredient and they still love them!

I would love to hear if you try these and the variety of meals you come up with! If there is a recipe you would like me to adapt and make a video please post in the comments below.
Treat yourself well!