Hazelnut Banana Pankcakes with a Strawberry sauce

Summer is looming... and it's glorious!

What do I think when I think of summer? I think of the beach, wearing sandals, drinking a mimosa, hanging out with friends, and the food. Sadly, there won't be any "Glee" during the summer, but now is not the time to dwell on that.

It's hard to believe that May has already gone by so quickly. I finally finished the medical school process and I'm going to Cornell - yes, this fall, I will be moving to New Yotk! But, that will be a story for another day. Apart from that, working day in and day out in the lab has been the norm.

I used to get up every morning and have some oatmeal or muesli and leave for work, until the moment that I was introduced to the simplest, easiest, and most delicious recipe. The bonus is that it's also quite healthy because it uses very few ingredients and takes 20 minutes to make everything, which means that you can stay from that oh-so-attractive donut.

That recipe was the hazelnut banana pancakes with a strawberry sauce....

One day I was at Alison's place - she is the coolest, one of the most amazing, energetic friend that I have - and she showed me a pile of ingredients. I looked at them and made the most hilariously clueless face. What in God's name was she going to make?

All she did was whip up one egg with one mashed up banana and added just enough hazelnut meal to make it like a batter that she ladled onto a hot pan. Within a few minutes, we had hot pancakes. She quickly blended fresh strawberries in the food processor and voila - a fresh strawberry sauce.

So simple and it was mind-blowing. I loved it and since that day I've made it almost every single day instead of my usual oatmeal.

I've tried it with almond meal and added some toasted wheat germ an it works great.

Please, please, please try this recipe. You will thank me for it.

Hazelnut Banana pancakes with a Strawberry sauce
Alison's recipe which was adapted from unknown source (probably from her friends)
Yield: 5-7 medium pancakes
Ingredients:
Pancakes
1 egg
1 banana
Hazelnut meal (enough to make a batter - about 3-4 tablespoons, maybe less)

Strawberry sauce
Fresh strawberries
A little water

Recipe:

Hazelnut Banana pancakes:
1. Mash up one banana into a bowl.
2. Add an egg and beat it with the banana
3. Add enough meal to make it a batter-like consistency.

Looks like a batter to me....

4. Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray and heat it on low/slight medium
5. Add 2 spoons of the batter to form one pancake. (I do two pancakes at a time - feel free to do more if you are an expert)
6. When you see bubbles starting to form on the top, gently use a spatula to see the pancake is ready to come off - don't force the pancake - when the bottom is cooked, it will not stick anymore. Flip the pancake and let it cook for a minute.

Not bad for a first solo attempt!

Strawberry sauce - this couldn't be easier - just dump strawberries into a food processor and add a little water - blend and add water as needed to get the consistency you like. I prefer it on the thicker side.

Strawberry sauce - meet Hazelnut banana pancakes.

7. Take the pancakes onto a new plate and add the strawberry sauce on top while it's warm.

And you get to be artistic. I just had fun with it.

Oh-my-gosh! That's all I can say.

Do you guys have plans for the summer? Let me know. I always love to hear and get ideas of how to enjoy the summer before starting the grueling process of medical school.

Kartik