Heart Healthy.
Or not so much. It’s ironic that—thanks to sugary sweets, fancy dinners, and rich desserts—a day devoted to matters of the heart can be so dangerous for your heart. Google “red velvet” and your results will be saturated with butter, eggs, heavy cream, and enough sugar to sweeten even the Grinch. Pretty, for sure. But healthy, it is not.
Until now.
Flipping through People Magazine last Friday, I stumbled across a recipe for “Jessica Alba’s favorite red velvet pancakes.” Red velvet pancakes?! I had to create a heart-healthy version.
Mission accomplished. These are like eating cake for breakfast!
Red Velvet Pancakes for One
- 2T flour (I used 20g whole-wheat pastry)
- 2T plus 1tsp oat bran (20g) (you can sub flour)
- red food coloring (For alternatives, see: Natural Food Coloring Ideas.)
- 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
- scant 1/8 tsp salt
- 2T cocoa powder (I use regular, but if you want a more brownie-like taste, try dutch cocoa)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup plus 1T nondairy milk (95g, or more, if needed)
- optional: If you don’t like the taste of fat-free pancakes, be sure to add 1 tablespoon oil
- 1-2 T sugar, or 1 stevia packet (I left it out. If using liquid sweetener, decrease milk accordingly.)
Mix dry ingredients. Add wet and mix. Then make your pancakes! (Makes 5-6)
Nutrition Information:
(For the entire batch)
- Calories: 230 (130 if omitting oil)
- Fat: 14g (or less than 1g if omitting oil)
- Protein: 3g
- Fiber: 5g
I topped these with my Healthy Cream Cheese Icing.
Then, really fancy things happened. I dusted the pancakes with cocoa powder and swirled some of the chocolatey fairy dust into the frosting.
If you’re still hungry for pancakes (although I don’t know how that’d be possible, after these!), I have an entire recipe tab devoted to them:
Question of the Day:
What do you do to be Heart Healthy?
Get regular exercise? Eat healthy foods? Spend quality time with people who make you happy? The heart is an amazing little organ; be sure to treat it right!
Katie, the pancakes looks soo good! I wasn’t hungry a minute ago, but I am now!! LOL!
I’m glad you’re focusing on heart health, since heart disease is the #1 killer of women. I think everyone should educate themselves on the disease and focus on prevention. My favorite things to do are exercise, eat lots of fruits and veggies, and allow myself treats every now and then (you can’t be good all the time). 🙂 I think it’s also important to “try” to set aside some Me time, so you can de-stress and do something you enjoy. Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox now! This is just an important topic for me! Thanks blogging about it!!!
Thanks so much for your comment, Parita. I’m thinking of doing another (more-personal) post about it, maybe later this week. I agree 100% with you that it’s SUCH an important issue!
Oh. My. Goodness. I must make these now! They look amazing!
Those look so yummy and decadent! Definitely the type of thing someone could make for sunday breakfast and get away with. 😉 I always say that Sunday morning is pancake/french toast/waffle morning. Something aside from the traditional bowl of oats, cereal, or some toast. 😉 To be heart healthy, I watch my intake of sodium (at least typically!) and I exercise a lot and am always active (i.e. running about 12-20 miles a week, rock climbing, weight lifting, ab workouts, and yoga to top it off). This girl loves to move! 🙂 I also eat well, making sure to get all the vitamins and minerals necessary! 🙂
😀 Yay hearts!
Also, happy late Valentine’s Day
These Red Velvet Pancakes look astounding!
Those pancakes look like pure Heaven Katie! And the cream cheese icing just “tops the cake”! Haha! Pun totally intended!
I do my best to eat plenty of heart healthy fats, fruits, veggies, and whole grains and to exercise often. Take care of your heart and it will take care of you!
I made these this morning, SO DELICIOUS!
Thanks for the recipe!!!
Oh my gosh, these look amazing! I only just tasted red velvet cake for the first time about 2-3 weeks ago, and it was amazing! So amazing, that it’s the flavor I choose for my wedding cake! I can’t wait to make these!
oh. my. goodness. i just made these and i am speechless!! THESE ARE SO DELICIOUS!!! 😀 😀 😀 i was skeptical at first for some reason but i followed the recipe exactly except omitted the food dye and added a packet of splenda. i licked the spoon after i mixed it all up and almost stopped right there to eat all the batter!! it tastes just like brownies! and the nutritional stats are amazing….i might just go make another batch now….i mean today is mardi gras haha but anyway thank you so much for this recipe!!! i wish i had a blog to praise this on for you!!
Another blogger recommended these! I can’t wait to make them. 🙂
I just made these and came straight onto your blog to tell you how yummy they were! I didn’t have whole wheat pastry flour, so I used 1 tbsp whole wheat flour & one tbsp all-purpose. And I used agave to sweeten. They were delicious! Thanks for sharing such a healthy & delicious recipe, Katie 🙂