Gluten-Free Pancakes and Maple Peanut Butter

For the batter:
1 cup oats
1 cup cottage cheese w/ salt
3 eggs (or 3/4 cup egg substitute)
dash of cinnamon
5 drops of vanilla extract
2 bananas, divided
blueberries (optional)

Optional mix-ins:
1/4 cup mini dark-chocolate chips
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
Mix the chips and walnuts together in a small bowl

Maple Peanut Butter:
1/2 jar (1 cup) creamy peanut butter
1T real maple syrup
1T sugar

Instructions:

1. To make pancake batter blend oats, cottage cheese, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract and 1 banana in a blender until smooth and creamy. To make peanut butter, pour maple syrup and sugar into the jar and stir until well mixed. Slice remaining banana into 1/8″ slices and set aside.

2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. If the batter is thick, add milk (any kind) and mix well to reach desired consistency. Once warm, spray the pan with cooking spray. Place about 1/4 cup of batter in each spot and flatten with the back of a spoon if necessary. Place 3 slices of banana in each pancake along with optional ingredients or use blueberries instead and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Once the top starts to set, flip and cook for an additional minute.

3. Spread peanut butter on top, microwaving first if too thick, and finish with a dash of maple syrup. Makes 12-15 (3″) pancakes.

Storing: The batter will keep in the fridge for about 5 days. When you remove it from the fridge, it will be much thicker due the temperature and oat absorption. Add milk (any kind), 2T at a time, to achieve desired batter consistency. You want the batter to be thin enough so it mostly spreads out when dropped into a hot pan, but you can always use the back of a spoon to spread it flatter.