Christmas Eve Breakfast: Almond Oat Pancakes with Cranberry Syrup

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! And for those who don't celebrate: Happy Monday Morning Breakfast!

Lately I've been trying to eat healthier and get more fit, thus my breakfasts have consisted of fresh juices, oat shakes, and fresh fruit smoothies.  However, with it being a holiday and all I thought it might be nice to indulge in one of my favorite breakfasts: Pancakes!  The almonds and oats give great texture and the tart yet sweet cranberry syrup truly compliments them.  Hope you all enjoy this one~

Ingredients:
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of oats
2 tablespoons of sugar
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
3 tablespoons of crushed almonds
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
1 1/4 cup of almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)
1 flax egg (or one tablespoon of applesauce)

3 tablespoons of frozen cranberries
1/4 cup of maple syrup

Mix dry ingredients together then add in wet ingredients.  Allow pancake mixture to rest for a minute or two while you heat a medium sized sauce pan.  Add non-stick spray, or vegan butter, to the pan and drop 1/4 cup of mixture for each one on the pan.  Cook until lightly golden on both sides.

While pancakes are cooking, make your cranberry syrup.  In a small sauce pan, add 2 tablespoons of water and frozen cranberries and cook on low, smashing the cranberries as they warm up until they are no large chunks.  Remove from heat, allow a minute to cool, and stir in maple syrup.  Be sure to allow cranberries to cool a bit otherwise the syrup will become too thick and burn.

Add a little vegan butter to pancakes, drizzle with syrup, and enjoy!

Happy Holidays Everyone!