Oatmeal Banana n Chocolate chip Pancakes with Strawberry compote !

A warm hello to all...how are you all doing my dear friends? Today I'm back with another really good , healthy and tasty tasty Pancake recipe. "Necessity is the mother of all Invention" said someone long ago, well though I din't invent this recipe, it was definitely made out of necessity. :-)
You may have already guessed what my necessity was! Yes, my basket full of 9 over-ripe bananas, that we weren't able to finish as everyone at home was down with the flu :-P
I still have 6 more to finish, but then lets get to this one shall we?

Two down with these pancakes ;-)

So last weekend after I had posted on my facebook page for suggestions as to how to use these beauties, many suggested to make 'banana pancakes'. Now, I had already made some gorgeous Buttermilk Pancakes the previous week and had no plans on making some again. But then remember my 'necessity' ? ;-)

I was so very glad when I found a unique and healthy recipe for Oatmeal Banana Pancakes topped with Chocolate chips, and its so easy to make, all you need is a blender or mixer grinder, and of course the ingredients :-) These pancakes require no flour, no sugar , Only 'Oats and Bananas' and is totally healthy , except for the guilty pleasure of some chocolate chips!!

Another thing that was occupying space in my fridge were 5-6 lovely large strawberries, and I decided instead of topping my pancakes with honey or other sugary syrups, I would make a yummy Strawberry sauce or compote and trust me, it was the best decision ever made...period!! It turned out to be the perfect pairing for these pancakes with all its fruity goodness!

This recipe yielded about 5-6 pancakes, quite enough for the 3 of us. Double the amount if you want more.

Oatmeal, Banana n Chocolate chip Pancakes Recipe 
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Recipe source : Adapted from Tasty Kitchen Blog
You'll need
Ripe Bananas - 2 medium (cut into chunks)
Milk - 3/4 cup ( I used skim milk , you can use as per preference)
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Oats - 1 heaped cup (can use Old fashioned Oats or 1 minute cooking Oats)
Baking powder - 11/2 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Chocolate chips - 2 tblsp (optional)

Directions
1. In a mixer grinder or blender, add the banana , milk and vanilla extract and blend until smooth.
2. Add the oats, baking powder and salt and again blend until the oats is fully grinded and a smooth batter is obtained. Set aside for few minutes for batter to thicken.

3. Heat a non-stick tawa/pan on medium heat with lightly coated oil or butter (i use spray on canola oil) and pour about 1/4 cup measure of the batter and spread it lightly.
4. Place 4-5 chcolate chips on top of the pancake and cook until you see bubbles. Then flip over and cook until golden brown on the bottom (about 2 mins each side)

[ You may wipe the pan each time before making next set of pancakes , as the chocolate would have melted and may be present on the pan surface ]

Strawberry Compote / Strawberry Sauce Recipe
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Recipe : My own version
You'll need
Large ripe Strawberries - 5-6
Water - 2 tblsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Directions
1. Wash well and chop the strawberries into small chunks and add it to a saucepan along with water and sugar and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Keep stirring constantly.
2. Once the sauce starts bubbling and thickening slightly add the vanilla extract and again stir for a minute and take it off the heat.
3. Let it cool completely before using!

The Pancakes were really soft and the bananas added a lot of flavor and enough sweetness and the Oatmeal obviously added a lot of fiber and goodness. The chocolate chips obviously took them to a higher level...hehe! I made 2 pancakes without any chocolate chips and they tasted great too.

So shall we dig in...? Slice them up , like you would slice a cake :-) Look how the chocolate chips have melted so nicely...

 And pour some of that delicious Strawberry sauce over it...mmmmmm!!

Overall experience : Almost like having a Banana Split for breakfast!! Trust me, after all it is Bananas, Strawberries and Chocolate!!! It's a combination made in heaven...

I hope you enjoyed them and will try them out. Its so simple, with all staple pantry ingredients, you must try it...and do let me know how it came out :-)

Another recipe I made with one of the Banana was Banana Pongal, which was again super good. Now for the remaining 6 bananas I'm considering to make Banana bread...but with a fun twist, so stay tuned!

-Manju