Matcha Oatcakes with Maple Persimmon Compote

What you’ll need:

• • 1/3 cup milk of choice (I used plain, unsweetened soy)
  • 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup’s worth of diced zucchini, peeling optional (your pancakes are going to be green anyway!)*
  • 1/2 tsp coconut oil
  • 2 tsp maple syrup
  • 2 tsp matcha powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 2/3 cup rolled or quick oats (I used Better Oats)
  • rounded 1/2 tsp baking powder

• • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 persimmon, diced (I recommend Fuyu)
  • 2 tsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

How to make it:

1. Combine milk and vinegar in a small bowl or cup and let sit for ten minutes.
2. While that sits, prepare your compote: Combine water, persimmon, vanilla, and maple syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and lower heat to medium-low.
3. Let simmer for around five minutes, until mixture begins to thicken. Stir occasionally. Smash the bigger pieces with your spatula (a wooden spoon works best, actually).
4. Remove from heat and allow mixture to thicken while you make your pancakes.
5. Heat a griddle pan over medium low heat.
6. Put all pancake ingredients EXCEPT oats and baking powder (including milk-vinegar mixture) in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. FYI: If your blender has measuring marks on the sides, the amount after blending should be close to 1/2 a cup.
7. Add oats and baking powder; blend again until incorporated, but not smooth. Add extra liquid if necessary (just a tsp or so at a time). It should have the consistency of a chunky paint.
8. Taste test the pancake batter for sweetness. Add more maple syrup as desired.
9. When griddle pan is ready, spray with nonstick cooking spray (it only needs a little bit!), and use a large spoon or a small scoop to pour pancakes onto the griddle. I made small pancakes, so I used a large soup spoon, and it worked perfectly. Generally, don’t go any bigger than 1/4 a cup, but I find that too big still.
10. When bubbles have formed at the top of the pancake, flip over and cook for another minute. Repeat until all the batter has been used!
11. Serve with Maple Persimmon Compote, and any other toppings of your choice (coconut, black sesame seeds, red bean paste, fresh berries, coconut whipped cream, etc).

I haven’t made oatcakes in a while. Do you know why I don’t like posting oatcake recipes? Because I can never get good pictures of them. That’s literally the reason. Porridge and pancakes are equally fickle to photograph, but I think I’ve figured out how to take a good shot of oatmeal. I can’t seem to get a good picture of oatcakes (the exception is the Chai Oatcakes, which I explicitly credit luck and luck alone).

Matcha in oatcakes does not make a photogenic color. Please forgive them. They are tasty, so don’t judge them by their outward color!

Making pancakes from oats is a fun way to switch up your routine if you tend to stick with oatmeal every day. My goal is to satisfy your pancake craving in a nutritious way. As someone with very fussy IBS, I had a hard time eating and enjoying pancakes in the past, and oatmeal pancakes have really helped me out in that regard.