Hey guys, I’m back!
Wow do I have a lot of catching up to do!
For starters, I will have to fill up the fridge! As you can very well imagine, it’s pretty empty for the moment… I still managed to feed myself today, though, so it’s not so bad. It will have to wait a bit, for I have way more important things to do, like read all my emails as well as all the lovely comments that you guys left me while I was away, then of course, I will have to take some time to reply…
But of course, before I get to that, I have to do THE most important thing at the moment, which is upload, sort and edit all my pictures, so that I can fill you in on the details of my FANTASTIC trip!
I’ve done a good part, but I’m not done just yet, sorry… Thank goodness I was a good girl and only took like 550 pictures! 
In the meantime, I’ll give you a little teaser, just to keep you waiting! 
TA-DAH! I give you a very tiny part of the Carribean Sea, the part in which I swam for the last 7 days, the part which consists in the beach over at the Playa Blanca Hotel, in Cayo Largo, Cuba.
Ain’t that gorgeous? I tell you, it was unbelievable. Never in my life had I seen water this beautiful! It was all sorts of gorgeous shades of light blue and turquoise, and it was so clear that you could see your feet even when you had water up to your nose!
Oh, how I wish I was still there… I so badly want to go back!
But this will have to wait a bit! At least a few months, I guess.
Alright, how’s about I share a recipe with you, while you wait for my trip report? Since, of course, none of what I ate today is ready for sharing, I will give you the recipe to one of the last breakfasts I had before I left.
Banana Buttermilk Pancakes.
If you like buttermilk pancakes, then you will love these banana buttermilk pancakes. I tell you, they are just as good as the originals, only, these ones, you can eat without feeling guilty in the least.
Even if you’re not big on bananas, by all means, do give them a try. They don’t really taste like bananas at all. More like banana bread, only a little more on the sour side, thanks to the addition of buttermilk.
Honestly, I never thought pancakes could come in a moister version than buttermilk, but seriously, the combination of bananas and buttermilk makes for an unbelievably moist and tender pancake.
You have to try these, I swear. They will knock your socks right off!
INGREDIENTS
Makes 12 small pancakes (serves 2-3)
Adapted from Food Network
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup egg whites (6)
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 very ripe bananas (about 1 cup)
- 30g pecans, toasted lightly and chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, mash bananas and whisk in the buttermilk, egg whites and vanilla. Whisk the dry ingredients into the liquid until well combined. Fold in the toasted pecans.
- Heat a non-stick pan over moderate heat. Working in batches, drop ¼ cup measures of batter onto pan to form pancakes and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden brown, about 1 minute. Flip pancakes with a non-metal spatula and cook until undersides are golden brown and pancakes are cooked through, about 1 minute.
- Garnish with 0% fat Greek yogurt or low fat cottage cheese, chopped pecans and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.
Oh my … my mouth is watering. I ADORE pancakes and these look incredible.
I’m glad to hear you had a wonderful time in Cuba, I can’t wait to see the pics!
Glad you had a good time in Cuba.
What flour did you use in these pancakes?
Oh my! I can’t believe I forgot that detail. With so many kinds of flours available, one can simply NOT omit that detail! Sorry… guess my mind is still not all back in Quebec. Whole wheat pastry flour is what I used. I will edit my post immediately. Thanks for pointing that out!
wow, it looks like you had an amazing time, thats great! And those pancakes are delicious looking. There is nothing better than banana pancakes.
Of course, there is… HEALTHY banana pancakes. Especially when you can’t even tell that they actually are
Mmmmm banana pancakes are one of my FAVORITE kinds of pancakes!!
I know what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow! Yum!
I am SOOO glad you had a wonderful time in Cuba but I am happy you are back, and with a delicious stack of pancakes to share!!! I am now craving banana pancakes!
Looking forward to trip details!
I can’t wait to see all your photos! It definitely takes a while to get back in the swing of things after a vacation and to sort through all the pictures
A while is right! I think it even takes two whiles… I’m still so behind, unbelievable! I have like a million of your posts to read still. I missed out on so many while I was away, and it looks like pretty good stuff too! Not to worry, I will get to it soon!
These look amazing. Sadly, my hubby won’t go near anything with bananas. As in, not even in the same room.
So… I will have to either make these with girlfriends to eat them all by myself!
Yikes! Not even in the same room? Boy, he doesn’t know what he’s missing. Hey, at least you can make banana bread without fear that it will disappear before you’ve even had the chance to have a slice!
Wow saw these on foodgawker…Caught my eye.They’re so delicious looking.Can’t believe these are also kind of healthy too !
Not KIND of healthy… they are TRULY healthy! These are pancakes you can eat without feeling guilty in the least.
those look AMAZING! I love pancakes but I know they’re usually so bad for you (hello…something with “cake” in the name) but these sound so healthy but so tasty! THanks for the recipe
They ARE healthy, and tasty, and so unbelievably yummy! You just HAVE to try them!
Ahhh these look like the perfect pancake!!! So scrumptious and may be the cause of a mid-week pancake breakfast – thanks for sharing this beautiful recipe and photos!!
Awww, thanks Trudy! Enjoy the mid-week pancake break! Hope you like ‘em!
I don’t think I could take any more photos with gorgeous beaches and stuff… I will just have to go there myself. Looks like you had a great time! And those pancakes… are sooo good looking. It’s just a shame my boyfriend is allergic to banana..
Oh no! What a shame! You should make a batch only for yourself, then… they are way too good to pass!
Is it the weekend yet? I NEED these pancakes! Wish I had time to make them during the week
Can’t wait to see your pictures!
Patience, Liz! The wait will only make them that much better!
And trust me, they are VERY well worth the wait…
Made a variation of these this morning and they were INcredible. Thanks for sharing! I am a pancake addict and this is going into my ‘favorites’ collection.
xo,
dana
Alright! So glad you liked them, dana! I have to admit that I’ve made a lot of pancakes in the past few months, some pretty decadent too, but these banana buttermilk pancakes are pretty darn good. They rank pretty high on my list of faves!
I made these tonight for supper and…………. another success!! We did half the batch as the recipe above and the other half we added blueberries, both were incredibly and loved by all. Thanks so much for your fabulous recipes Sonia! You are my recipe guru! 3/3
Awwww, thank you so much Christina! You are too kind. Now I’m all blushing behind my screen.
So happy you liked the pancakes. Love the idea of adding blueberries. I might very well steal that idea! 
I’ve never used buttermilk, and I don’t feel like buying any. Would I be able to just use soy/almond milk instead?
Sure thing, Jennifer! I suggest you add a tablespoon of lemon juice to it, though, just so you get the right texture and get as close as possible to the original flavor. If you don’t want to add the lemon juice, you might have to reduce the amount of liquid slightly, since buttermilk is a lot thicker than soy or almond! Hope it works well for you!
How much lemon juice should I put in there, then?
About a tablespoon should do the trick. Then let it sit for about 10 minutes, to let the acidity of the lemon juice do its work…