Paleo Chocolate Monkey Pancakes (Light & Fluffy!)

    It's time for maple syrup therapy! Stat!!!
    Today is a beautiful, blustery, blizzardy day...and buses are cancelled. No big deal except Friday was a p.a. day, and we had a busy weekend and I had counted on having today to recoup....alone! I have some whacko cold that is running into it's fourth week, and I just needed a "sick day" to sit around in warm and comfy clothes, drink a lot of tea, read something good, and attempt to give my body a chance to get better. No such luck. 
   So, in lieu of having some quiet time, I think it just needs to be pancake time instead.  
   These pancakes happened a few weeks back when I suddenly had the urge to eat pancakes, which I haven't had in a while, paleo or otherwise. I wasn't interested in wasting my time making some pancake that would end up flat, I needed me some big, fluffy pancakes!
   So, by using a mix of flours, baking soda activated by lemon juice, and a pinch of love (haha, I'm just kidding), these lovely dears came to be!

Paleo Chocolate Monkey Pancakes (for one)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Banana
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tsp lemon juice
• 1 Tsp vanilla extract
• Dash of cinnamon (if you want)
• 1 Tbsp ground flax meal
• 1 Tbsp almond meal
• 1 Tbsp cocoa
• 1 Tbsp coconut flour
• 1/4 Tsp baking soda 

Method:

1. Warm a griddle on medium/low heat
2. Squish the half-banana in a small bowl, then add the other wet ingredients, and mix well
3. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until they are happily combined
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just blended
5. Add a bit of oil (I use coconut) to your now warmed up griddle
6. Pour the batter in 2 parts into your warm and greased griddle and let it cook a few minutes. These pancakes won't have dry bubbles like regular pancakes for you to know when to flip them, so the best way to gauge is to let them cook slowly, then slip a pancake flipper/spatula (whatever you call it) under the pancakes and see that it is mostly holding its own. 
7. Gently flip over and cook for an additional minute
8. Eat with almond butter and a little maple syrup, or however you want! :)    

   I forgot the lemon juice in that collage above....oh well...
   It seems like a lots of ingredients, but it honestly comes together in just a few minutes, and is worth every tiny effort!

Thick and fluffly!

   I suspect you could also make these with an avocado in place of the banana (perhaps just a half an avocado?), or maybe even some baked sweet potato (maybe 2-3 tablespoons?). I haven't tried either, but I could see it working well.
   You don't taste the banana really at all in these (in my opinion), so if you're worried about that, stop it. :)  I only really called them "chocolate monkey" so you would have an idea before reading the recipe that bananas were involved. No surprises! 
   So, whatever this Monday has for you-make the best of it!!! Either with the people you're with, or the place you're in, and if nothing else, with the ingredients you have on hand to make a yummy treat! :)