Gluten-Free Apple Apricot Pancakes

Ever get that hankering for some good old fashioned, made-from-scratch pancakes, but worry about feeling too sleepy afterward to get on with your Saturday?  
Here's a gluten-free version I've developed that's flavourful yet not sugary, satisfying yet won't put you into a Carbohydrate Coma.

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Photo: E. Cherevaty 03-12-2011

HOW TO MAKE 'EM
Dry ingredients:
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour*
1 TBSP ground flax seed1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup to 1/3 cup chopped pecans or other nuts (set aside)
Slice apple into thin horizontal slices, so that the middle of the apple gives you its pretty star cut-out. Remove seeds. Drizzle apple slices with fresh lemon juice and set aside.
Mix the dry ingredients (EXCEPT apple and nuts) together in a mixing bowl.

Wet ingredients:
2 dried apricots, finely chopped (yes, they're a "dry" ingredient  but they'll soften nicely with a bit of a presoak here)
1 organic free range egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup grapeseed and/or coconut oil**
1/2 cup rice milk
3/4 cup water
1-2 tbsp raw honey
1/2 tsp blackstrap molasses
1/2 tsp real vanilla extract
Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  
Preheat skillet to medium heat, adding just enough coconut and/or grapeseed oil to lightly coat it. It's ready when you can place a tiny drop of batter in the pan and hear it sizzle.
Make a small well in the dry mixture and add wet mixture to dry. Stir until just combined. Fold in nuts. If you'd like to thin the batter, add water or rice milk a small amount at a time. Pour about 1/3 cup amounts of batter at a time into the hot skillet to form four pancakes of 3-4" diameter. Once small holes appear on the surface (approx. 3-4 mins), place an apple slice on top of each and then flip 'em!  Cook on the apple side for 4-5 minutes or until golden. 
Yield: Makes about 6 hearty little pancakes. Enjoy them with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon, a drizzle of maple syrup or spread with almond butter.

BONUS: NATUROPATHIC KITCHEN-EY TIPS 
Wouldn't be an naturopathic doctor's blog without 'em, so here goes:

Sharks: Why They're Not Health Products

Alternatives to Shark Oil

Shark liver oil has been used for centuries by fishermen as a general tonic and folk remedy. Shark oils do contain many of the beneficial compounds that are also found in cold water fish, such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A and D, which are important for optimal immune function. However, I do not consider shark oils to be appropriate substances for use in a health context.  As a naturopathic doctor I have never, and never will, recommend the intake of shark products to any of my patients. The risks are simply too great.

Why take such a stand on the shark-as-medicine issue? The naturopathic doctor's oath includes to "First, do no harm" and to "preserve the health of our planet for ourselves and future generations".  This means that the medicines I prescribe must be ecologically friendly.  Many of the world's sharks have come under survival pressures due to human activities - from intense demand for their fins for shark fin soup, or their cartilage for the mythological anti-cancer effects, to tragic bycatch losses whereby sharks are unintentionally caught in nets set for other species like tuna (a whole other issue), to spills and disasters, shark populations are particularly vulnerable to human follies because their slow rates of growth and reproduction and predator status makes them fewer in numbers relative to the "prey" species. Sharks are needed as predators to keep prey species healthy. Incidentally, dozens of "prey" species are also eaten by humans, so in helping sharks we would be helping ourselves maintain access to sustainable, healthy fish stocks (J. Sabau, Wake Shark & Ocean Educator 2009). A World Fishing & Aquaculture article published today noted that one third of Europe's shark species are currently considered threatened and the European Parliament has called for stronger policies against shark fin-removal on board ships.

Medicinal Properties of Shark Products Available From Alternative, Less Toxic Sources