Over spring break, I was trying to break the bad habits that seemed to have developed during Winter Quarter (too much take out from Joy Yee’s and too much Ben & Jerry’s from Lisa’s.) While searching Pinterest with my roommate for healthy food choices, I came across a recipe for two-ingredient pancakes. I was skeptical. The thought of two eggs mixed with a banana sounded disgusting, especially since I hate the texture of banana. But I figured it was worth a shot if I made a few changes.
So, I developed my own three-ingredient pancakes, the final element being chocolate chips. At first I wasn’t sure I liked the taste. The banana and eggs mixed together to taste sort of like a sweet omelet. But then came the chocolate, and I was sold. The perks of this recipe are that I can totally cook this meal in my own dorm, it has tons of protein and the ingredients can be found on campus. Use your equivalency meals to buy eggs from Lisa’s, take a banana from the dining hall, and scour the dining halls for the occasional chocolate chips put out as soft serve toppings. Worse comes to worst, you may have to venture to Whole Foods or CVS for a bag of chocolate chips.
I feel it is completely necessary to have the chocolate chips and my friends agree.
Interested? Here’s how to make the three-ingredient pancakes.
First, crack two eggs into a bowl. Then unpeel your banana and mush it into the bowl. I use a spoon to mush down the banana and mix it together with the eggs.
The consistency of the mixture will be very similar to that of scrambled eggs, even when your banana is really mixed in. Don’t worry if you have a couple of banana chunks that just won't mix. They’ll be a little burst of sweetness without the chocolate.
Next, drop the chocolate chips into the mixture and stir. The number of chips you add depends on what you want.
Turn the stove to medium heat and let the pan warm for about a minute. Spray with a non-stick spray and then pour in your mixture. The first side cooks pretty slowly — I normally check it every 2-3 minutes. After about five minutes it typically starts to turn golden brown.
Following the lead of the omelet stations in Sargent and Elder, hold up the side of the pancake and let the extra egg drip to the side and cook. This will speed up the cooking process.
If you, like me, are incapable of flipping pancakes like the professionals, slowly edge the spatula underneath and flip it over carefully. Of course, not every flip will be pretty. Prepare. Just try to fix it the best you can. Besides, it all ends up in the same place.
The second side only takes a couple of minutes to cook. After about two minutes, I will typically cut the pancake in half to makes sure it’s completely cooked. I hate runny eggs.
Finally, flip it onto a plate and enjoy the goodness. You can do the dishes later.