Make your gut and your body happy with these simple and delicious matcha banana pancakes! We're slightly obsessed with these vegan and gluten-free pieces of heaven. They’re perfect for cooking up for colorful Saturday pancake stacks or pancake breakfast bowls during the week.
The spinach and matcha add a big pop of color and balance out the natural sweetness of the bananas, oats, and almond flour and also add a wonderful dose of nutrients to the dish. The matcha also adds a boost of sustained energy and a dose of vegan collagen boosters to support hair, skin, and nail health.
Matcha whole leaf green tea we source from Japan. It’s helps boost energy in a steady way without any coffee crash while helping to boost antioxidants. It has a gorgeous green color and a light, earthy taste because you consume it as an entire ground leaf.
Matcha Banana Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp Copina Co. Matcha Beauty Plant-Based Collagen Boost Blend
- 2 very ripe bananas
- 1 handful fresh spinach
- ½ cup almond milk
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup oat flour
- 2 tablespoons almond butter (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- virgin coconut oil, to grease the pan
Instructions:
- Making these pancakes is as simple as can be. Start by tossing all the ingredients into a large blender or food processor together and blend until the spinach is fully broken up and the mixture is smooth.
- Heat a little coconut oil in non-stick frying pan on medium heat for about 1 minute, or until the coconut oil is melted. Ladle about 3 tablespoons of batter onto different sections of the pan for mini pancakes and about 1/3 cup of batter for larger pancakes. Cook for a few minutes on one side, or until small bubbles begin to appear on the surface and the bases are golden.
- Carefully flip the pancakes with a spatula and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes, or until golden. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate and repeat until you’ve cooked through all the batter.
- Serve topped with your favorite fruit, granolas, sweeteners, and toppings. I love frozen berries, pomegranate seeds, banana, bee pollen, chopped almonds, and wild honey.
Collagen is a structural protein of different connective tissues, and is made of the amino acids glycine, proline, hydroxyproline, and arginine. The benefits of collagen are many and include:
- Glowing skin (through moisture retention & skin elasticity)*
- Reduced wrinkles*
- Strong hair & nails*
- Joint health*
- Tendon & bone health*
The human body naturally creates collagen; however as our bodies pass the age of 25, we lose the ability to synthesize enough of it on our own.* Our modern diets also contain minimal collagen.* That’s where Copina Co. comes in – we make plant-based vegan collagen boosters that help boost your body’s collagen synthesis without the need to consume animal products.
The tremella mushroom, or tremella fuciformis, is an edible species of fungus that has been used in Eastern medicine for centuries. It helps to boost skin hydration and has been shown to pull moisture into the skin and fight aging. Tremella mushrooms contain proline, lysine and glycine which are all important amino acids for collagen production.*
Bamboo Extract
Bamboo is one of the richest sources of silica in nature and supports collagen production and hair, skin, & nail health. Silica is a naturally-occurring mineral found primarily in plants and water sources. It has been shown to help promote luscious hair and fight aging. *
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is a molecule made up of sugars that our bodies produce naturally. It binds to and retains water (each molecule can hold up to 1,000x its weight in water), aiding collagen production and helping our skin attract and retain moisture.* It has also been shown to help smooth wrinkles and boost skin elasticity, firmness, and radiance, as well as promoting joint health.*
Amla
Amla (Indian gooseberry) has been traditionally used to increase vitality, enhance digestion, stimulate hair growth, and promote longevity. Amla is an adaptogen which has historically been used to help the body better regulate stress and is high in Vitamin C, both of which have been shown to support increased collagen production.*
Grape Seed Extract
Grapeseed extract powder has been shown to help boost antioxidants in the and is often used to treat gut candida. It’s also been shown to help boost collagen production in the body and support bone health.*