Work Text:
She remembered the smell of the coconut oil in the black cast-iron skillet. The sound of it catching fire. The sparks like fireflies in the backyard.
She remembered the feel of the fork as she mashed the banana. The best ones had black spots, just overripe but not too wet, not too sweet. It was her job to press the fruit into a paste. The first ingredient to go in the bowl. 'The foundation of the recipe', that’s what her grandmother called it. "Breakfast is built on this banana. Today is built on breakfast. Your life, B’Elanna, is built on today."
They added the other ingredients on top of the mashed banana paste. She pretended it was the weather. A maple syrup flood. Flour snow. Mixed all together in a baking tornado. Then added to the pan, three at a time. More than once she was too impatient and when the pancakes flipped they fell apart in a banana mash-flour snow-oat milk ribbon mess.
But even the ugly ones tasted like home.
She handed the fork to Miral. Carefully showed her how to mash the fruit. Grinned when the child decided to do it her own way. Just like Tom. Just like her.
They created weather together. They made sparks like fireflies. They measured out three pancakes at a time. And they flipped them too soon. But even the ugly ones tasted like home.
"Breakfast is built on a banana," she told her daughter. "Today is built on breakfast. And your life, Miral, your whole beautiful life, is built on today."
Miral touched her fat, wet, banana-mush-covered hand to B’Elanna’s cheek.
Today was perfect.
Ingredients:
- 1 & 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 /2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1 cup unsweetened oat milk
- 1/2 cup mashed banana (2 ripe bananas)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Directions:
- Whisk mashed bananas with oat milk, vanilla extract, coconut oil, and maple syrup until well combined.
- Stir in flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda,. Mix until batter is fluffy and smooth.
- Warm coconut oil in non-stick pancake griddle/pan over medium heat. Drop 2 tablespoons of pancake batter per pancake.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes on first side, or until it's easy to slide a spatula under the pancake to flip it.
- Flip and cook the pancakes for an extra 1 minute on the other side.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
- Excess pancakes may be stored cold up to 3 days.