Right this very moment, diners and bars around the world are offering pancake entrees for Shrove Tuesday, otherwise known as 'Fat Tuesday'. This annual celebrated day of decadence marks the beginning of Lent, a 40 day fast. As the faithful masses gear up to cut back, they celebrate with a short stack.

I am not a religious person but I can appreciate a day devoted to pancakes. In honor of Shrove Tuesday, I tackled a task that's troubled me for months. My husband loves pancakes -- fluffy pancakes. He is a health conscious man so he prefers not to eat white flour or even wheat flour whenever possible. When he makes pancakes or asks me to make some he always wants spelt flour pancakes. He has never met a spelt pancake that was not dense though. I have tried a few pastry tricks in the past to help him in his quest, but to minor avail...until now! I have finally perfected the spelt flour pancake. These pancakes are fluffy, light and dare I say good for you. If you are not going to fast for 40 days, these pancakes are healthy enough that you won't have to.

Strawberry Pancakes for a Not So Fat Tuesday

2 cups organic spelt flour
1 cup vanilla rice milk (I use Natura)
1 egg, yolk and white separated
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
pinch of sea salt
4 strawberries, sliced

Instructions

Separate the egg. Put the yolk in a medium sized mixing bowl and the white into a cereal sized bowl. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt and vinegar to the yolk and stir to combine. Add the flour and rice milk. Stir to combine all ingredients.Set aside.

Beat the egg white until soft peaks form. Fold the egg white into the batter until evenly distributed.

Heat a large non stick frying pan on medium high heat.Once hot, pour in batter for pancake size you prefer (large or small, make sure to space them out evenly in the pan). After a few seconds, top with a few strawberry slices.Wait until small bubbles form on the pancake before flipping with a spatula. Once flipped, allow a few seconds for the other side to cook before removing from the pan. Repeat until batter is used up.

Serve immediately with butter or coconut butter and maple syrup or powdered sugar.