Banana Oatmeal Hotcakes with Cran-Raspberry Syrup

Now these are my kind of pancakes :) This recipe is from "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook" and I'll take these "healthy" hotcakes over the plain stuff any day. I love the texture of them from the bananas and cooked oats--which also make them moist and flavorful. The book included a recipe for Spiced Maple Syrup or it said you can top them with sliced bananas warmed in a frying pan with a little butter. Mmmm. But I loved them with my made-up Cran-Raspberry Syrup and homemade yogurt (see previous post).
Banana-Oatmeal Hotcakes
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup water
2 Tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 banana, peeled and mashed
1 egg, slightly beaten

1. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the oats and water. Microwave on high until the oats are creamy and tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and oil. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. In a bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to blend.
3. Add the milk, yogurt, and mashed banana to the oats and stir until well blended. Beat in the egg.
4. Add the flour mixture to the oat mixture and stir until just moistened.
5. Place a nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Spoon 1/4 cup pancake batter onto hot pan. Cook until the top surface is bubbly and the edges lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook until the bottom is browned.

Spiced Maple Syrup
1 cup maple syrup
1 cinnamon stick
5-6 whole cloves
In a small saucepan, combine the syrup, cinnamon and cloves. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and cloves. Set syrup aside and keep warm.

Lindy's Cran-Raspberry Syrup
My neighbor brought over a large bag of frozen raspberries (yeah!). I really wanted to make some jam, but I didn't have any pectin. So I thought, what would happen if I mixed in some jelled cranberry sauce? You know me--I love a good experiment. And it turned out delicious--not quite jam thickness, but a perfect syrup consistency. I put half in the fridge and half in the freezer for another day.
4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan. Heat to a low boil. Boil for 1 or 2 minutes. Strain through sieve into containers (I used a larger-holed sieve so some seeds remained, but you could use a fine sieve to keep all the seeds out). Let cool. Place in refrigerator or freezer.