She’s the bustling bundle of energy and flour slinging force behind most of the counters at your favorite fam-friendly spots, but when Zoe Nathan was ready to release her first cookbook, she was far more mom than mogul. She invited us over for a peek into her kitchen and to share a totally healthy and beyond delish recipe that starts the morning off right for the whole family.With her outrageous humility and infectious ease, the fact that she’s the baking talent behind Rustic Canyon Wine Bar, Milo & Olive, Sweet Rose Creamery and the baby before her babies, Huckleberry, somehow seems second to the fact that she’s mom. A mom who works hard to feed her kids healthy and tasty food.  A mom who has just delivered a cookbook that will help us feed the family when we can’t make it to Santa Monica for B, L or D.

As she whipped up her dad’s recipe for pancakes, she mused about the joys of baking and eating and socializing and her philosophy became beautifully clear: baking belongs in the family.  To her it’s as natural as breathing.  Her passion for cooking for and with family (and happily, for the rest of us, too) is palpable and inspirational.  And since we can’t all have breakfast every morning in her kitchen, she’s brought her kitchen to us, through her book. Not to mention, the inspiration to cook with and for our kids.

Do Try This at Home: Brown Rice Quinoa Pancakes
There’s a whole section dedicated to pancakes (um, ricotta griddlecakes, anyone?), but these had so much wholesome hiding in the hey what tastes so good?, that we had to test run them on our own. What tastes like pancakes and acts like a superfood? These babies. Off the skillet, onto their plates, these things went like…you know.  Without further ado, the recipe.

Brown Rice Quinoa Pancakes (makes about 15, give or take)
½ cup/60 g whole-wheat flour
5 tbsp/50 g cornmeal
2 tbsp rolled oats
1 tbsp flax seed meal or wheat germ
2 tsp chia seeds or poppy seeds
1 tbsp millet
2 tbsp brown sugar
1&1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups/480ml buttermilk
½ cup/110g unsalted butter, melted
3 eggs
1&1/4 cups/200g cooked brown or wild rice
½ cup/100g cooked quinoa

Put the whole-wheat flour, cornmeal, rolled oats, flax seed meal, chia seeds, millet, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, melted butter and eggs and whisk to combine. Stir in the rice and quinoa.

About 5 minutes before you’re ready to make the pancakes, pre-heat a greased griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat; the griddle is ready when a few droplets of water sizzle and dance across the surface. Once heated, lower the heat to medium to prevent burning.

Drop 1/3 cup/80ml of batter onto the hot griddle. When bubbles set on the surface of the pancake and the bottom is golden, flip and cook for about 1 minute longer. Serve immediately, while hot.

This is just one of the hundreds of kid-friendly recipes filling this latest launch from Zoe Nathan. Pick your pleasure – between the cinnamon-sugar doughnuts, the blueberry nectar crisp and the lemon pistachio cake, this might be the most addictive read since that Los Feliz preschool twitter feed. Plenty of vegan and GF options too. The pictures, the recipes, the voice – all a direct reflection of that lovely unaffected approach she brings to all she creates. She’s an artist. And a mom. And most importantly, the kind of person that knows that making a mess is always the best approach.

-written and photographed by Jolie Loeb

Pancake recipe authorized and lifted from pg. 193 of Huckleberry: Stories, Secrets, and Recipes from Our Kitchen.  Available online and at wonderful local, independent booksellers such as Diesel and Skylight.