We’re big fans of pancakes here at Beauty And The Dirt, but as you’ll know we are also conscious about what we eat. Not in terms of dieting or any such nonsense we hasten to add – but more in choosing the most nutritious, unprocessed, fresh and organic ingredients we can.
To this end we’ve had a look at some of the more nutrition-conscious pancake recipes around and stumbled upon these treasures in the process. Introducing… our favourite healthy pancake recipes. Oh, and just a warning, you won’t want to keep these as a once-a-year treat!
HEMSLEY & HEMLSEY BLUEBERRY PANCAKES WITH CASHEW MANGO CREAM
SERVIES 2-3
PANCAKES
2 eggs (room temperature)
2 tablespoons of virgin coconut oil (we like Biona) or butter, melted
2-4 tablespoons of warm water
2 tablespoons of coconut flour (Tiana of course!)
1.5 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 tiny sprinkle of salt
¼ teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon or more of vanilla extract (we like Nielsen-Massey)
CASHEW MANGO CREAM
1/2 cup of whole cashews (soaked for 6-7 hours in filtered warm water with sea salt, rinsed and drained)
30g dried mango soaked in ½ cup of filtered water
Wash the blueberries and allow them to dry. Melt the coconut oil or butter, on a low heat, in a PTFE-free non-stick pan (we use Greenpan or Colourworks ceramic frying pan) and allow to cool. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Sift in the coconut flour and bicarbonate of soda and blend with the melted coconut oil to make a batter. Add water a tablespoon at a time to get the right consistency. Use a spatula to redistribute any leftover coconut oil in the frying pan and on a medium heat add 2 tablespoons of the batter. Push 5 blueberries into the centre of the pancake and the blueberries will spread slowly as it cooks. After a couple of minutes check if you can loosen the pancake easily and carefully turn it over – it may need a little longer. After another minute or so the pancake is cooked and ready to serve. For the cashew mango cream, add the mango and the water it has been soaking in to a blender with the rinsed and drained cashews then blend until smooth. Add more water if desired.
BODYISM PANCAKES
SERVES 2-4
100g rolled oats
200g cottage cheese
4 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Blend the ingredients in a food processor. Pour into a heated pan by the 1/4 cup, cooking 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with your favourite berries.
LUX* ME GREEN TEA AND WHOLE WHEAT CREPES
Served with fresh fruit, yoghurt, banana fool and raspberry coulis.
CREPES
150g whole wheat flour
150g white flour
300g eggs
250ml milk
250ml water
120ml olive oil
1tbsp honey
1 pinch salt
1tbsp green tea powder
BANANA FOOL
2 ripe bananas chopped
50ml low fat yoghurt
10ml honey
FRESH FRUIT
250g chopped assorted fruit
RASPBERRY COULIS
60g raspberries
30ml honey
For the crepe batter, mix all the ingredients together and blend it to a smooth batter. Ensure no lumps are formed. For the banana fool, add the chopped banana to the yoghurt and honey, then mix through. For the raspberry coulis, blend the raspberries and honey together to form a smooth sauce. Make the crepes thin and in a non-stick pan. Spread the banana fool over the crepes. Add t3tbsp of chopped fruit then fold the crepe over. Drizzle with the raspberry coulis and serve.
HONESTLY HEALTHY BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES
70g (2¾oz/½ cup) buckwheat flour
70g (2¾oz/½ cup) rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp Himalayan pink salt
300ml (½ pint/scant 1¼ cups)
Brown Rice Milk (see page 57)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
1 tbsp rice syrup
For the Compote
200g (7oz/generous ¾ cup) blackberries rinsed and drained
2 tsp water
1tbsp honey
Instructions
Place the buckwheat flour, rice flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Place the milk, lemon juice, sunflower oil and rice syrup in another bowl and mix well, then stir into the dry ingredients and mix gently until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Wipe a frying pan lightly with oil and heat over a medium heat. Place a poachette ring or pastry ring in the pan and ladle in 1 tablespoon of the pancake mixture. Cook until air bubbles start to appear on the surface of the pancake. Do not turn until this point. Remove the mould, turn the pancake and cook for about 1 minute on the other side, until set. Repeat until all the mixture is used and cooked. Serve in a stack, layered with the compote a sprinkling of blueberries and soya yogurt, or with fresh fruit and agave syrup to accompany.
To make the compote, place the ingredients in a pan over a low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the berries are lovely and soft. Blend the compote until smooth and drizzle over your pancakes.
SWEET POTATO PANCAKES
MAKES 24 PANCAKES
Maple syrup or an apple cider syrup are both great choices for topping these great tasting sweet potato pancakes.
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Combine remaining ingredients; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop by tablespoons onto hot greased griddle or skillet and fry, turning once, until browned on both sides.
–