Pancake Sunday

It has become a weekend tradition at our place, that if Daddy is home he cooks the girls and I an egg and bacon breakfast on Sundays . . . yummy bacon & onion scrambled eggs with roasted tomatoes for mummy and fried or boiled eggs with toast soldiers for the girls. If Daddy is away the girls look for mummy to make pancakes or more recently crumpets in the Thermomix. 

Of course these are not your everyday run of the (flour) mill pancakes . . ha ha.  Anyone who knows me would ask . . "So what goodness do you have hiding in these Paula?" Whenever I'm cooking for my girls in particular, I do my very best to maximise the assortment of nutrients I can get into them without compromising taste and texture. There is no point making something healthier and then struggling to get your children to eat it. Making healthy changes to a recipe and satisfying little tummies is no easy feat. Clearly I live for this type of challenge :)

My banana, oat and spelt pancakes are a light and fluffy assortment of nutritious ingredients that leave me feeling very satisfied that I have provided my children a with great start to the day, and of course they have no idea just how good these scrummy pancakes are for them.  

Paula’s Banana, Oat & Spelt Pancakes

These pancakes are low in fat, high in dietary fibre and a source of omega-3 fats.

They are light and fluffy in texture which is an unexpected surprise when you consider that they are made from wholegrain flours. The fluffiness is thanks to the egg and raising agents, but is helped along by the ground flaxseed. One quantity makes enough for breakfast over two days. The left-over mixture should be kept in the fridge. Just add a little extra milk before cooking up the next day.

1 tbsp (10g) golden flaxseeds
140g whole oats
1 large ripe banana, roughly chopped

10g coconut oil (liquefied)

120g wholemeal spelt flour

pinch salt

40g raw caster sugar

½ tsp bicarb

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg

2 MC milk or plant-based milk

2 MC natural yoghurt (or vanilla)

2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

Add flaxseeds and oats to TM bowl and mill for 20 seconds at speed 9 with the MC cup on. Decant into a bowl and put aside.

Place sliced bananas in TM bowl and mash for a few seconds on speed 4. Return the ground flaxseed and oats to the bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Mix for 20 seconds on speed 5 or until smooth. Allow mixture to rest for at least 10-15 minutes.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan on medium heat and grease with a little butter or oil. Pour the mixture onto the hot pan. Cook until bubbled and then turn over and cook the other side. Turn the heat to low as the pan heats up.

Optional: Add a few blueberries or sliced kiwi or strawberries to each pikelet as it is cooking for extra fruity flavour and nutrition. Serve sprinkled with sifted icing sugar or drizzled with a little honey. Also delicious with Mum's lemon butter.

No Thermomix? 

• Freshly grind your flaxseeds (also known as linseeds) in a coffee grinder. 
• Use ready-made oat flour.
• Use a hand blender or food processor to make your pancake mixture.
• An MC cup is equivalent to 100ml of liquid

Nutrition tid bits
In order to access the omega-3 oils in flaxseed, you should grind the seeds before use. It's best to grind your own flaxseeds as ready-ground flax will go rancid quickly. To keep your ground seeds fresh, store them in an airtight container in the fridge (1 month) or freezer. Whole seeds will last longer - up to 2 years (check the use by date). If you suspect your flaxseeds are old, taste a few. If they are off in flavour and not pleasantly nutty, discard them. 

Did you know that ground flax can be used as a substitute for whole eggs in baking? Simply exchange 1 tbsp finely ground flax + 3 tbsp water for 1 egg. Blend together to make a viscous liquid. For more info on flaxseeds and other nutritious seeds see Ingredients.

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