RECIPE: Healthy pancakes - Pancake Day 2012

Happy Pancake Day! I love having pancakes in the morning; they are so scrummy and filling. And if you have it the right way, it’s a great way to help you have your 5-a-day. It’s easy to get carried away with Pancake Day by having too many calories; buying ready-made pancakes or making them from the batter mix packets. But it’s not that hard to have a healthy Pancake Day. I have had a fun morning making yummy wholemeal pancakes and taking pictures to show you all.

It was first time I made pancake with wholemeal flour I was a bit weary on how it would taste with the wholemeal flour but they came out light and fluffy, tasted delicious and was easy-peasy to make. And plus wholemeal flour allows energy to be released slowly so keeping you fuller for longer, which means no unnecessary snacking between meals. I got my recipe from the ‘Good to know’ website, which only has three ingredients. You can then make it your own by adding your favourite fruits and seasoning. Try this recipe; it’s simple, quick and healthy. 

You will need:

- 125g/4 ½ oz Wholemeal Flour

- 1 medium egg

- 300ml of semi-skimmed or skimmed milk.  

Making the mixture: Sieve the flour into a bowl, whisk the egg in a separate bowl and add it to the flour. Pour in half the milk and whisk (I whisked mine with a fork). Then gradually add the rest of the milk and whisk until smooth. I left mine aside for 30 minutes, not intentionally, I don’t know if that made a difference to the texture of the pancakes.

After tasting one pancake I did add 2 teaspoons of sugar to the mixture just to make it a little family friendly, just in case anyone wanted to have just the pancake.

Making the pancakes: Dip a scrunched up kitchen towel into a little oil and dab onto a non-stick frying pan (medium heat). Pour on the pancake mixture in the middle and swirl the pan to spread the mixture evenly. Let it cook for 1 minute, bubbles will appear on the pancake. Flip the pancake and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Then simply put it on a plate, add your fruit and drizzle some honey or low-fat yoghurt. Enjoy with a glass of orange juice! Here are some of the pancakes I made this morning:

I prefer scotch pancakes sometimes, so I made some with the same batter, I simply poured some of the mixture onto the middle of the pan and let it cook (without swirling the pan). Once the edges are cooked or slightly brown, flip the pancake and let it cook. 

Don’t worry if you haven’t had a pancake yet, there’s still time, you can even have them as a savoury for lunch or dinner. I haven’t had a savoury pancake yet, but I will try it soon. Perhaps with some mushroom and cheese, or maybe some spicy potatoes. Let me know how you have your pancakes!

- A H Nutritionist

March 14th 2012 11:00