Courgette and Sweetcorn Pancake and Waffle Mix

I love pancakes and waffles but store-bought boxed mixes and restaurant versions aren't necessarily the most nutritious, often containing plain white flour, butter/oil/eggs etc. I decided to get a few servings of fruit and veg with this recipe below.

Courgette and Sweetcorn Pancake and Waffle Mix
Makes 4 pancakes OR 1-2 waffles

Ingredients:
- 225g / 8oz courgette
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 banana, mashed
- 90g flour (I use whole wheat)
- 1tsp baking powder
- 85g / 3oz sweetcorn, defrosted if frozen

Method:

• Grate the courgette and gently squeeze out any excess water.
• In a bowl stir together the banana and egg.
• Add the flour and the baking powder and mix altogether.
• Stir in the grated courgette and sweetcorn.
• Pour the batter into a frying pan to make 4 pancakes.
• Cook for 5 minutes and then flip the pancakes and cook the other side.
• If using a waffle iron, pour the batter into the iron and cook for up to 10 minutes.
• Depending on the size and heat settings of waffle irons, the cooking times and number of waffles will vary. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Fritters

I adapted this recipe from the Deliciously Ella cookbook. I amended ingredient quantities and just oven baked the fritters. However, they can be fried slightly to crisp the edges if desired but I found 30 minutes in the oven gave then a crisp outer edge with a soft middle, similar to fish cakes or falafel.

A decent sized sweet potato (around 400g), once baked and the skins removed will equal just under 300g. The skins make a sweet and nutritious snack so I always cook the potatoes in their skins instead of peeling them. I microwave my potatoes to speed up the cooking time whilst the quinoa is cooking on the stove top.

Turmeric is a great anti-inflammatory agent, as I've mentioned before in my previous Vegetable and Quinoa Stir Fry recipe. It's an effective treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease and a relief for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The fritters are moist but I usually like to pour a little sauce over the top - either tomato paste, thinned with water to make natural tomato ketchup. Or a cashew sauce which is just some cashews, blended with water and a little soy sauce.

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Fritters
Makes 12 (3 fritters per serving)

Ingredients:
- 400g / 14oz sweet potato
- 170g / 6oz quinoa, dry
- 60ml / 4tbsp lemon juice
- 32g / 2tbsp almond butter
- 66g / 4tbsp tomato paste
- 45ml / 3tbsp water
- 2tsp cumin
- 1tsp turmeric

Method:

• Cook the quinoa in water, with 2tbsp lemon juice, for about 15-20 minutes, until the water has been absorbed.
• Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, cook the sweet potato, peel the skins, then place the flesh in a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients.
• Blend to combine until smooth.
• Add the sweet potato mixture to the bowl of quinoa and stir to combine.
• Spoon the mixture on to a baking tray, lined with parchment, forming round fritters.
• Bake in oven at 190C / 375F for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.
• Eat from the oven or fry each side in a pan to crisp for a couple of minutes.
• Serve on a bed of spinach, kale, or courgette noodles with tomato paste or cashew sauce. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Cottage Cheese Hotcakes with Honey Yogurt Sauce

Traditional hotcakes use ricotta cheese, but cottage cheese is a lighter variation - with less calories, lower fats and less cholesterol, whilst still keeping the same amount of protein per serving. Ricotta has more vitamin A and calcium but I always keep cottage cheese in my fridge so thought I'd experiment with a hotcake recipe.

The result was pleasantly surprising: a light and fluffy hotcake, crisp on outside with mild cheese flavour. The honey yogurt adds a little creamy sweetness.

Whilst it takes a bit of extra time to separating the eggs and whisk up the egg whites, this process gives the hotcakes their light and fluffy texture.

They make a nice alternative to my banana oat pancakes and my egg-free banana cocoa pancakes. To make these hotcakes egg-free, simply combine 2tbsp flaxseed meal with 6tbsp water to 2 make 'flax-eggs'.

Cottage Cheese Hotcakes with Honey Yogurt Sauce
Makes 6 hotcakes

Ingredients:
- 2 eggs, separated
- 120ml / 4floz almond milk
- 225g / 8oz cottage cheese, lowfat
- 120g / 4oz oat flour
- 1tsp baking powder
- 112g / 4oz Greek yogurt
- 20g / 1tbsp honey

Method:
In a bowl, mix the egg yolks and milk together.
Add the cottage cheese and stir to combine.
Add the oat flour and baking powder.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.
Pour the cottage cheese batter into the bowl and fold to combine.
Mix the yogurt and honey together, adding a splash of milk or water to get the desired consistency for the sauce.
Cook for 5 mins on a low-medium heat and then flip.
Pour the honey yogurt over the hotcakes and serve. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Egg-free Banana Cocoa Pancakes

Similar to my banana oat pancakes recipe, which I eat almost every weekend, this version doesn't contain eggs.
As it was Shrove Tuesday at the beginning of the month, I had to follow tradition and make pancakes. I was tempted to make thin pancakes (crepes) - with flour, eggs and milk - but I just couldn't stick to the basics and had to try something different. Good job I did as it turned out I didn't have any eggs in the kitchen!

Instead of going to the shop and buying some, I used mashed bananas and ground flaxseed to make the perfect egg substitute.

The cocoa powder gives the pancakes a tasty chocolaty flavour without the added sugars from chocolate chips etc. The natural sugars from the banana makes these pancakes a healthy alternative to regular chocolate crepes/pancakes!

Egg-free Banana Cocoa Pancakes

Makes 8

Click HERE for a printable recipe card.

Ingredients:

- 13g / 2tbsp whole ground flaxseed meal
- 60ml / 4tbsp warm water
- 1 ripe banana
- 120ml / 4floz almond milk, unsweetened
- 5ml / 1tsp vanilla extract
- 60g / 2oz flour
- 80g / 2.8oz oat flour (old fashioned oats food processed)
- 5g / 1tbsp cocoa powder, natural unsweetened
- 1tsp cinnamon
- 1/2tsp baking powder

Method:

In a small bowl, mix flaxseed and water. Let stand for a few minutes.

Meanwhile in another bowl, mash the banana, add the milk and vanilla extract.

Stir in the flaxseed mixture.

Add the flour, oat flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and baking powder. Stir to combine.

Heat frying pan and cook for a few minutes and then flip over to cook the other side.

ENJOY!
Click HERE for a printable recipe card.

Nutritional Information:

Carrot and Sweet Potato Pancakes

These sweet potato pancakes taste great and are quite versatile. Add any vegetables and spices. The sweet potato is a staple carbohydrate that's sweet, low in fat, and gives you plenty of energy for the day.

When compared with white potatoes, both are packed with fibre and are full of nutrients, especially if you leave the skins on. Sweet potatoes are full of Vitamin A and C. Perfect for cold winter weather!
You can read more about the benefits of sweet and white potatoes online.

Carrot and Sweet Potato Pancakes
Makes 4, 2 pancakes per serving

Ingredients:
- 360g / 13oz sweet potato
- 90g / 3oz onions, chopped
- 120g / 4oz carrots, grated
- 1tsp coriander, ground
- 1tsp turmeric powder
- 1tsp cumin
- 40g / 1.4oz oat flour (old fashioned oats food processed)
- 120ml / 4floz water

Method:

• Microwave or bake the sweet potato until very soft and mashable.
• In a pan, sprayed with cooking oil, cook the onions and carrots until soft. 
• Add the spices and mix for 30 seconds.
• In a small bowl, mix the oat flour and water together.
• In a separate bowl, combine the mashed sweet potato and onion mixture with the flour/water batter, adding a little extra water to make them just moist, if needed.
• Heat a pan, sprayed with cooking oil, and cook four patties/pancakes. 
• Flip the pancakes after several minutes.
• Serve with green vegetables. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Banana Oat Pancakes

As much as I'd love to eat fluffy pancakes (IHOP springs to mind*) - and copious amounts of syrup - everyday, it would be very unhealthy! Therefore,whenever I eat pancakes, usually after a weekend bike ride, I always add a banana and oats to the basic egg, flour, milk combo.

Light and fluffy isn't really how you'd describe them. Wholesome and satisfying are better adjectives.
Recipe, photos and nutritional information is below.

Banana Oat Pancakes
Makes 8 pancakes
Click HERE for a printable recipe card.

Ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 egg
- 80g / 3oz oats (I use old fashioned oats)
- 80g / 3oz flour
- 120ml / 4floz unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2tsp cinnamon

Method:
Blend oats in food processor to make oat flour

Add flour and cinnamon

Mash up banana, add egg and beat together

Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and add almond milk

Mix together to form a thick batter. Heat frying pan and cook for a few minutes and then flip over to cook the other side.

Serve with a dollop (45g / 3tbsp) of non-fat greek yogurt and a drizzle (10g / 1/2tbsp) of honey.

As mentioned above, the pancakes are quite dense and filling

Enjoy!
Click HERE for a printable recipe card.

*If you're interested in the nutritional value of IHOP pancakes, I looked at their website and noted down the following information. You can see a full list of their nutritional Information online: http://www.ihop.com/-/media/ihop/PDFs/nutritionalinformation.ashx

IHOP Original Buttermilk Pancakes (3 pancakes)
Calories                 470
Fat Calories 140
Total Fat (g) 15
Saturated Fat (g) 5
Trans Fat (g) 0.5
Cholesterol (mg) 70
Sodium (mg) 1590
Carbohydrates (g) 69
Fiber (g)         4
Sugar (g)         13
Protein (g) 13

Regular Old Fashioned Maple Pancake Syrup (1 fl oz)
Calories        110
Fat Calories 0
Total Fat (g) 0
Saturated Fat (g) 0
Trans Fat (g) 0
Cholesterol (mg) 0
Sodium (mg) 15
Carbohydrates (g) 27
Fiber (g)         0
Sugar (g)         18
Protein (g) 0

In comparison, 3 banana oat pancakes contains 303 calories, less than 5g fat, only 55mg sodium and 7.2g sugars. After a bike ride, I usually eat 3-4 pancakes which are perfect for a post-exercise meal. The batter keeps in the fridge for a day or two so I can always make one or two as a snack the following day.