Strawberry Pancakes

These are tasty with some whipped cream (I used rice whip).

 

Ingredients:

1¼ cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup milk (I used rice milk)

1 tbsp vegetable oil plus extra for the pan

2½  cups strawberries

 

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together except the strawberries.

2. Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries. Mix 2 cups into the batter.

3. Warm some oil in the frying pan. Pour in some batter and fry the pancakes on both sides.

4. Serve with more sliced strawberries.

Nectarine Pancakes

I had some leftover ripe nectarines, so I decided to make pancakes with them.

 

Ingredients:

3 nectarines

water

1½ cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 pinch salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1-2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp honey

2 eggs

1¼ cup milk (I used rice milk)

oil

 

Instructions:

1. Score the nectarines. Boil the water and set the nectarines in it for about 3 minutes.

2. Peel and dice the nectarines.

3. Mix all the other ingredients except the oil together. Add the nectarines.

4. Warm the oil in a frying pan and drop tablespoonfuls of batter into the pan.

5. Fry the pancakes until golden on both sides.

Courgette and Carrot Fritters

These taste quite like potato pancakes (latkes) but are healthier and a touch sweeter. Great for a chilly evening, especially dabbed with sour cream or Oatly cream.

 

Ingredients:

1 onion or 2 shallots

2 carrots

1 courgette

¾ cup flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp mint, if desired

2 eggs

oil

 

Instructions:

1. Grate the veg together into a bowl.

2. Whisk the dry ingredients together, then add to the veg.

3. Add the eggs. Stir well.

4. Fry until golden on both sides in oil in a frying pan.

Pumpkin Pancakes

A nearby fancy grocery store started selling American pumpkin puree, so I snatched a couple of tins. With one of them, I made pumpkin pancakes for breakfast.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin puree

1½ cups milk

1 egg

2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp sugar

2 cups flour

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp allspice

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp salt

agave or maple syrup to serve with it

 

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together well.

2. Fry by spoonfuls on a frying pan.

3. Serve with agave or maple syrup.

Sourdough Pancakes

This is a nice change on the usual pancakes. Great with fruit and syrup/agave or cream.

 

Ingredients:

115 g flour (about 1 cup)

2 eggs

120 ml milk (I used rice milk – about 100 g)

150 ml sourdough starter (about 120 g)

1 pinch salt

1 tbsp sugar

oil

 

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together but the oil.

2. Warm the oil in a frying pan and fry the pancakes until golden on both sides.

Vegan Banana Pancakes

These are so fast and easy to make, and very yummy too. Ingredients: 200 g flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp salt 2 tbsp sugar (or agave or maple syrup) 1 tbsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla 2 bananas 220 ml rice milk (soya or almond would be fine too) oil agave or maple syrup Instructions: 1. Mix all the dry ingredients together. 2. Mash the bananas and add them in, then pour in the milk. Blend well. 3. Warm the oil in the pan, then cook a few tablespoonfuls at a time over medium heat, flipping so that both sides get golden. 4. Serve with agave or maple syrup.

Chestnut Pancakes

Ingredients:

200 g chestnut puree

¼ cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2-4 tbsp sugar, to taste

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

2 eggs

oil

fruit, to serve with it

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients but the oil together.

2. Warm the oil in a frying pan and fry the pancakes, a few at a time.

3. Serve with blueberries or other fruit.

Buckwheat Pancakes

Serve this with bananas or berries. We had it as a comforting dinner one chilly winter evening.

Ingredients:

1 cup buckwheat flour

½ cup plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 tsp sugar

2 eggs

1½ cups milk

oil

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together except the oil.

2. Warm the oil in a frying pan.

3. Fry the pancakes on both sides until browned.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato

water

¼ cup milk

½ cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp sugar

1 egg

oil

agave or maple syrup to serve with it

Instructions:

1. Peel and chop the potato, then boil it in the water for 10-15 minutes.

2. Mashed it with the milk and combine it with all the other ingredients through the egg.

3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the pancakes a few at a time.

4. Serve with agave or maple syrup.

Blueberry Pancakes

Ingredients:

1¾ cups flour (200 g)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp sugar

1¼ cups milk (about 300 ml) (I used rice milk)

1 egg

200 g blueberries (I used frozen)

oil

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients except the oil together.

2. Warm oil in a frying pan and make 2-4 pancakes at a time.

3. Serve warm with agave or honey.

Apple and Potato Latkes

I love traditional potato and onion latkes (pancakes), but sometimes it’s good to change old favourite recipes a bit for some variety. So when I saw <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/dining/polishing-up-latkes-with-apples-a-good-appetite.html?_r=2&ref=dining">this recipe</a> in the New York Times, I thought I’d try it, though of course I adapted it to our tastes and what we had on hand. You can serve them with sour cream, apple sauce, sugar, and/or any other toppings you would like.

Ingredients:

2-3 apples

1 onion

5 new potatoes (or 1-2 large ones)

¾ cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp sugar

1 pinch salt

3 eggs

oil

Instructions:

1. Peel the apples and onion and grate them into a mixing bowl.

2. If using a large potato, peel it, but there’s no need if using new potatoes. Grate the potatoes into the bowl.

3. Squeeze the grated fruit and veg to get as much moisture out as possible.

4. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, and salt to the bowl. Mix well.

5. Break the eggs in and mix everything together.

6. Warm some oil in a frying pan. Drop tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the pan and fry the latkes on both sides.

Oatmeal and Raisin Pancakes

M likes porridge, but I like to make pancakes, so this is a perfect compromise dish.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp vegetable oil
¾ cup oatmeal
¾ cup spelt flour (or plain flour)
1½ cups soya or rice milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
water
¾ cup raisins
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp sugar
1 egg (or 2 egg whites)
oil
banana to serve with
honey or agave to serve with

Instructions:
1. Mix the oil, oatmeal, flour, soy milk, baking powder, and baking soda together.
2. Boil the water. Put the raisins in a bowl and pour the water over them.
3. Add it, the cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar to the oatmeal mixture.
4. Lightly beat the egg. Mix it into the mixture. Stir until just blended. Drain the raisins and add them.
5. Fry spoonfuls of the mixture in oil until golden on both sides. Serve with slices of banana and honey or agave.

Corn Fritters

This is a savoury sort of pancakes that can be served for a light lunch or dinner. I served it with a tangle of watercress and the yellow of the fritters and the green of the watercress combined to make a nice summery look on the plate.

I’ve also sometimes added a tablespoonful of milled seeds (pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, etc) to the batter, because they’re healthy and add a nice full, nutty undertone.

When I served them, I accidentally called them critters. Let me tell you that critters are not appetising; if they were, I wouldn’t be a vegetarian, I guess. So make sure you get the name right when you serve them or you’ll end up with surprised and disgusted dinner guests.

Ingredients:
½ cup flour (I used whole wheat)
¼ cup cornmeal (polenta)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
1 pinch smoked paprika
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tin corn
oil

Instructions:
1. Mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt, pepper, and paprika.
2. Blend in the milk and eggs, stirring to get rid of any lumps.
3. Mix in the corn.
4. Warm the oil in a frying pan and fry fritters a few at a time. Keep them warm in the oven until serving.

Ricotta and Lemon Whole-Wheat Pancakes

I do love to experiment with pancakes and since ricotta and lemon work so well together, that’s what I put in the recipe this time. It was a refreshing, fairly healthy breakfast.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
½ cup flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour (or spelt flour)
2 tbsp sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
1½ cups milk
¼ cup ricotta
zest from 1 lemon
juice from ½ lemon
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
oil
agave or honey to serve with it

Instructions:
1. Melt the butter.
2. In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
3. Add the yogurt, milk, eggs, and vanilla to the butter. Mix well.
4. Warm oil over medium heat in a frying pan.
5. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, then pour tablespoonfuls into the pan. Brown the pancakes on both sides.
6. Serve with agave or honey.

Sweet, Gluten-Free Crepes, or Swedish Pancakes

It had been a rough day at work and I was not in a good mood. The only thing that would cheer me up would be a tasty dinner that also didn’t require too much effort. Pancakes it was, but not savoury pancakes. No, only sweet pancakes would do.

So I made a batch of gluten-free crepes, basing my recipe on the standard sort of thin pancakes often referred to as Swedish. M went to the store and got fresh strawberries and cream. I whipped the cream with a touch of vanilla and sugar and we topped the pancakes with layers of that delicious Dalfour strawberry jam (which has no added sugar, so it’s much healthier than other jams), fresh strawberries, and whipped cream. It was delightful and soothing and made me think of summer. It certainly helped my day end on a high note.

Ingredients:
1 cup gluten-free flour
half a teaspoon salt
2 ¼ cups milk or cream, or some combination of the two
3 eggs
vanilla to taste
sugar to taste
2 tbsp butter
butter or oil to fry in
jam, cream, and/or fruit to serve with it

Instructions:
1. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add half the milk/cream and blend/whip until smooth. Add the rest of the milk/cream. Then whip in the eggs.
2. Add vanilla and sugar to taste.
3. Melt the butter and add it. Blend everything one last time.
4. Then, in the frying pan, melt a bit more butter or warm the oil to fry the pancakes in.
5. Pour in ¼ or so cup batter into the frying pan and spread it out.
6. Then make pancakes as usual, turning when they are firm and brown on the bottom side, etc.
7. Serve with jam, cream, and/or fruit.

Gluten-Free Cornmeal Pancakes

I really do like making pancakes on weekend mornings, even though M isn’t always that keen on a heavy breakfast. Still, it’s important that she put some food in her belly before she goes off to her karate class. So in our attempt to lower our gluten intake, I’ve been remaking many of my old pancake recipes. Here is my newly gluten-free recipe for cornmeal pancakes.

Ingredients:
1 cup polenta/cornmeal
1 cup hot water
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup gluten-free flour
½ tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 egg
1¼ cups milk (you can also use cream or soy milk)
oil or butter for frying
fruit to serve with the pancakes
maple syrup or agave to serve with the pancakes

Instructions:

1. Put the polenta/cornmeal (what you call it depends on where you’re from) in a bowl and add the water. Leave this to sit for 10-15 minutes, until the water is all absorbed.
2. Meanwhile, mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the cornmeal and mix.
4. Beat the egg and add it. Then add the milk.
5. Melt butter or warm oil in a frying pan.
6. Spoon the batter into the pan. It will be thick. You might want to press out any larger lumps. Fry on both sides until golden brown and a bit crispy. This takes just a couple of minutes.
7. Serve with fruit and syrup or agave.

Oatmeal Pancakes

I love to make pancakes on weekend mornings. They’re so hearty and soothing and they’re really easy to vary, too. I like making oatmeal as a fast breakfast (or a comforting dinner), so I decided to turn that dish into pancakes.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
¾ cup oatmeal
1½ cups yogurt (or buttermilk)
¾ cup spelt flour (or plain flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cardamom pods (or ½ tsp ground cardamom)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp sugar
1 egg (or 2 egg whites)
oil
banana to serve with

Instructions:
1. Melt the butter.
2. Mix the oatmeal, yogurt, spelt flour, baking powder, and baking soda together.
3. Crush the cardamom in a mortar and pestle and add it, the cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar to the oatmeal mixture.
4. Lightly beat the egg. Mix it and the melted butter into the mixture. Stir until just blended.
5. Fry spoonfuls of the mixture in oil until golden on both sides. Serve with slices of banana.

Suzette Sauce

This simple orange sauce can be used over crepes, as in crepes suzette, or regular pancakes, or spooned over a dark chocolate cake.

Ingredients:
2 oranges
4 tbsp sugar
a dash of vanilla

Instructions:
1. Grate the peel of the oranges. Juice the fruit and put the juice and the peel in a saucepan.
2. Add the sugar and vanilla and warm over low heat into a syrup. It takes about 5 minutes.

Whole-wheat Yogurt Pancakes

Some nights, the comfort of pancakes is all we really want for dinner. But many pancake recipes are heavy on the butter and use plain flour, whereas I keep trying to think of ways for us to get more fibre and less fat in our diets. So in more and more recipes, I am trying to replace white flour with whole-wheat or spelt or other types. And for moistness, I used low-fat yogurt instead of relying on too much butter or milk.

We ate these with poached eggs, but they’d also be good with sliced banana or other fruit.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
1 cup flour
½ cup whole-wheat flour (or spelt flour)
2 tbsp sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
1½ cups yogurt
¼ cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
oil
agave or honey to serve with it

Instructions:
1. Melt the butter.
2. In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
3. Add the yogurt, milk, eggs, and vanilla to the butter. Mix well.
4. Warm oil over medium heat in a frying pan.
5. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, then pour tablespoonfuls into the pan. Brown the pancakes on both sides.
6. Serve with agave or honey.

Cornmeal Pancakes

One of my favourite memories from childhood is eating my mother’s cornmeal pancakes. She would make these on Sunday morning and serve a thick stack each to me and my father. We’d cover them in maple syrup, and my parents would have bacon too, so we could just feel this heavy meal settling in our tummies and weighing us down. You want to sleep after eating these pancakes, not get up and do something active.

Which is why I decided to make them on a recent Friday night, after M and I had been to the gym. We’d both worked full days and we’d done our exercise, and now we just wanted to relax, have dinner, and hang out a little before bed. I made my pancakes a bit thinner than my mother’s and served fewer of them, and I served them with raspberries and slices of banana, so at least we were getting some fruit too. We covered them with agave, rather than maple syrup, which I find too sweet. M liked them so much that I made them again a few days later, served with raspberries and slices of pear.

Ingredients:
1 cup polenta/cornmeal
1 cup hot water
1 Tbs sugar
1 cup flour (use a bit less to make them thinner or a bit more to make them thicker)
.5 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 egg
.5 cup milk (you can also use cream or soy milk)
oil or butter for frying
fruit to serve with the pancakes
maple syrup or agave to serve with the pancakes

Instructions:

1. Put the polenta/cornmeal (what you call it depends on where you’re from) in a bowl and add the water. Leave this to sit for 10-15 minutes, until the water is all absorbed.
2. Meanwhile, mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the cornmeal and mix.
4. Beat the egg and add it. Then add the milk.
5. Melt butter or warm oil in a frying pan.
6. Spoon the batter into the pan. It will be thick. You might want to press out any larger lumps. Fry on both sides until golden brown and a bit crispy. This takes just a couple of minutes.
7. Serve with fruit and syrup or agave.