It's gonna be a flipping good day

28th February 2017

Like pancakes life doesn't have to look perfect to taste good!

Ooo it's Pancake day, I might have them for breakfast, or I might have them for lunch, actually I could have both!  But what to top it with?  Also this week's recipe card is American pancakes, do I need to try these, I'm not going to lie, I've ordered a pack of ready made ones to come in my food delivery lunchtime to save me the hassle of burning them to the pan!  We always had lemon and sugar as kids, but I like the idea of lemon and agave syrup, then there's scotch pancakes, I love those!

I do like the idea of a savoury pancake though, bit of ham and cheese in the middle, you could warm them through on the George Foreman like a quesadillo, mmm maybe I will.

Here's a couple of recipes if you're struggling for ideas;

Leek, mushroom and cheese pancakes

9sp per pancake

Pancakes are versatile and tasty - they work well for lunch or a light meal.

100g Plain White Flour

1pinch Salt

1medium, raw Egg, whole, raw

300ml Skimmed Milk

1spray Calorie controlled cooking spray, Filling:

1medium Leek

100g Mushrooms, sliced

1cube(s)Vegetable stock cube(s)

20g Butter

40g Plain White Flour

300mlSkimmed Milk

50g Half Fat Cheddar Cheese, grated

1 teaspoons Chives, Fresh

·         To make the pancakes, put the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt, egg and milk. Beat together with a whisk to make a smooth batter. Heat a large heavy-based frying pan and spray with low-fat cooking spray. Add one quarter of the batter and swirl it around the pan. Cook until the surface has set, then flip over to cook the other side. Make 4 large pancakes in this way. Keep in a warm place.

·         To make the filling, simmer the leek and mushrooms in the vegetable stock for 5 minutes, then drain well, reserving the stock. Put the milk, butter, flour and reserved stock into a non-stick saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly with a small whisk until smooth and thickened. Add the cheese and stir until smooth. Add the leek, mushrooms and herbs and heat gently for a few moments. Use to fill the pancakes, then serve.

·         Cook’s tip: If you want to prepare ahead, arrange the filled pancakes in a large baking dish misted with low fat cooking spray. Cover with foil and refrigerate. Re-heat at Gas Mark 4, 180°C, fan oven 160°C for 25-30 minutes, until thoroughly heated.

Pancakes with blueberries and maple syrup

9sp per pancake

 

Fresh hot pancakes are a treat. Try a little maple syrup and some fresh blueberries for a healthy and delicious option.

125g White Self Raising Flour

¹⁄₂ teaspoons, level Ground Cinnamon

2 teaspoons Granulated sugar

1medium, raw Egg, whole, raw, separated

1pinch Salt

150ml skimmed milk

10 spray(s) Calorie controlled cooking spray

4 tablespoons, level Golden Syrup, Maple Syrup

150g Blueberries

1 teaspoons, level Icing Sugar, for dusting

·         Mix together in a large bowl the flour, cinnamon and sugar. Make a well in the centre of the bowl.

·         Add the egg yolk and milk, and using a whisk, mix all together to a smooth batter. Wash the whisk (or use another) and beat the egg white in another bowl with a pinch of salt until forming white floppy peaks.

·         Using a large metal spoon, fold the egg whites into the flour mixture.

·         Heat a large non-stick frying pan until you can feel a good heat rising. Spray quickly and evenly with the low fat cooking spray.

·         Immediately spoon in half the batter as 4 small pancakes. When bubbles appear on the top of the foam, flip over using a flat palette knife and cook 1-2 minutes. Remove to a warmed plate. Make 4 more pancakes with the remaining mixture. Serve 2 pancakes per head with a spoon of maple syrup per serving and the blueberries on top.

Notes

If you prefer, you could serve them dusted with a light sprinkling of sweetener.

Tomorrow is the 1st March, you know what that means don't ya!  Apart from the obvious which is my Dry for Dementia is over, it's also the first day of spring, how fab is that, I have crocus and daffodils in my garden flowering and the nights are getting lighter, I love it, my favourite time of year is in the air, roll on sunshine nights.

Until then I'll make the most of the little bits of sunshine we might get, it's forecast rain most of the week! Hey ho, we've got my tea party to look forward to on Saturday.

Here's to a healthy-ish day today, I don't normally bother with pancakes but I really fancy them this year so I'm not going to stress too much about the Smart Points.