I just can’t believe it is already the latter end of February. Where have the last 2 months gone?
I just blinked and they are already over.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Greek Yoghurt & Caramelised Mango & Blueberries

I started a new job just after Christmas in Dublin and I must be honest, the commute has been taking its toll on me as can be seen with the lack of activity here on the blog – and can also be seen in the terrible meals I have been eating – if you can call them that!
I leave the house at 6.30 each morning. Breakfast has never been a problem for me. I have to have it – simple as that.So I start each day with porridge with a dash of honey and a teaspoon of peanut butter for protein. However, I arrive home at just after 6.30 in the evening and all I want to to is eat something and sit down. And I must confess that mostly this past week I have eaten either cereal or a piece of toast for dinner.
No wonder so that my bloodwork came back with a terribly low iron count!

I have great plans to sit down and work out a weekly meal planner but as of yet that hasn’t happened. Some day it will. In the mean time, at the weekend I have been trying to eat balanced meals that encorporate some more nutrients that I am picking up during the week. I am trying desperately to eat lots of fruit, but recently it has been making me feel a little unwell – I think my whole body is just rebelling against such early starts. But as things aren’t going to change on that front anytime soon, I need to over-ride that.

During the weekly shop I spotted all the pancake ingredients front and centre when you walk into the supermarket and it suddenly dawned on me that Pancake Tuesday (or Shrove Tuesday) is this week. I have been sitting on this recipe for a while as I hadn’t the patience to make it – or so I thought. Turns out it takes 5 minutes to throw the ingredients together in a bowl and whisk them up. The result, when cooked, are super light, American style fluffy pancakes that would be lovely served up any time of the year for an indulgent breakfast, or even a brunch.They are the perfect vessel for getting some fruit into your diet – you could serve them with fresh chopped fruit – plums and pears, or with berries. You could also serve them on Pancake Tuesday with Nutella and chopped bananas and nuts sprinkled.

These pancakes are also vegan. I have used a flax egg and soya milk but you could just as easily use regular milk and normal eggs. Don’t be put off by the veganism of the pancakes – you really wouldn’t notice the difference at all.
Firstly, if you are using a flax egg, mix one teaspoon of ground flax seed with three teaspoons of water and leave aside for 10 minutes. When you come back to check, it will have a thick and gloopy texture.

For the pancakes you will need;
75g Wholewheat Spelt Flour,
40g Buckwheat Flour
150ml Soya Milk (Or regular milk)
100g Pumpkin Puree (I use the Libby’s brand which I find in Fallon & Byrne on Exchequer St, Dublin)
1 tsp Honey
1 flax egg or one normal egg.
1/8th tsp Baking Powder.

In a bowl place your flours and baking powder and stir. In a separate bowl mix your milk, pumpkin puree, honey and egg or egg replacement and whisk until combined.
Create a well in the centre of the flours and pour in your wet mixture. Whisk until combined. The batter will be a lot thicker than a regular crepe batter and this is what makes the end result a thicker fluffier pancake. If you would like a thinner batter add a little more milk a bit at a time until you reach the consistency you want.

To cook, heat a heavy based frying pan to a medium heat. Melt a little butter or add some sunflower oil to coat the pan. Wipe the excess from the base of the pan with some kitchen towel before cooking. Next add your batter. Drop a half a soup ladle of batter to the pan and smooth the top into a circular shape and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Gently flip and allow to cook on the other side for about 1 more minute.

Remove from the pan onto a warm plate and continue to cook until all the batter has been used. You can make the pancakes as large or as small as you like.

Heat blueberries & chopped mango in a frying pan. Sprinkle with sugar and allow to start to caramelise. Don't stir the mix. Just shake the pan.

Serve with chopped fruit, honey or maple syrup for drizzling, some greek yoghurt or even bacon. I served mine with some mango and blueberries which I had caramelised with some sugar.

The end result is a lovely, light and relatively healthy breakfast or brunch. Not only is pumpkin loaded with vitamin A and antioxidant carotenoids, particularly alpha and beta-carotenes, it’s a good source of vitamins C, K, and E, and lots of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and iron. Meaning that you are also getting plenty of nutrients. Which is certainly something I need to do a little more.

I hope you enjoy these pancakes – whether on Pancake Tuesday or at the weekend for brunch.

Enjoy,
Orls