S T A C K   +   D R I Z Z L E .

The joys of this pancake recipe were revealed to me this weekend, and quite by accident.

I’d woken up on Sunday with a hankering for proper American pancakes, and then realised that tragedy had struck and we were out of eggs! I turned straight to my phone to look up ideas for egg-free pancake recipes (nothing *too* virtuous- it was a Sunday, after all!, and came across this promising looking one from Food Hero.

‘Let’s give it a go’ I thought, ‘they might turn out alright!’ and headed downstairs to the kitchen…

And the results, it turned out, were better than just ‘alright’. These are easily some of the tastiest pancakes I’ve ever, EVER had!

The texture is lighter than light, and reminds me of the delicious Scotch pancakes I used to eat toasted and spread with butter as a post-school snack as a child. And even though I used almond milk in place of cow’s milk (hence the ‘accidental vegan-ness’ of this recipe) and they’re without the usual egg or two you’d find in an American pancake recipe, they rise like a dream!

In fact, they feel positively virtuous compared to the pancakes I’d usually treat myself to on a Sunday, when the mood strikes!

But enough of the chat, because I’m sure you’re convinced. Let’s get to the recipe!

Recipe tweaked (minimally) from Food Hero. Serves two. Or one, whatever floats your boat…

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup plain flour
1tbsp baking powder
1tbsp sugar
Pinch salt
1 cup almond milk (though any non-dairy milk would work, I should think)
2tbsp vegetable/melted coconut oil
1tsp vanilla extract
2-3 extra tbsp almond milk to thin the mixture as necessary

- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and then add in the almond milk, oil, and vanilla and whisk again until just combined.

- Add in the extra almond milk a tablespoon at a time until you’ve achieved a smooth dropping consistency.

- Heat a small amount of coconut oil or vegetable oil a large non-stick frying pan set over a medium flame, and then spoon in rounds of the batter a couple of tablespoons at a time.

- Cook for a minute or so, until bubbles form on the top of the pancake and the underside is set, then flip and cook until the second side is golden.

- Serve with syrup, yoghurt, fresh fruit, and/or compote! (To make the compote shown here, simply soften a couple of handfuls of frozen summer berries in a small pan with a splash of syrup to take away the tartness!)

p.s. Quilted bed throw is from Next, blue-edged plates are from John Lewis, and the tray is an old one from Sainsbury’s but an alternative is linked below!

 S U P E R   G R E E N   J U I C E   &   A   S W E E T   T R O P I C A L   S M O O T H I E

Since getting our NutriBullet towards the end of last summer (it was a treasured wedding gift!), I can honestly say I’ve used it almost every day since. In fact, it’s been given a full-time position on our countertop (praise indeed!), because it rarely goes a day without being put into action!

I use it for whizzing up soups, for grinding coffee beans, to whip up sauces and things like hummus and pesto, and, of course, to make smoothies!

My only bug bear up until recently had been that I often fancy the freshness of a juice, over the richness of a smoothie, and that’s one thing I didn’t think I could achieve with the NutriBullet. (This isn’t a paid plug for NutriBullet, by the way. I just love it!)

And yet, of course I could! It occurred to me, like a brainwave one morning, that if I simply whizzed up all the ingredients I wanted in my juice, and then strained it all through a clean cloth, I might just be left with juice!

So, I tried it, and it worked a treat. And now, I’m obsessed! The funny thing is, the baby seems to love juice as much I do, because whenever I drink it the kicks start coming thick and fast!

This flavour combination is my current favourite, though I fancy experimenting with some carrot juice sometime soon too. I love that this juice isn’t too sweet, and that you can really taste the tang of the celery alongside the apple flavour.

It basically just feels like health in a glass, and I can’t get enough.

Recipe for my super green (baby kick inducing!;) juice below!

The quantities are all very changeable and approximate. Basically, these are the proportions I go for, but feel free to tailor it as you fancy. Makes approx. 500ml. juice.

Ingredients ::
2 apples
2 florets of broccoli
1 + 1/2 stalks of celery
2-3 inches of cucumber
Squeeze lemon juice
Coconut water, about an inch or so when poured into your blender

- Chop all the ingredents into smallish chunks, and give them a wash.

- Layer them up in your blender or Nutribullet, with the cucumber closest to the blades (it’s the lightest and most watery ingredient, which helps the blending!), and the apple chunks furthest away.

- Pour in an inch or so of coconut water, then add a spritz of lemon juice. Blend for a few seconds, until a pulpy juice has formed, and then pour into the middle of a clean cloth over a jug.

- Carefully squeeze all of the juice out of the pulp into a jug or glass, and then serve! (I always feed a bit of the leftover pulp to Ted and Elsie, which they adore! It’s pure goodness for them, I’m sure!)

The other drink I love making to have either alongside or as breakfast (well, I used to have a smoothie as breakfast, but now I usually have it alongside porridge or something more hearty), is a tropical smoothie!

This one, made from mango, banana, avocado, and lime would work really well as a frozen smoothie bowl in the summertime, but until the glorious sunshine returns it’s just as nice as a regular smoothie!

It’s sweet and creamy, but because never feels overly rich because I tend to make it either with coconut water, orange juice, or a little Coco coconut milk.

However you make it though, it’s delicious and lovely first thing in the morning now the weather’s beginning to brighten up.

Makes approx. 500ml of smoothie.
Ingredients ::
2 small ripe bananas
1/2 large ripe mango
1/2 small ripe avocado
Coconut water/coconut milk/fruit juice
Lime

- Chop up the banana, mango, and avocado, and put them in your blender. Pour in a couple of inches of coconut water, milk, or juice, add in a spritz of lime juice, and blend!

- This smoothie would work well using frozen banana or frozen mango chunks, but you’ll need to up the liquid quantity if doing so to keep things blendable and achieve a smoothie consistency. Or, keep liquid levels low, and you’ll be left with a semi-frozen smoothie consistency- yum!