Protein Punch Pancakes

I like to enjoy pancakes all year round, but with Shrove Tuesday coming up it seemed appropriate to share my favourite recipe.

I always feel like a little treat for breakfast when it comes to the weekend. Aside from a cheeky lie in, a super tasty breakfast is what I look forward to with a little more time to make something special.

I have been slowly weaning myself off the usual bowl of porridge favouring a savoury protein hit in the morning. This makes the sweetness of pancakes just like having dessert for breakfast!. They are still full of goodness and (virtually) guilt free.
Like most pancakes, the mixture doesn't pack too much flavour making them super versatile. Top them with whatever you fancy/ need to use up in the fridge!

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/3 cup oats
2 tbsps Greek yogurt or quark
dash of almond milk
1/2 banana (use the other half to top!)

Topping ideas:
Berry compote- blend together a handful of berries! (add a drop of honey or maple syrup for a sweet tooth)
Sliced banana, nut butter and dark chocolate
Apple sauce and cinnamon (add raisins to the mix to complete this combo)
Greek yogurt and berries

• Combine all the batter ingredients in a blender until smooth
• Pour dollops of mixture onto a preheated non-stick frying pan
• When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip the pancakes using a spatula
• After another minute (or when of desired colour) pop on a plate
• Continue to do this until you have used all the batter
• Stack up the pancakes, pile on your craved toppings and enjoy!

Not so Naughty Pecan Pie

When I saw "Christmas pecans" heavily reduced in Tesco, my thrifty self couldn't resist. Each year my Granny gets a huge package of pecans sent from cousins in America and makes the scrummiest pecan pie.
With new years resolutions, I decided to mix up the recipe and create a lighter, healthier, "January approved" edition. Free from refined sugar, gluten, grains and potentially dairy, this is the perfect treat that is no where near as naughty as it tastes.

Adapting Hemsley and Hemsley's mince pie pastry and using a filling of natural store cupboard ingredients you can have guilt free indulgence!

Ingredients:

Almond crust: 

• 1 cup ground almonds
• 1/4 tsp of sea salt 
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3/4 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp butter, room temperature (sub for coconut oil for vegan option)
• 1 egg

Pecan filling:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp ground almonds
• 2 cups pecans
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 180oC and grease a 24cm tart tin 
• Put all the pastry ingredients in a food processor, mix until well combined and a doughy texture.
• Wrap the ball of dough in cling film and place in the fridge while you make the filling.
• Put all the filling ingredients apart from the pecans in a bowl and whisk to combine.
• Break the pecans into pieces, add to the mixture (I left half a cup for decoration) and stir.
• Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper until a few millimetres thick, or large enough for the tin with a bit of overhang.
• Blind bake the case for about 15 minutes using baking paper and baking beans (or rice)
• Take off the baking paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes
• Pour in the filling (and decorate with reserved pecans)
• Bake for a further 25-30 minutes until firm. 

*** Best served warm with banana ice cream or greek yogurt ***