Protein Pancakes Made From Sweet Potato

I love these pancakes. They were not dry like many other protein pancake recipes and were actually very moist. Since they are made from sweet potato they are extra healthy for those who are fitness inclined.

Since I always have a load of cooked sweet potatoes at any one time in my fridge I decided to try them out in a pancake recipe. Of course we always want to get in some extra protein so I did this by making a vanilla frosting which can be added on the top of the pancake stack. I did this by using one scoop of protein powder and slowly dripping cold water on top so that a tasty frosting slowly formed.

I added a little extra cinnamon on top and they were ready to do.

Like all pancake recipes they are suitable for cooks of all experience levels as they are extremely easy to make. Total time to make them is about 20 minutes consisting of 10 minutes for preparation and 10 minutes to cook. It’s a quick breakfast and so it’s incredibly convenient for those early morning starts.

The nutrition facts are friendly for the fitness inclined coming in at 380 calories for both the pancakes and frosting, fat 5g, carbohydrates 41g, protein 41g and a decent 6g of fiber. This recipe makes approximately 4 pancakes.

What You Need

75g of skinless cook and mashed sweet potato

1/4 cup oat flour (you can make this by putting some oats in a blender or food processor)
1/3 cup liquid egg whites
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon of milk although I like to use almond milk
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teapsoon maple extract

For the frosting I used vanilla flavoured protein powder from Myprotein with a few drops of water and then mix them until frosting forms. You can use this website to get a discount code so that you can save money when buying from Myprotein.

I also like to purchase things like liquid egg whites from Musclefood, they also have a great selection of meats for the fitness minded individual. Again you can save a lot of money by using Musclefood discount codes from here.

Instructions

1) Use a large pan and place it on top of a medium heat. Mash up the sweet potato in a bowl and then add the rest of the pancake ingredients and mix them together.

2.) Use a non stick cooking spray and spray the pan. I would also recommend you use some coconut oil as this is going to add a nice crust to the pancakes.

3) When the pan is hot add the pancake batter to the pan. The amount of batter you add is dependent on what size you would like the pancakes to be. Cook each side for a few minutes and then flip it over to cook the other side. We should have enough batter to make about 4 smallish sized pancakes.

4.) Serve the pancake stack hot with your vanilla frosting spread on top with some optional cinnamon and maple syrup if you like that kind of thing.

 

 

Presto Pasta Nights

I've had had a brilliant week hosting Presto Pasta Nights. I've discovered some lovely new pasta recipes and also some fantastic blogs! 

First up is Shaheen at Allotment 2 Kitchen with a delicious looking Spinach and Feta Pastitsio, an Italian twist on a Greek dish.   

Tigerfish at Escape to Food sent a lovely dish of Leeks and Sugarsnap Peas Stirfry over Noodles. Tigerfish made this tasty dish using seasonal ingredients from her local farmers market.  

Next up is Deb from Kahakai Kitchen with Rotini with Goat Cheese Pesto. A really inventive and yummy looking pasta dish- as Deb says, a plate of cheesy green pasta goodness. 

Ruth at Once Upon a Feast- just slipped in with Springtime Pasta with Roasted Grape Tomatoes, Asparagus & Fiddleheads- another lovely seasonal dish! 

Last but not least (I hope!) is my own Roasted Vegetable Lasagne. 

Thanks to Ruth from Once Upon A Feast for giving me the opportunity to host.

Random (Breakfast) Recipes- Crunchy Granola

For May's Random Recipes, I selected Darina Allen's Easy Entertaining. Strangely- and contrary to Dom's theory- I've actually made the first recipe in this book loads of times. With a few adjustments, it's become my all-time favourite granola. 


There's something about the word granola which just sounds virtuous. I think it is- ok, so there's a bit of honey involved, but it's natural unrefined stuff. In my book, at least, this counts as wholesome. You can definitely feel pretty pleased with yourself when you start the day with a bowlful of oats, nuts and dried fruit. If you top it off with fresh fruit and a glug of milk, soya milk or yoghurt- well, you'd be justified in being almost unbearably smug.


Makes 20 servings 
350g honey
225ml sunflower or light oil
960g rolled oats
150g raisins
150g hazelnuts, halved
25g pumpkin seeds
50g dried apricots, chopped into small pieces
50g dried dates, stoned and chopped into small pieces
75g wheat germ


Preheat the oven to 180ºC.


Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast for about 8-10 minutes, until just golden. On a separate tray, toast the pumpkin seeds for a couple of minutes. 


In a large saucepan, heat the honey and oil until just melted. Add the oats and mix really well, so that every oat is coated. Spread out thinly on a couple of baking trays. 


Pop in the oven for about 30 minutes, taking out to stir every 8-10 minutes. Cool on the trays.

In the meantime, mix the wheat germ, dried fruit and nuts. Add the cooled oats and mix well. 

Any combination of dried fruit and nuts could be used here- this is actually an adapted version of the original recipe.

Perfect Potato Wedges

You might think there's not too much to be said about potato wedges- just pop some potatoes in the oven and job done. Well, perhaps it's because I'm not a natural chip lover (I know, I know). Or maybe I just like making a mountain out of a molehill. Either way, it took me a while to perfect potato wedges- but it was definitely worth it...


Serves 2-3


2 large maris piper potatoes, unpeeled (approximately 300-400g, depending on appetite)- you can of course use other varieties, but I do find that maris pipers give the best results
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp plain flour
few grinds each of black pepper and rock salt
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (or any other herbs/ spices you fancy- 1 tsp paprika is also good)


Preheat the oven to 210ºC


This is incredibly low effort. Mix together the flour, oil, seasoning and herbs. Cut the potatoes into wedges and stir through the oil mix to coat evenly. Tip into a large roasting tin. Cook for 35-45 minutes, tossing regularly. 

We like these with lemon and honey chicken, burgers and steak. Though not all at once of course.