Suzee's Protein Packed Pancakes.

One of my all time favourite foods is pancakes. I eat them for breakfast many days. The way I make them is healthy so it's a good start to the day.

My pancakes are a good healthy breakfast because they are full of protein which is one of the essential nutrients and our bodies can't make it from anything else but protein sources.

Protein foods include:

• all types of meat—red, white, seafood or fowl; if it was some sort of living creature it's protein
• eggs—especially the whites. The yolks have a high proportion of fat
• milk & milk products such as cheese, yoghurt etc—milk is a combination of protein & carbohydrates. It also contains the other essential nutrient; fat
• soy beans & soy products such as tofu
• pulses (lentils, peas, beans)— as with soy, these are all incomplete proteins and need to be combined with other incomplete proteins such as grains (rice, wheat,corn etc). Like milk, pulses are a combination of protein & carbohydrates but have a significantly higher proportion of protein than other vegetables.
• spirulina— this algae is nature's richest source of vegetable protein (55-70% protein). It is one of the primary ingredients in In-Liven which is one of the reasons that In-Liven is called a probiotic superfood. Spirulina is a whole food so rich in many nutrients that you're crazy not to include it into your diet if you seek good health.

My pancakes are also high in fibre as I only use 100% wholemeal flour and often add psillium husks as well. Fibre is good for cleaning the intestinal tract. It isn't digested by our bodies and moves through the system, from entry to exit, gently scouring rubbish from within the digestive system. It also helps to bulk the food giving a sense of fullness. It acts to slow down the conversion of starches into blood sugar also which means a more stable equilibrium of blood sugar levels. This is important for weight loss & diabetes management.

Overall it's probably not the pancake that's likely to be 'bad' for you anyway. The most probable culprit is the toppings. I've includes a number of my favourite healthy toppings also.

Recipe.

This makes a French style crepe like pancake not the thick American style ones. The quantity makes about 20 pancakes.

Ingredients:

6 eggs (use only egg whites of 3-4+ 2 whole eggs if you are trying to cut down on fat)

2-3cups low fat milk

1.5 cups whole grain flour (try some different types of flour such as oat or rye but use some fine wheat or spelt flour to help the pancake stick together well)

1 heaped tablespoon plain protein powder (optional but excellent for enriching the overall quality of the food)

other tasty but optional ingredients you can include in the batter is: puffed amaranth (a high protein grain), sesame seeds (or other seed of taste such as ground wattle seed, poppy or sunflower seeds), ground nuts, grated apple, mashed banana.

Method:

I have a large jug I like to mix the batter in because it can be easily poured from but bowls are fine too.

Whisk the eggs until well broken up. Add about 2 cups of milk and mix again. Add the flour, protein powder and any other ingredients you desire. Continue to whisk the mixture until you have a smooth easy to pour batter. Adjust the amount of milk you use according to how thick the mix is. You can use electric beaters to mix, if you like. Let the batter rest for a while before using it.

I find the batter is usually better on the second day than the first. The pancakes hold together better. It's something to do with the breaking down of the starches in the flour. If it's too thick on the second day, I add some more milk. If you've used psyllium, it will have swollen up with the liquid and become very thick.

To minimise the amount of fat in your diet (a good practise even for thin people) use a non-stick frypan or a light spray of oil. Pour or ladle in an amount of batter which will spread to about the size of your plate. When the batter has dried off on top it should be adequately cooked to flip it over to cook the otherside. (Use an eggslide unless you are confident at the showy pan throw method). Pancakes take about 1-2mins to cook the first side & 30 seconds on the flip side in a hot fry pan. If it is getting burned too quickly, turn the temperature down.

Once cooked, put onto your plate for filling. This style of pancake can be presented in a few different ways. Experiment to find a presentation which pleases you and expresses your own styles. Even though it adds nothing to the quality of the food, presentation adds to the appeal and that little extra bit of love is good for the soul. It might also be just what it takes to tempt a fussy eater or ill person with a lost appetite.

Filling Suggestions.

• cream cheese and sultanas or chopped dates— use cottage or low fat cheese, particularly if watching your weight
• sliced strawberries drizzled with a little honey. Other fresh berries in season would also be delicious and contain lots of antioxidants which are good for strengthening the immune system & weight loss
• stewed fruit
• 100% fruit spreads (jam)
• fresh sliced soft fruits like mango, banana, peaches etc with plain or flavoured yoghurt
• all types of yoghurt
• pure maple syrup (not such a healthy option but delicious). Other syrups are also nice such as golden syrup, treacle or honey
• chocolate chips; both white & brown are exquisite melted into the pancake while still in the pan after it's flipped then rolled up. Not good for you but ohhhh so delicious!

Some people might prefer savoury fillings such as:

• a spicy minced meat mixture
• melted cheese
• steamed asparagus with cheese sauce
• chilli beans with sour cream (or plain yoghurt)
• avacado seasoned with lemon, salt & pepper or paprika

Pancakes could also be served as a side dish to soups. It's really so versatile an imaginative cook could come up with all sorts of complimentary flavours packaged into a pancake. Have fun experimenting & enjoy!

Susan Greentree

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