Blueberry and Pistachio Pancakes

Pancakes stack up to be one of the most versatile breakfast foods, sweet or savoury, thick or thin, plain or filled and topped with all sorts of deliciousness.

Since they’re straightforward and speedy to make, they end up as a firm favourite upon my breakfast table on lazy weekend mornings. But the flipside of pancakes is their unhealthy reputation, think refined white flour, white sugar, additives and homogenised milk.

But not all pancakes need to be filled with questionable ingredients. Enter coconut flour, blueberries and pistachios, a combination of ingredients that collide effortlessly; the sweetness and freshness of blueberries complemented beautifully by the crunchy, earthy, nuttiness of the pistachios all resting delicately upon a fluffy, finely balanced base.

Both blueberries and pistachios are nutritional livewires and including them both in your recipes will enhance your health.

Blueberries….

• Are rich in antioxidants: anthocyanidin, carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, selenium, zinc.
• Contain phytonutrients, which decrease harmful free radicals levels in the body, protecting it against aging, degenerative diseases and infections.
• Are good for lowering blood sugar levels because they contain chlorogenic acid.
• Can help prevent bladder infections by preventing bacteria from attaching to the walls of the bladder, according to the National Institutes of Health.
• Catechins found in blueberries have fat-burning properties to assist with abdominal fat loss. According to research at Tufts University, regularly ingesting catechins increases abdominal fat loss by 77 percent and double total weight loss!
• Have a high fibre content.

Remember that berries are heavily sprayed with pesticides so choose organic when possible. Organic frozen blueberries are a very good option as the berries are picked at the peak of their season and quickly packed after they are harvested, preserving their vitamins and mineral content.

Pistachios are one of my favourite tasting nuts and one of the few nuts that contain most of the nutrients that are required by humans for complete health.

Anti- inflammatory pistachios contain nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, dietary fibre, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, vitamin B-6, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folate, vitamin E, vitamin A, and vitamin K.  They’re also protein rich and have been shown to reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol and increase the good HDL cholesterol after only a short period of regular consumption.

A healthy immune system requires adequate intake of vitamin B6, which pistachios abound in. Vitamin B6 found in pistachios also helps the body make healthy red blood cells, and maintain the health of lymphoid glands, ensuring the production of white blood cells that defend the body from infections.

My latest pancake batter is very adaptable and stays fresh in the fridge for at least three days. The blueberries and pistachios can be replaced with strawberries and pecans or walnuts or whatever you have in your nut stash.

If nuts aren’t on the agenda for you, omit them altogether and replace with shredded coconut.

Just remember to have fun with it!  I often serve mine with a respectable dollop of chai spiced coconut whipped cream and I’ve included the recipe for this below.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Pancakes

• 4 eggs
• 1 ½ cup almond milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• stevia to taste
• 1 cup blueberries
• 2/3 cup pistachios, finely chopped
• coconut oil for frying

Chai coconut cream

• 1 can of coconut milk
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• stevia to taste

Pancakes, method

• In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until frothy.
• Add the milk and vanilla until and mix well.
• Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and stevia into the wet mixture and stir until combined.
• Fold in blueberries and pistachios.
• Grease the pan with coconut oil over medium heat. Once the pan is hot ladle ¼ cup of the pancake mixture and cook until golden brown. Flip and cook until golden. Repeat with remaining batter.

Chai coconut cream

• Place the can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight (or even up to 24 hours).
• When you open the can, scoop out the thick layer of cream on top. Take only the cream and leave the coconut water (use in your next smoothie!)
• Place the coconut cream in your blender or hand mixer and whip on high for 1 minute.
• Add in cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract and stevia and whip for another couple of minutes or until you get a whipped cream consistency.

To serve:

• Stack the pancakes on a plate and top with chai coconut cream, fresh berries and a few pistachios. Drizzle some rice malt syrup over the stack.
• Enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

PS: Have you heard about my new four week Heal Your Gut program yet? It starts on Monday 8th August 2016.  Find out more here.