xo amys

Healthy pancakes countryside style

Pancakes are the ultimate experimental breakfast, that most often turn out great no matter what your ingredients are! With a lot of time on our hands at the countryside, our slow winter mornings often began with great comforting breakfasts, such as these pancakes. The day before, I had made some thick broccoli soup and saved a cup of it for next mornings pancakes. The chia seeds add a lovely crunch to the batter and the broccoli adds a sweet mild taste which I really love! We enjoyed the pancakes with a dollop of greek yogurt and a selection of fresh berries. After our morning walk, we dressed up really warmly and enjoyed breakfast by the frozen lake with its endless views.

Pancake Batter ingredients

• 1 cup broccoli puree (see recipe below)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 – 1 cup oat milk

Garnish: berries, chia seeds, greek yogurt

Begin by mixing all the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, salt, chia seeds). Beat in the egg, olive oil and  broccoli puree and a little by little add in some oat milk until the consistency is a gooey consistency that is not too runny. Leave to rest to the side for about 30 minutes.

Heat a non stick pan on medium-heat and place about 1 large tablespoon of batter onto the pan ( I did 3 at one time). As the surface begins to bubble, flip them over and cook the same amount of time. Stack on top of each other and serve with lots of favourite berries and a dollop of greek yogurt and a sprinkle of chia seeds.

Broccoli puree

• 1 shallot
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 small broccoli
• 1 cup cream
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1/2 cup water
• pinch of salt/ ground black pepper

This broccoli puree makes a great easy soup for the rest of the day and with 1 cup saved, it makes a lovely base for the healthy pancakes.

Place a large sauce pan on medium heat and add a dollop of butter. Sauté the chopped onion, broccoli and garlic. Stir until they get a lovely colour and then add a bit of water and the chick stock cube. Let it simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Add in the cream, salt/pepper and let it simmer gently for another 10 minutes. Puree into a velvety consistency. If the texture looks too liquid, allow it to cook without the lid for another 10 minutes.