Mocca-Cacao-Pancakes with a Carob-Vanilla Cream - Eat Better Not Less by Nadia Damaso
You can’t say no to pancakes!
If it was up to me, pancakes would officially be on the menu of every Sunday breakfast or brunch meet-up! There is something lik sitting at the table with family and friends and having a selection of all different kinds of pancakes and uncountable toppings on the table. All just natural, fresh and homemade ingredients of course; and just like this recipe, free of refined sugar, white flour and butter. Using only quinoa and amaranth flour makes these pancakes gluten free as well. You can never go wrong with these pancakes,they will quickly put a smile on the face of whomever you make them for and besides that, they’re perfect to share!
SERVES 2 (MAKES 8–10 PANCAKES) / GF, * D F, *VGN, RSFM
PANCAKES
70 g quinoa flakes or flour
2 tbsp amaranth flour
2 tsp baking powder, gluten free
1 pinch of salt
2 tsp instant coffee powder
1–1.5 tbsp raw cacao powder
1 banana, ripe
2 tsp coconut oil
1 tbsp sweetener of choice, e.g. honey …
2 egg whites 250 ml milk of choice, e.g. soy/almond/ rice milk …
some coconut oil
CAROB - CREAM
250 g Greek yogurt, low fat or *soy yogurt
1 tbsp sweetener of choice, e.g. honey …
1 tbsp carob powder
1 vanilla bean, seeds
TOPPINGS
1 tbsp puffed quinoa
1 tbsp cacao nibs
2 fresh figs, in slices fresh berries of choice
1 For the pancakes, add quinoa flakes or flour into a bowl up to and including the raw cacao powder and stir until well combined. Peel the banana, add into another bowl, mash up with a fork and add remaining ingredients including the milk. Stir until well combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to a thickish mixture that easily falls off the spoon. If that’s not the case, add another splash of milk, stir again. Let stand for at least 10 minutes.
2 For the carob-cream, add all the ingredients into a bowl, stir until well combined and cool in the fridge.
3 In a large frying pan, heat up some coconut oil on medium heat. Add about 1 tbsp for each pancake (10–12 cm Ø) into the pan and fry golden brown for 1–2 minutes until bubbles form. Flip and fry on the other side until golden brown, add onto a plate.
4 Either serve the pancakes separately with the carob cream and toppings or make a pancake stack by spreading a spoon of carob cream onto every pancake and layer up. Garnish with puffed quinoa, cacao nibs and fresh fruit.
VARI A T I O N S If you can’t find quinoa flakes or flour, replace either with amaranth flour only or with millet flour, ground oats or whole meal spelt flour (not gluten free). You will find carob powder at every health food store.
Photography by Nadia Damaso. This book can be ordered at all good bookshops or online at hardiegrant.co.uk, Amazon, or Waterstones.











