Raspberry & Chocolate Crepes

There's absolutely no reason for you to buy pancakes tomorrow. It's so simple to make them at home, they'll taste better and all my recipes are full of good stuff :)

These Raspberry & Chocolate Crepes are so good, you'd never think they were grain, dairy & refined sugar free. They're a treat.. but that's what GLBTK is all about.... Eating well and developing a healthy relationship with food. Once you view food as something that can support your health & goals, you can really change everything.. It's never about restriction or depriving yourself..

Now... back to crepes & ice cream...

For the ice-cream:

• 2 tbsp coconut cream
• 75g frozen raspberries 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Using a stick blender, or food processor, blend ingredients together to give you instant ice-cream.

For the crepes:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• 2 tbsp milled flax seed
• 1 tbsp ground almonds 
• 1 tsp GF baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp cacao nibs

Whisk all the ingredients well until light and fluffy. Set aside for at least five minutes (This gives the batter a chance to thicken up).

Pour a thin layer of batter onto a hot pan (with a little coconut oil). Flip when bubbles start to appear on the surface.

For the chocolate sauce:  

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Melt all the ingredients together over a low heat until you have a rich glossy sauce. (If microwaving, use 10 second bursts, stirring in between to prevent burning). 

Serve the crepes with ice cream & chocolate sauce... 

Banoffi Pancakes

Every Tuesday lately has been Pancake Tuesday on GLBTK, but with Shrove Tuesday coming up this week, I've been making pancakes for everyone and trying out lots of different flavours...

If you're a fan of Banoffi Pie, you will absolutely LOVE these... What's even more exciting is the ice cream... You can actually make homemade ice-cream that tastes incredible, is pretty much instant and leaves out the huge amount of sugar that is contained in most commercial brands of ice cream...

If you have bananas that are almost overripe, this is a perfect way to use them up...Simply slice them and freeze in tin foil until needed.. 

For the ice-cream:

• 1 banana, sliced and frozen 
• 2 tbsp coconut cream
• 2 dried dates, soaked for 2 minutes in boiling water to soften
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Add all ingredients to bowl of food processor and pulse until you have a smooth creamy consistency. 

The frozen bananas will freeze the coconut cream & the addition of the dates will add a caramel flavour to your banoffi ice cream.. 

For the pancakes:

• 3 eggs 
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp milled flax seed
• 1 tbsp ground almonds
• 1 tsp baking powder

Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl.

Whisk well until pale, frothy and well combined. 

Pour the pancakes onto a pan, heated with coconut oil. I made mini pancakes (probably cos I've unbelievable patience for cooking), but you can of course make larger pancakes to reduce the cooking time. 

The pancakes are ready to flip when tiny air bubbles form on the surface.

For the chocolate sauce:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Melt all the ingredients together in a microwave proof bowl. Heat for 10 seconds at a time, stirring well after each 10 seconds. Once melted (should take about 30 seconds in total), mix well until you have a rich, glossy chocolate sauce. 

Serve the pancakes with ice-cream and chocolate sauce immediately. Honestly, these are unbelievable! I've made them for a few different people, and they've all come really close to licking the bowl...

Cheese & Ham Pancakes....

Something a little bit different to the normal GLBTK sweet pancakes that I've been sharing over the past few Pancake Tuesdays... Some people prefer savoury pancakes, and if I'm honest, I wouldn't have included myself in that category until I made these..  but these are awesome!!

If you'd prefer to rustle up some savoury pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, why not give these a try..

I'm a big fan of cheese and frankly a dish that combines cheese, meat and pancakes is a winner for me!

For the pancakes

• 3 eggs 
• 3 tbsp buttermilk
• 2 tbsp ground almonds
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• salt & pepper 
• coconut oil

Whisk all the ingredients together until well combined and frothy.

Melt coconut oil in a pan over moderate heat. Pour large spoonfuls of pancake batter on the hot pan.

Flip when bubbles begin to appear on the surface of the pancake.

To serve:

• 35g Gruyère, grated
• 3 slices of cooked ham, chopped 

Fill each pancake with a generous amount of cheese and ham. You could replace Gruyère with cheddar or mozzarella ... any melting cheese will be fantastic.

Chocolate Cheesecake Pancakes....

It seems like every Tuesday has turned into Pancake Tuesday in my house! I'm not a fan of the word "obsession", but I have an obsession with pancakes lately. Every time I go into the supermarket, there they are... smelling amazing and trying to tempt me. They even have mini pancakes to sample... so it's not even a big one... a small one can't hurt right??.... Realistically, probably not... but I'm super stubborn & grains really make me feel horrible so I'd prefer to make them at home.. 

When I make food like this, it's a meal not a snack... so I think about it in such a way when I'm deciding on ingredients.... the key things it needs.... lots of protein & fats and it has to taste YUM! The empty calories you'll take in from eating junk food don't serve to help your nutrition and health goals.... when I eat, I make sure the calories come from quality foods. 

For the pancakes:

• 2 eggs
• 50g full fat cottage cheese
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp almond flour
• 1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Using a hand blender, mix all the ingredients together until frothy & well combined. 

Melt a little coconut oil on a pan and allow the pan to heat up.

Pour large spoonfuls of batter onto the pan. 

Once tiny bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes, they are ready to turn. 

These pancakes are really tasty. They're light and chocolatey all at the same time... and the protein 'fluff' ice cream makes them extra tasty! 

Just in case you thought I'd completely succumbed to temptation... I didn't buy caramel sauce in the supermarket! I added 2 tsp of Keen Almond butter to 1 tsp of coconut milk & brought to a boil in a saucepan.... lower heat, stir constantly and watch it thicken into a really tasty sauce! :)