2 Ingredient Healthy Banana Pancakes (Low Carb, Gluten-Free and Dairy Free!)

Happy Pancake Day!

 Forget about drowning your crepes in an ocean of maple syrup and overly fried bacon...
 how about we rustle up a stack of pancakes that look the part, taste like the real thing and are 100% clean too?

The eggs are a great source of protein and healthy fats, the banana provides you with a burst of energy and potassium whilst the apple gives you a good dose of fiber!

Behold, my 2 ingredient banana pancakes with hot apple cinnamon slices. Delicious, guilt-free and even easier to make than the traditional kind. No sieving and measuring required. I also filmed a video version of the recipe too (that's embedded below) if you fancy watching it.

 Let's go!



You Will Need: 

 {Pancakes}: 
2 medium free range eggs
1 ripe medium-large sized banana
Blueberries (optional)

{Cinnamon Apple Slices}: 
An apple
Cinnamon
Honey (optional)



1. Crack two eggs into your food processor/blender/mixing bowl.



2. Add in your chopped banana.

(If you're mixing these by hand, make sure to pre-mash the banana before adding it into the egg!)



3. Blend/mix until smooth.

For a more authentic appearance, I would use a food blender/smoothie maker. Pulse it for about a minute or so; this will result in incredibly light and fluffy golden pancakes. You could also mash the ingredients by hand with a fork. Try and get it as smooth as possible as the rougher the texture, the more it'll look like little banana omelettes than pancakes ;)



4. Pre-heat your pan to a low-medium heat. Drizzle in some olive/coconut oil and pour in your pancake mix!



5. Once they're starting to firm up and form little 'bubbles' on the surface, it's flippin' time. Repeat until there isn't any batter left. Stack them and you're done!

Now it's time for the cinnamon apple slices:



1. Slice the apple into a bowl.

2. Sprinkle in your desired amount of cinnamon and mix.

3. Add a little hot water and microwave for 3-4 minutes.

4. Serve them with your pancakes and drizzle in some honey for added sweetness.

5. Marvel, snap a picture for Instagram to show off your culinary skills and enjoy.



It's really that easy to make. It tastes even better knowing that it's incredibly healthy for you too! Let me know if you end up making these!



...and the video version :)

Recipe: Baked Egg in a Tomato Bowl

 

I love vegetables but I'm not a salad person.

I can eat steamed vegetables, hot chunky soups and stir fry all day err day but I'm not one to munch on lettuce and raw peppers. I also love eggs so I'm constantly looking for eggcellent ways to incorporate it into every meal that I eat. I spotted a picture of this dish on Instagram and set to explore this cracking idea further. I'm obsessed so I thought I'd share it with you too! : )

This is incredibly easy to make (so easy that I feel a bit silly writing a recipe on it) and would be great for any time of the day: breakfast, lunch, pre/post workout snack or even as a side to go with your dinner! Enjoy!

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YOU WILL NEED:

A beef tomato (bigger tomatoes works best)

A medium-large free range egg

Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Coriander (optional)

Shall we start?

 

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Using a sharp knife, slice the top of the tomato off. This will act as the 'lid' to your bowl.

 

2. Hollow out the inside of the tomato but leave a thick border as we wouldn't want our egg whites to leak out from any accidental holes! 

(You won't need the tomato bits for this recipe so you can either discard it or store it in a little bowl to munch on later on!)

 

3. It should look like this. Make sure you've gotten rid of the excess water inside too.

 

 

4. Crack the egg inside and ensure that everything is contained inside your tomato bowl and not spilling over the edges. 

5. Place your tomato bowl in the oven for 20-30 minutes depending on how well you'd like your eggs to be cooked. If you're a cheese person, take the egg out after 10 minutes, sprinkle on some parmesan or low fat mozzarella and put it back in for a further 10 minutes.

 

6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I sprinkled on some coriander leaves for added flavour but feel free to top it with some spring onion, basil or even some steamed spinach or mushrooms! Bacon lovers could place a slice or two over the top too.

7. Enjoy!

That's all, yolks!

To pack this dish with even more nutrients, you could place some kale, mushrooms or spinach leaves at the base of the tomato before covering it with the egg. This would also taste great served alongside avocado or smoked salmon - eggs-periment with what you've got! ; )

Ok, I'm done with the egg puns. I'm egghausted!

If you end up making this, let me know how you got on with it - I'd love to know : )

Have a great rest of the day!

Recipe: Kale Chips (Healthy Crispy Seaweed)

It may come as a surprise but growing up, my sisters and I were rarely allowed to eat the takeaway dishes that our parents prepared for the customers.

"We cook and serve it 24/7, we don't want it for dinner too!"

"It's not healthy. Have some steamed pak choi instead."

 On the occasions that we did have the odd dinner, we'd request duck pancakes, kung po chicken and a mountain of crispy seaweed. The thing is, we'd glug galleons of water before we've even cleared our first bowl of food and would wake up with hideously puffy faces from the high sodium levels. That wasn't so pretty.

Fun fact, crispy seaweed isn't actually made from seaweed. It's actually green cabbage that's been throughly deep-fried, overloaded with salt and soaked in oil before it's liberally sprawled all over your plate.

I'll let you on a little secret though...

I've perfected my recipe for a healthy version of the dish. It tastes exactly like it, doesn't have nearly as much trans fat and calories, it's super easy to prepare and it's made out of the king of superfoods: kale. All hail the kale.

Kale is classed as a 'nutritional powerhouse' - a single serving will provide you with your entire day's worth of Vitamin A, C and K (which will reduce the risk of various cancers!) It's a powerful antioxidant, high in fibre and rich in iron so munch away! This will satisfy your cravings for crisps and fries and you will be addicted. You've been warned.

You will need:

Handfuls of kale

A swirl of olive oil

A pinch of sea salt

A sprinkle of chilli flakes/paprika (toppings optional)

That's it!

1) Wash your kale well. Drain the excess water with kitchen towels or a salad spinner and make sure it's as dry as possible. This is especially important as soggy kale will only lead to soggy seaweed. Preheat oven to 200C.

- Most people opt to chop off the stalks of the kale so only the leaves remain. This will give it more of a uniform 'crispy seaweed' taste but it's entirely up to you. I personally like the odd chewy texture of the stems!

2) Spread the kale in a single layer over an oiled baking tray. I've used a reusable baking sheet so there wasn't a need to pre-grease it beforehand. Make sure there's enough space for it to 'breathe' and it isn't too closely packed in together. Again, this is important as this will help give it the crunch that we're after!

3) Drizzle a generous swirl of olive oil and sprinkle your 'seaweed' with a dusting of sea salt. Flaked chunky sea salt works really well and gives it a lovely crystallised effect. However, I've used chilli sea salt this time for an added kick! Toppings wise, it's completely down to your personal preference. Chilli flakes and paprika are great and rosemary will boost its flavour!

4) Time for a kale party. Give them some lovin' and a good ol' shake to ensure that everything is seasoned evenly and well.

5) Shove it in the oven for 8-12 minutes or until it crisps up and resembles crispy seaweed as you know it. Keep a very close eye on it as it can brown (and then taste like coal) in a matter of seconds. Beady eyes here, guv'nor.

6) Here's one that I made earlier (I've always wanted a Blue Peter moment). 

7) Transfer to a pretty bowl (or a bucket in my case) and enjoy!

It's the perfect film snack albeit not a very quiet one ;)

If you give this a go, let me know how you get on with it! 

Recipe: Healthy Carrot Cake Porridge/Oatmeal

 

Now, I like porridge a lot and my obsession with it has gotten slightly out of control - my Instagram feed is living proof of that. I have it every single morning and I'm yet to be bored of it - I am known to eat it for dinner too... ahem. There are endless ways of how you can serve it and the (lumpy) canvas is a playground for flavour experimentation so I put down my fun-sized banana (yes, a normal banana is too big for me to handle, send in your innuendos now) and decided to transform my favourite breakfast dish to one inspired by (healthy) carrot cake. Dessert for breakfast or breakfast for dessert? I don't know but I'm going to roll (oats) with it. Now you can have your cake and eat it too.

If you don't fancy fruit as a topping, this would be a great healthy alternative. Carrots provide you with a lot of vitamin A and it even have anti-ageing properties: the high level of the antioxidant beta-carotene helps to repair and slow down the ageing of cells.  

You will need:

 (serves one)

40g of rolled oats

150ml water and 50ml almond milk

Two grated medium-sized carrots

Cinnamon powder

Nutmeg powder

Ground ginger

Chopped walnuts
Non-fat greek yogurt

 

1. Over a low to medium heat, throw in your rolled oats and 3/4 of your milk and water.

Note: I normally opt to have more water with a small splash of milk for a slight creamy texture and prefer to thicken my porridge up with chopped bananas. It's purely my personal preference - depending on your favoured consistency, feel free to use 200ml - 300ml of milk instead!

  

2. Grate your carrots over the top of your oats and stir it into the mixture.

I made the mistake of only using one to serve two people. For a more authentic taste, reserve two medium-sized carrots for each person.

 

3. Time to go crazy - manically shake sprinkle in your desired amount of cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger powder into the porridge. I'm a cinnamon fiend so I may have practically emptied the bottle in there. Leave it bubbling away on a low heat until it reaches your desired level of thickness. 

The spices help to enhance the flavour and are the secret ingredients in achieving the carrot cake taste. For those who usually find porridge to be bland, don't reach for the brown sugar and opt for these to season your oats with instead! They're mighty good for you, they strengthen your immune system and will naturally sweeten the porridge whilst providing a kick and a boost in flavour too. 

 

4. Serve with chopped walnuts, (optional) extra cinnamon and enjoy!

If you fancy having it more creamier, you can even 'ice' it with a dollop of greek yogurt for that cream cheese taste. Don't undo all your hard work with the real thing, go for the healthier option instead! It'll give you an extra dose of protein too ;) The walnuts are packed with omega-3 acids and reduce the risk of breast cancer too. 

That's all, folks!
(name the reference)

Of course, feel free to chop and change this to however you'd prefer and if you do try it out, let me know how you get on with it!

I'm off to dream up more porridge recipes - have a lovely rest of the day : )