Wheat-Free Banana Pancakes (that actually taste good)

Wheat-Free Banana Pancakes (that actually taste good)

Wednesday 15 April 2015

I'm just back from boot camp. This means that I am a lean, mean, (calorie-counting) fighting machine. I'm hoping that this new me is going to stick around for a while, because she's a little skinnier than the last one, and has a mean right hook.


I spent a few days at Pure Results Bootcamp, which I'll write more about here after the piece has been published. It's Kathryn Thomas's project down in West Cork, where you work out for around 8 hours a day, and get by on 1400 calories (henceforth the "skinniness")

When I got back, I wanted to keep up the lifestyle as much as I could. I took myself out for a jog, did some circuits and went out for a good old jaunt on the bike. That's all well and good, but now that I know what 1400 calories looks like (I did NOT know as much as I thought I did) I need to watch myself in the kitchen.

I'd heard about these pancakes a while ago, and wanted to try them out. Usually, I have a natural inclination to despise vegan/wheat-free versions of much loved dishes. If you're blending avocado and cacao together, call it whatever you want, but NOT a chocolate mousse. That's just an invitation for disappointment (the exception being, of course, my banana gelato)

All you need for these pancakes is one banana and two eggs. That's it! I also used some almond butter for a protein kick, but you could skip it if you wanted to. I saw some recipes which include a little baking powder, but I don't think they need it. Keep it simple, stupid.

They don't have the chewiness of regular, American style pancakes (you'll need delicious gluten for that) but they are pretty damn tasty. I'm no nutritionist, but you're getting a good whack of protein from these, especially with the almond butter, so it's the perfect pre/post workout food.

Ingredients
1 banana
2 eggs
1 level tablespoon almond butter
Makes three medium pancakes



1. Mash up your banana really well. With regular banana pancakes, a few lumps are good, but it doesn't work with this recipe. You want a smooth batter. This is the kind of consistency you're after:

2. Crack in two eggs and mix really well with a whisk.

3. Add your almond butter and mix until it's evenly dispersed.

4. Cook as you would a regular pancake, one ladle at a time. I've gone against everything I believe in and brought cooking spray (yuck) because my current frying pan is a piece of shit and you need half a gallon of oil to prevent sticking. You could also use butter or coconut oil, if you were that way inclined. Use a medium heat, so you don't burn the arse off them.

5. When the top starts to bubble, give it a flip.

6. Think about how good these would be with a load of maple syrup and bacon.

7. Remember that your housemate bought some fancy local honey for her hayfever, and plan on stealing some.

8. Remember that she reads this blog, and will likely not appreciate her fancy hayfever honey being used for such fripperies. Decide to steal it anyway.

9. Remember that she keeps it in the office, swear, and resign yourself to a drizzle of regular, Centra honey.

10. Eat those pancakes.