These pancakes are so good!! Please don’t just think of them as a ‘gluten free’ pancake recipe…..yes, they are gluten free…..but, in my opinion, they’re way more delicious than regular wheat based American style pancakes and will have all the family asking for more! They are rich and creamy in texture, bursting with flavour and because they are packed full of nuts and eggs are nutritionally dense. Served with goji berries, fresh berries and yogurt they are the perfect immune boosting breakfast. How good is that, to have pancakes that can help fight off a cold?!! The combination of good fat and protein will also help to keep you fuller longer so will help ward of those mid morning munchies!!

This recipe was developed as a breakfast dish for the immune system module of the Diploma in Culinary Medicine that I’m currently studying. I’ve included the ingredients write up at the end of the recipe if you’re interested in knowing about the nutritional benefits of each ingredient. Don’t forget to serve with the goji berries and live yogurt if you want the reap all the benefits of this recipe!

Makes about 12

125g ground almonds

75g cashew nuts

4 large eggs

2tbsp runny honey

a generous pinch of salt

1/4tsp ground cinnamon

1/4tsp baking powder (gluten free)

coconut oil or olive oil for cooking

live probiotic natural Greek yogurt, goji berries and fresh berries to serve

Place the almonds, cashew nuts, eggs, honey, salt, cinnamon and baking powder in a food processor. Blend until well combined into a smooth and creamy mixture.

Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and drop tablespoons full of mixture into the pan. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until beginning to turn golden brown and small bubbles start to appear on the surface.

Carefully turn over and cook the other side for a further 2 minutes. Keep the cooked pancakes warm whilst cooking the remainder, adding a little more oil to the pan as necessary.

For a great immune boosting breakfast, serve 2-3 pancakes with a large spoonful of live Greek yogurt, a scattering of goji berries and a selection of fresh berries. Serve immediately.

These pancakes freeze really well. Cool and layer between sheets of greaseproof paper and store in an airtight container. To use, warm gently from frozen in a warm oven or very carefully in a toaster! Perfect for that instant feel good breakfast!!

Obviously you can serve these pancakes with any of your favourite toppings. Here’s a few more of my favourites;

-Grilled bacon and maple syrup

-Poached vanilla plums and yogurt

-Thinly sliced fresh pineapple and coconut yogurt

-a thin spread of almond butter, sliced banana and a sprinkling of ground cinnamon

Health Benefits

Almonds & Cashew Nuts

Nuts are a good source of zinc, which can enhance the immune response. By increasing foods rich in zinc the body can improve resistance to infections and speed up the time it takes to recover from them. White blood cells use zinc to code the genes in the immune system to regulate internal processes and control the way white blood cells respond to pathogens. Zinc is also known to have antimicrobial properties.

Eggs

Eggs are also a good source of zinc to support the immune system. They’re perfect for breakfast as they’re packed with protein, which combined with the fat helps to keep you fuller longer.         

Live Probiotic Yogurt

It’s important to choose a probiotic yogurt to accompany the pancakes as the live bacteria present in the yogurt supports the good bacteria present in the gut, which in turn helps regulate the immune response.

Goji Berries

The goji berry is a relatively new food on the shelves but is now quite readily available. It’s a slightly sweet but sharp chewy berry that contains a large sugar molecule called a polysaccharide. These help to increase the production of white blood cells. The more white blood cells we can produce the better equipped we are to deal with infection effectively.  To do this, the polysaccharides stimulate the Peyer’s Patch in the gut, which in turn triggers a reaction from the body’s immune system. Our body will do this naturally when alerted to infection but the polysaccharides will help step up this production to help fight infection faster.          

Fruit  

Its good to include fruit in the diet but if you’re fighting an infection you want to chose one that is high in Vitamin C. Citrus fruits and kiwi fruit are good sources as are strawberries when is season. Sadly blueberries don’t contain such high amounts but they’re great with the pancakes so mix it up a bit to get a good balance of this infection-fighting Vitamin. Vitamin C stimulates the production and activity of white blood cells but even more impressively regulates an immune response called an ‘oxidative burst’ where leukocytes release a cloud of reactive oxygen when faced with pathogens.