Blender Banana and Pecan Pancakes (Gluten-free)There is only one pancake night so lets do it in style!!!! Why is there only one pancake night actually? I feel like we need at least a weekly or bi-weekly pancake night. Pancakes are better than that.
So I felt like joining in on the pancake party but with a busy week ahead, I wasn’t going to have much time to play with pancakes. I needed something super quick and tasty. I know that a lot of you are avoiding or taking it easy on gluten and I wanted to give you a brilliant option. I love making food accessible to all and no one will feel like they’re missing out with these pancakes. Impossible!
They’ll make for a great breakfast or dessert any time of year, maybe add some berries or chopped fruit, a little dusting of cocoa…..
What is it about pecans, maple syrup and pancakes?!I’m going to have to write this quickly before I eat all of these! I am actually multi-tasking here, typing with a mouthful of pancake. It is possible after all!! This recipes is hot out of the pan. I always said that the precious time that I get out of the kitchen I would not spend in the kitchen (does that make sense!!) taking 56 pictures of a pile of pancakes. Tonight…..I have. There is surely no better way to spend an evening.
This is easy. Pop all the ingredients in a blender, blitz, fry and enjoy! I love the way some talk about pancakes ‘behaving well’ in the pan!? A well behaved pancake sounds so bland. Make these small and you’ll have no problems at all flipping them and kids absolutely love a mini pancake (mini most things really).
THE GHOSTS OF PANCAKE DAY PAST
Pancakes have come a long way since my family launching them at the ceiling and redecorating the walls with flour and eggs. It always seems a very messy night with loads of fuss for a little, thin thing that normally had the consistency of a supple frisbee. It was always fun though and we laughed at our attempts and devastation. Everyone had a go at flipping and it was always very exciting and quite nerve wracking as an 8 year old. You always remembered your technique from last year, after four failed and mangled attempts!
Do you remember this man? One of my heroes…as an 8 year old. Banana Man!!!!I still love the classic lemon and sugar crepe, but lets face it, we’ve all become a bit more Americanized with our pancake habits. Hotcakes are big, light and fluffy (like some Americans I know) you eat two and feel like you’re about to explode. Quite filling they are. Sets you up for the day or an early return to bed!!! Sleep off breakfast.
This is the later, light and fluffy, but without that heavy feeling. We use gluten-free flour and the delights of banana paired with pecans.
SAUCY IDEAS
There are so many! I had mine with a simple chocolate sauce (melted chocolate with a little coconut oil mixed in) or try warming peanut butter in a pan and stirring in some maple syrup, or tahini in the same way, in fact any nut butter is sensational warmed with some sweetness stirred in. Another option is warming the peanut butter, sweetening it and then stirring in a little coconut cream (the thick stuff in a tin of coconut milk). Wow! That is a sensation.
Something fruity, how about marmalade or cherry jam, warmed in a pan with a dash of whiskey or dark rum stirred in. Why not toss some apples, dates and orange zest in a pan and warm them through. Once the apple has broken down you have a lovely apple compote to use liberally on pancakes and more.
Although, having said all of that and being a purist in the department, just maple syrup is enough for me.
Recipe Note
Not everyone likes the full taste of buckwheat, I do. These pancakes are awesome with just buckwheat flour.
I like these pancakes small, you can eat more of them and they are fresher when you do. In a large frying pan you should be able to fry three at a time. Use a spatula to flip them. If you can flip three pancakes by tossing them in the air…..well done.
If you’ve no pecans, walnuts will be fine. If you have no walnuts…cashews will do.
You can experiment with your favourite mix of gluten-free flour. If you’re using normal flour, I’d mash up the banana, chop up the pecans and stir it all togther. The blender may get the gluten going in the flour and you’ll be left with weird pancakes.
These pancakes are easy flippers, no messing about for you this pancake night.The Bits – 12 mini pancakes (serves 2)
2 ripe bananas
1/2 teas g.f. bicarb of soda
1 handful pecans
4 tbs white gluten-free flour mix
3 tbs brown gluten-free flour mix
150ml soya milk (or plant milk of choice)
1/2 teas vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Dark chocolate
Coconut oil
Do It
Make your sauce first. Place a glass bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Add your chocolate and melt. Stir in a little oil, the sauce will be shiny and super rich. Its best serve warm.
In a blender, add all the pancake ingredients and blitz until all is combined. There will be chunks of nuts left, that is cool. You may need to get a spoon in there and mix things up, making sure all in smooth and batter-like.
Lightly oil a frying pan and warm on medium heat. Add 2-3 tbs of mix per pancake. Fry 2-3 minutes one side, flip and fry for 1-2 minutes on the other. I normally reduce the heat of my pan as I go through the batches of pancakes. It can get carried away. Keep your eye on it.
Keep the pancakes warm in an oven, or wrap them in a clean kitchen cloth until you’re ready to serve.
Serve
Enjoy with your favourite sauce or topping. You know the one……
Get them while they’re hot!Foodie Fact
Pecans are so intensely brilliant in many ways. They are packed with good fats and fatty acids, keeping your heart healthy. They are full of fibre which helps our digestion out, anti-oxidants and they are powerhouses of minerals, helping things like our bones, skin and immune systems. A handful of nuts a day, keeps the grim reaper at bay!
beach house kitchen 
