Banana Bread Pancakes with Coconut Cream

Happy Pancake Day everyone! I'm not entirely sure how we've already reached March...it's a cliche, I know and something I've already said dozens of times this year, but time really is flying by. There are no complaints here though as there's already so much to look forward to this year and Spring is finally (albeit tentatively) starting to show her lovely face. 

All is good - and we haven't even mentioned the incredibly indulgent looking pancake tower looming in the pictures below… 

We all know how much I love pancakes. I've said before that it's a crime that they are only eaten on this one day of the year by most people. Shouldn't we be able to eat pancakes whenever the fancy takes us? Damn right. And now we can - with this souped up recipe that is full of good fats and fibre there's no reason why we shouldn't!

The basic pancake recipe will make 8-10 and the entire thing will serve 2-4 people, all depending of course, on how greedy you are…

Happy Flippin'.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free, Vegan

Ingredients:

For the Pancakes:
1 cup GF oats
1/2 cup whole almonds or almond meal (ground almonds)
1 ripe banana
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 tbsp coconut oil - for cooking

For the Cream:

1 (400g) can coconut milk - refrigerated over night before hand

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

To Top:

1-2 bananas

1 cup blueberries

maple syrup - and lots of it.

To Make:

• In a food processor or blender, whizz up the the oats to form a finely ground flour. 
• If you are using whole almonds, add these in and grind them down to form a flour too, if you are using already ground almonds, add these in at the next step.
• Once they are ground, add the banana, flax, milk, and vanilla.
• Blend the mixture until all is fully incorporated, the batter should be smooth and thick - just like a traditional pancake mix.
• Set a frying pan over medium heat. 
• Once the pan is hot, drop a tsp of coconut oil into the pan, allow it to melt and coat the bottom. 
• Spoon about 2-3 tbsp of pancake batter into pan and cook until bubbles form on the top, flip and cook on the other side until brown - don't be tempted to flip your pancake before the bubbles form! I did the first time and ended up with a pancakey mess - patience will pay off in the end.
• Continue cooking the pancakes and pile them high to one side until you are out of batter - you may find it easier to place some sheets of greaseproof paper or foil in between each pancake if stacking them to stop them from sticking together.
• Set to one side.
• Take your can of coconut milk and scoop out the top layer of thick cream, leaving behind the water that it has separate from.
• Whisk the cream with a hand held electric whisk until it is thick like whipped double cream and then fold in the vanilla.
• Set aside - Note - the cream can be made before hand and kept in the fridge until you're ready for it.
• Slice up your bananas for topping the pancakes.
• Grab a nice serving plate and begin to assemble! Layer up pancakes alternately with cream, banana slices, blueberries and drizzles of maple syrup until you are all out and are left with a glorious tower of pancake heaven.