These pancakes are definitely a favourite in our house and I've been making these since my oldest son, now 9, was little and I have adapted them over the years adding the spinach and cardamon.
I really recommend you give them a go, they are so good and look really beautiful.
Super simple to make as you mix all the ingredients in a mixer or food processor and then pour straight into a hot pan, saves both on washing up and time so it is a win win!
I really love making these pancakes on the weekend but as they are really quick you can definitely make these any day of the week and make them as luxurious or simple as you like depending on what you choose to serve them with.
I love serving them with berries or citrus fruits, maple syrup and greek-style yoghurt which I mix with a bit of cardamon, trust me it gives the yoghurt such a lovely flavour.
The pancakes have a nice subtle sweetness from the banana and I don't find that you actually need to add any sweeteners when serving, although I do like to add a little bit of maple syrup or honey. The pancakes can also be eaten on their own as a snack. You can definitely keep any leftovers in the fridge for a day or two but they never last that long in our house! I definitely recommend giving these a go!
The pancakes have a few simple ingredients and it is a flexible recipe in the sense that you can easily swap the almond flour and the spelt flour for different flours you have at home, I have made these many times with different types of flour and so far it has always worked.
I add cardamon to my pancake batter, preferably use whole cardamons seeds which you crush with a pestle and mortar (I find that brings out the flavour), but ground cardamon is great too!
Cardamon is an aromatic spice which originated in India but can now be found worldwide.
Several studies have shown that cardamon may have several health benefits, including potentially having anti-inflammatory as well as antibacterial properties and be beneficial for oral health. These are only a few of the potential health benefits of cardamon and even more of a reason to include it more in cooking and baking.
I hope you all enjoy a lovely weekend. It is Bank Holiday Friday here in the UK so definitely a good reason to take the time to make these.
Banana, spinach and cardamon pancakes
Ingredients:
Makes around 12 pancakes
2 large ripe bananas (use 3 if they are smaller)
150 ml milk (I often use almond milk but any milk is fine)
30 g spinach (about 2 small handfuls, you can leave this out or half the amount but the pancakes don't really taste of spinach and just adds to the nutrient content and gives a lovely colour)
3 large free range eggs
90 g ground almonds (you can substitute with any other flour if you want the pancakes nut free- however if you tolerate nuts I would highly recommend using ground almonds as it really adds to the flavour)
80 g spelt flour (can be substituted with any other flour, I personally love buckwheat flour but it can be a little hard to find at the moment)
1 heaped tsp baking powder
1.5-2 tsp cardamon depending on how strong flavour you want (preferably seeds crushed in pestle and mortar but ground is perfectly fine too)
pinch of salt
Coconut oil or butter for frying
Method:
I often make the batter in a couple of stages but if you are in a hurry it works perfectly fine to mix all the ingredients in one go. Below is how I usually make them.
1. Blend the bananas, milk and spinach until fairly smooth.
2. Add the eggs one by one and then add all the dry ingredients.
3. As with most pancake batters it benefits from being left for a few minutes before frying but you can cook them straight away if needed.
4. Heat a pan to medium heat (these pancakes burn easily if you are not careful, so be mindful of this) and add butter or coconut oil for frying.
5. Pour the pancake mixture into the pan. I usually make 3 at a time (I find that is what best fits a fairly standard-sized frying pan). Fry until the mixture has started to set a little so that you can flip them (do keep checking so they don't burn though. I sometimes have to flip them when they haven't set so they don't go too dark). Fry until they are cooked through, roughly 2 minutes on each side.
6. Serve with all the things you love. I like serving with cardamon yoghurt (see recipe below), berries and some sliced fruits (citrus fruits such as orange or grapefruit work great together with these pancakes) and a little honey or maple syrup and even a little bit of granola on top for some extra crunch.
Cardamon greek yoghurt
Ingredients
1/2 tsp cardamon (preferably cardamon seeds crushed in pestle and mortar but ground is great too)
2.5 dl greek style yoghurt (or any yoghurt you like)
Method
Stir together (whisking lightly is even better) and serve. You can also add a little vanilla or honey for added flavour and sweetness.
References:
Hemanth, K, K, P. Rachitha, G.V. Jayashree, K. Krupashree, M. Sukhith, Abdul Majid, Narayanappa, A., Khanum, F. (2017) Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects of Cardamom (Elettaria repens (Sonn.) Baill) and its phytochemical analysis by 4D GCXGC TOF-MS, Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Volume 91, 2017, Pages 191-201, available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0753332216329535?via%3Dihub
Keerthirathne, T.P.; Ross, K.; Fallowfield, H.; Whiley, H. A Review of Temperature, pH, and Other Factors that Influence the Survival ofSalmonellain Mayonnaise and Other Raw Egg Products.Pathogens 2016,5, 63. available at https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/5/4/63/htm
Sharma R. (2012). Cardamom comfort.Dental research journal,9(2), 237. https://doi.org/10.4103/1735-3327.95243 available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3353705/
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