Now we all love a nice pancake. When I was a kid we smothered them in sugar and orange juice, but you don’t have to be unhealthy tomorrow. Step forward the Blueberry Pancake.
The Blueberry is in fact one of the worlds most protective foods. They neutralise free radicals that could otherwise damage your DNA. The U.S Department of Agriculture’s Centre for Aging at Tufts University studied more than forty fruits and vegetables, measuring the effectiveness of each as an antioxidant. Blueberries ranked the highest of all. Not only do they contain plenty of antioxidants, they also have the added cancer-fighting clout of anthocyanins, which give the blue colour.
These tiny fruits are also packed full of vitamin E – A popular seller in the vitamin aisle. Vitamin E’s part trick is protecting cell membranes. The delicate membranes covering each of your cells are vulnerable to attack by free radicals, leaving you wide open to DNA damage. Vitamin E can stop that chain reaction in its tracks whilst also supporting your immune system, guarding against heart disease, and there is some evidence that it may even protect against gallstones and cataracts.
The natural form of vitamin E is more potent, more available, and lasts longer in the body compared with the synthetic vitamin E supplements. So what are you waiting for? The recipe below teams up buckwheat and blueberries to make a great tasting, health-protecting pancake. Get flipping!
Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes
35g Buckwheat Flour
30g Corn Flour
Half a teaspoon Baking Powder
Quarter of a Teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
Quarter of Teaspoon salt
1 Ripe Banana, mashed
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar
1 Cup Soya Milk
Approx 20g Blueberries
Vegetable Oil
Combine the Buckwheat Flour, corn flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
In a large bowl, combine the mashed banana, maple syrup, vinegar, and milk.
Add the flour mixture to make a pourable batter, stirring to remove any lumps. Stir in the blueberries (add more milk if your batter seems too thick)
Preheat your frying pan with the vegetable oil.
Pour in your required amount of batter and cook until the top bubbles. Flip the pancake over and cook until the other side is brown (about a minute) Serve immediately.
PS – If you’re rubbish at flipping like me you can always place your pan under a hot grill to cook the top.
By Tanya Raybould
