add the almond milk and mix well; soak for about 30 minutes.
Add the brown sugar, mashed bananas, egg whites, honey, oil and vanilla to the oats and mix well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture ingredients to the liquid ingredients and mix with a spatula until just incorporated. Fold in the walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin.
Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 24 to 28 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
skinnyscoop
Make a batch of these muffins and freeze what you don’t eat in a freezer-safe ziplock plastic bag. Pop frozen muffins in the microwave for a few seconds and you’ll have a quick breakfast ready for when you’re on the go.
Guiltless Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Makes 10 Pancakes • Serves 5
These fluffy pancakes are lighter than a standard pancake because I’ve replaced most of the fat with apple sauce and egg whites – but no one would know. I make these on the weekends for my daughter Madison – she just loves them. Sometimes for fun, I make a smiley face, using fruit for eyes and chocolate chips as the mouth. She usually gets a big chuckle out of that. Personally, I prefer topping my pancakes with fresh strawberries and honey, because they complement the flavour of the chocolate.
½ cup (65g) wholemeal flour
½ cup (75g) plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup (125g) unsweetened apple sauce†
1 cup (225ml) unsweetened almond milk (or soy or low-fat dairy milk)
3 large egg whites
2 teaspoons rapeseed oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cooking spray or oil mister
¼ cup (45g) chocolate chips
5 large strawberries, sliced
Honey or pure maple syrup, for serving (optional)
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl, combine the apple sauce, almond milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla. Stir the flour mixture into the apple sauce mixture until just moist, being careful not to overmix.
Heat a large nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium-low heat. When hot, lightly spray the pan with oil. Scoop out a ladleful of batter for each pancake, then sprinkle 1 teaspoon of chocolate chips on top. Cook until the pancakes start to bubble and the edges begin to set, 1½ minutes. Flip the pancakes over and cook the second side until golden, 1½ minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.
To serve, put 2 pancakes on each of 5 plates and then top with strawberry slices and honey or maple syrup (if using).
† If you can’t get hold of unsweetened apple sauce, use sweetened as an alternative.
skinnyscoop
Make a double batch of pancakes, and then freeze what you don’t eat. Leftover pancakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or kept frozen for at least 1 month. To freeze, stack cooled pancakes on a freezer-safe dish with a sheet of greaseproof paper between each one. Cover with clingfilm or foil and freeze. Reheat them in the toaster or microwave.
Corny Banana-Blueberry Pancakes
Makes 10 Pancakes • Serves 5
I love cornbread and corn muffins, so I thought, why not add some cornmeal to my pancakes? The result: naturally sweet, fluffy, wholemeal pancakes with a corn muffin–like texture. A single serving – 2 pancakes – provides almost 3 grams of fibre, which can help control your appetite until lunch.
¾ cup (90g) wholemeal flour
½ cup (75g) fine cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 large ripe banana, mashed well
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (255ml) buttermilk
3 large egg whites
2 teaspoons rapeseed oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (185g) blueberries
Cooking spray or oil mister
5 tablespoons pure maple syrup, for serving
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl, combine the mashed banana, buttermilk, egg whites, oil and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just moist, making sure not to overmix. Gently fold in the blueberries.
Heat a large nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium-low heat. When hot, lightly spray with oil.
Scoop out a ladleful of batter for each pancake. Cook until it starts to set and the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancake and cook the second side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Arrange 2 pancakes on each of 5 plates and serve topped with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup.
FOOD FACTS beware of maple syrup substitutes
Be careful what you pour over your pancakes. You might be topping your stack with ‘pancake syrup’, which is a mix of different types of sugar, flavourings and other ingredients. Real maple syrup has just one ingredient: maple syrup. Be sure to check the ingredients list.
skinnyscoop
If you have only medium or coarse cornmeal to hand, you can grind it in a clean spice mill until fine.
Dad’s Jammin’ Crêpes
Makes 12 Crêpes • Serves 6
Crêpes are pretty easy to make once you get the hang of them. My father is originally from the Czech Republic, and crêpes, known there as palacinky, were a staple in our home for breakfast or dessert. I’ve played around with my dad’s recipe, swapping the plain flour for wholemeal and the whole milk with skimmed for nearly identical results that would make Dad proud. This is the perfect breakfast when you have guests you want to impress. I buy a variety of fancy fruit jams, set out different bowls of fruit and fillings, and let everyone compose their own.
CRÊPES
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