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healthy pancakes

Chai Pancakes with Super Simple Hot Chocolate Sauce

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If December is not the month of hot chocolate, pancakes and romantic Christmas movies in bed, then which month is it? Picture this; you have a huge stack of (healthy & vegan) chai pancakes that are poured with chocolate sauce and topped with some apple or pear. Sounds good? I know! But you know what? You don’t only have to dream about that but you can make it come true!

What’s special about this dish?

First of all, pancakes that are healthy. Kind of special, right? Usually they are packed with fat and refined sugar but not this one! Second, they are vegan! And please, do me a favour; if you think vegan pancakes are boring and cannot be fluffy, try out this recipe. You’ll be proven wrong! Plus, they are easy to make. If you don’t believe me, try it!

And obviously, they are chai-flavoured, because how could they not in December?! PLUS: a healthy-ish and easy chocolate sauce. Ok enough now. All the goodies but nutritious! Christmas dreams coming true!

What is Chai?

Chai actually is a tea that originated in India. To be exact, a black tea with spices, that is drunken with milk in it. It has become super popular in the recent years and nowadays you can find a chai, a chai latte, a dirty chai latte and so on in every coffee house!

In these pancakes we are not actually using the tea, as in tea bags, but we are using the spices that also can be found in the chai tea. These spices are cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. We are using these spices and adding them to our pancakes, to give them this really comforting flavour.

Are these pancakes healthy?

They definitely are way more nutritious than regular pancakes! Why? Regular pancakes are made from butter, sugar, flour and eggs in most cases. Butter, sugar and flour all are not nutrient-dense.

These pancakes are made of apple sauce instead of butter, which has far less fat and calories, chia eggs instead of regular eggs for extra fibre, wholegrain flour instead of white flour for more fibre and nutrients and plant based yoghurt, apple sauce and a little maple syrup instead of white refined sugar. Those still contain sugar but contrary to white refined sugar, they come along other nutrients.

How do we make them fluffy?

Pretty simple. We are using 2 things to make them fluffy; sparkling or soda water and baking powder. The air in the sparkling water gives nice air bubbles in the pancakes and the baking powder makes them rise when cooking!

How do I know when to flip my pancakes?

There is a great trick for that! You need to cook them on medium-high heat all the time. When they start to get bubbles while cooking, it is time to flip them. But also, be aware that the first few never turn out as pretty as the rest, I don’t know why but it’s always like that. 🙂

How to make these pancakes:

This is nothing complicated where you need to get 100 bowls and mixers out. Definitely not. We start by making a chia egg (simply combine chia seeds and plant based milk), then add the apple sauce, maple syrup, plant based yoghurt and soda/ sparkling water. Then you just whisk in the flour mixed with the spices and baking powder and the batter is done!

Noe we just need to fry the pancakes one by one and make the chocolate sauce. For this, combine the coconut milk, maple syrup, cacao powder and plant based milk and bring it to a boil. That’s pretty much it!

When, with what, meal prep?

When – I don’t think that I have to tell you which time of the day you should have pancakes. breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, literally whenever you want, there is no time when you shouldn’t have pancakes!
With what? – I like to add some fresh fruit like pear, apple or banana but go for whatever you want! You could also add some not butter or maple syrup if that’s what you like!
Meal prep friendly? – yes! You can reheat them in the microwave or freeze them and reheat in the pan, microwave or oven! That way you can always make the whole batch and never have to throw something away when making too many!

I hope that this recipe will make you December a whole lot better and that you will enjoy these many many times! Have a lot of fun cooking and a good time eating!

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Chai Pancakes with Super Simple Hot Chocolate Sauce

Christmas on a plate. Pretty much. Healthy and vegan AND good tasting pancakes. Super easy. super quick and heaven with the chocolate sauce on top!

Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 6 pancakes
Calories 138 kcal

What you will need

For the pancakes:

  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 3 tbsp plant based milk
  • 50 g apple sauce (Apfelmus)
  • 50 g yoghurt (plant based for vegan option)
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 100 ml sparkling/ soda water
  • 100 g wholegrain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cardamon
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • some oil/ butter for frying

For the chocolate sauce:

  • 2 tbsp canned coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp cacao powder
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2-3 tbsp plant based milk
  • some fresh fruit for serving

How to

  1. To make the chia egg combine the chia seeds with the plant based milk and let sit for 3-5 minutes until the chia seeds start getting gelly.

  2. In the meantime combine the flour with the spices and baking powder.

  3. Add the apple sauce, plant based yoghurt, sparkling water and maple syrup to the chia egg and give it a good stir until everything is combined!

  4. Whisk in the flour until having reached a smoothed batter. It should have a cake batter like consistency. If too thick, add some more milk or water, if too thin, add some more flour.

  5. Heat up a pan and melt the oil/ butter in it. Once hot, add the pancakes, about 3 tbsp of the batter for each and cook on medium-high for about 4 minutes. Once bubbles start to form on the top of the pancake, it is time to flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side.

  6. In the meantime make the chocolate sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a pan or pot and bringing it to a boil. Whisk everything so it is combined and take off the heat!

  7. Once all pancakes are done, serve them with teh chocolate sauce and fresh fruit! Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Love,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Lemon Chia pancakes

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Who doesn‘t love a good stack of pancakes as a weekend breakfast or literally any day of the week? I do not believe that many do not! But adding a twist to your average pancakes with a hint of lemon and chi just takes them next level and makes them a new obsession.

Actually, I have never enjoyed pancakes too much! I mean I would eat them when I got them, but I would probably not make them for myself. Anyway, I went to the US some time ago and had soem really good fluffy and juice ones for the first time. Ever since that day I have never had the one from the package again and started to make my own ones. Best decision ever.

Especially on the weekend when there is some more time in the morning, pancakes are the perfect breakfast! They are sweet, delicious and such a treat! Still, while being a treat, they do not have to be unhealthy or loaded with sugar or fats. They can be healthy while being super tasty! 

Like the ones in this recipe! They are incredibly delish but they are nutritious and vegan too! And they are not boring as plain pancakes might be because they have an extra twist! Lemon Chia. It is so refreshing but still so good. Honestly I love them! 

Those pancakes have very little ingredients! We are using chia and ot milk instead of eggs. When you ket this mixture sit for a few minutes it starts to gel up, which will help to bind the pancake batter. Other, the only ingredients are apple sauce, soy yoghurt (or any other yoghurt), lemon juice & zest, soda water, some whole grain flour, baking soda and some coconut oil to fry it out. The soda adds some air and makes the pancakes super fluffy. 

But what would pancakes be without topping? Half as good! I know! As for toppings we are gonna gl ahead and make some lemon yoghurt . Simple and good. Therefore I like to use any plant based yoghurt and mix it with a little lemon juice and lemon zest. If that is too spur for you (although it makes a great addition) you can add some maple syrup or other sweetener of choice. Besides the yoghurt, I like to top mine with fresh banana slices and some maple syrup or honey. But this really is up to you and what you feel like. You can also top them with berries, nut butter, other fruit, granola, whatever comes to your mind. 

If you do not eat all the pancakes at once, you can simply freeze them (but make sure you freeze them separately so you can take them out one by one and they do not stick together) and just reheat them in the pan or toaster whenever you want to have them for a quick breaky or dessert! 

I hope that you will genuinely enjoy this recipe and it helps you to start spring/ summer healthy & with all the nutrients! 

Enjoy,

Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

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Vegan Lemon Chia Pancakes

A delicious and healthy breakfast treat. Easy, vegan, super good & with a refreshing twist.

Course Breakfast, brunch, dinner
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 8 pancakes
Calories 88 kcal

What you will need

  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 3 tbsp oat milk
  • 50 g apple sauce
  • 50 g yoghurt
  • 1 lemon
  • 100 g flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • coconut oil for frying
  • 50 ml sparkling water
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

Soy Joghurt topping:

  • 100 g soy yoghurt
  • banana for topping

How to

That is how it works:

  1. Place the chia seeds with the oat milk, maple, half of the lemon juice and zest in a bowl and stir through. Let them sit for about 5 minutes until a gel has formed.

  2. In the meantime combine the flour and baking powder.

  3. Add the soy joghurt and apple sauce to the chia seeds and gently mix through. Add the water and flour always one by one. If the batter is too thick add some more milk, if it is too thin, add some more milk.

  4. Heat the coconut oil up in a pan nd fry the pancakes at medium heat. Portion them out with an ice cream scoop. Once bubbles are forming on one side, flip them and cook them for another 1-2 minutes on the other side.

  5. For the lemon yoghurt combine the remaining soy yoghurt with the other half of the lemon juice and zest in a bowl.

  6. Slice up the banana.

    Once all the pancakes are fried, place them on a plate and garnish them with the lemon yoghurt, the banana slices and some more maple syrup.

    Serve and enjoy!

Healthy Christmas Pancakes

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Who doesn´t love a good brunch at Christmas day? For my family, it is very typical to do this. It is like another coming together after a beautiful Christmas eve before the family is leaving. We all cook together and prepare the meal so we can sit down at the table and enjoy! This pancake recipe is the perfect meal to make for all those who have a sweet tooth but don’t want to start their day with something unhealthy. These pancakes are fluffy, juicy, wholegrain and super delicious! You can´t taste the “healthy” part of them, so you can make them for everyone out of your family!

Usually I totally am a savory kind of breakfast and brunch person. I would be the first to grab the avocado toast and scrambled eggs or the smoked salmon and leave the pancakes and waffles for the others because 90% of the time they are too sweet for me. I really do not like them if they simply taste like sugar, plus it is pretty unhealthy. Traditional pancakes are loaded with sugar, butter, and plain white flour, which will not make you feel full for long and raise your blood sugar levels. 

What is in it?

In order not to result in this but still enjoy a really delicious sweet breakfast or brunch, I am sharing this super delicious and healthy pancake recipe with you. Instead of butter, we are using apple sauce, instead of white flour, we aim for whole wheat (you cannot really taste the whole wheat out but if you really do not like the flavor or need something gluten free you can substitute it for other things. Just be careful with gluten-free flour because sometimes you need them in another ratio.), and honey instead of refined sugar. Honey is a natural sweetener and it still contains some vitamins, other than conventional sweeteners. Other than that, there are eggs, to bind and Greek yoghurt to give texture, add some richness, softness, and protein. The Greek yoghurt can´t be left out and I would not substitute it with normal plain yoghurt because it does not have that thick texture. But you can substitute it for Skyr, which is an Iceland-style yoghurt that also is thick. 

What to serve it with?

I love serving these pancakes with extra yoghurt, some cooked blueberries and a nice drizzle of honey. They would also work great with fresh fruits and banana and nut butter, but since berries & co are not in season right now, I did not use them. But if you want something in season to serve it with, you can serve it with my christmas apple sauce. It makes a great topping. Or you can add some cinnamon sautÊed apples from the middle layer of my Apple crumble cake. Honestly, you can serve it with whatever comes to your mind, or what you love. If you love a good drizzle of melted chocolate or some fresh butter, because .. I mean it´s Christmas. We all deserve that!

Whether you serve this for your loved ones, or treat yourself, this recipe is a great recipe! You can also make them in a big batch, freeze them separately and heat them up in the microwave before serving. It makes great for christmas or any other brunch, super simple, and incredibly flavorful!

I hope you´ll enjoy them, 

Marry Christmas, 

Katie

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Healthy Christmas Pancakes

A great way to enjoy some delicious, indulging, breakfast pancakes. No matter if they are for christmas morning (they are the best!) or just some brunch. Easy, whole wheat, packed with protein and fiber!

Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Resting time: 10 Minuten
Total Time 30 Minuten
Servings 6 pancakes
Calories 82 kcal

What you will need

For the pancakes:

  • 1 egg
  • 50 g Apple Sauce for some next level pancakes, use my christmas apple sauce
  • 100 g Greek Yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp Honey
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 75 g Whole wheat flour
  • 40 ml almond milk Maybe more, depending on the texture

For the rest:

  • some coconut oil for frying
  • greek yoghurt for topping
  • berrie, frozen and cooked or fresh
  • any other toppings, as wanted: nuts, nut butter, fresh fruits, banana,…

How to

Thats how it works:

  1. Seperate the egg. In a larger bowl, add the egg yolk, the greek yoghurt, the applesauce, and the honey. Mix until well combined.

  2. In a seperate bowl whip up the egg white until fluffy and stiff peaks.

  3. Mix the flour and the baking powder well. Fold this mixture and the fluffy egg whites alternating under the remaining liquid ingredients. Once folded in, gently add the milk and mix. If it is too thick, add a little bit more.

  4. The consistency of the dough should be similar to a cake dough. A little runny but stick thick.

  5. Set the dough aside and leave it to rest for about 10 minutes.

  6. In a large skillet heat up coconut oil over medium heat. Bake the pancakes on each side for about 2-3 minutes. Once there are bubbles occuring, flip them.

  7. Add them onto a plate and top them with whatever toppings you desire. Enjoy!