Luke Hines’ Peanut Butter And Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

I absolutely love pancakes, but I also love getting my daily dose of nutrient-dense vegetables. That’s why this recipe has got to be one of my favourites in the book – it combines the sweet deliciousness of pancakes with all the health benefits of pumpkin. Throw in a little peanut butter and some warming spices and you’ve got a taste sensation on your hands.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• 130 g (1/2 cup) Pumpkin Puree
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) almond, hemp or coconut milk
• juice of 1/4 lemon
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus extra to serve
• 100 g (1 cup) almond meal
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 2-3 tablespoons coconut oil, for frying

To serve

• 2 tablespoons coconut yoghurt
• 1 handful of blackberries
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• zest and juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, pumpkin puree, milk, lemon juice and maple syrup until smooth. Gradually whisk in the almond meal, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder to form a thick, but spoonable batter (if it’s too thick, simply add an extra splash of milk to thin it out). Set aside

for 5–10 minutes to allow the baking powder to activate.

Melt 1–2 tablespoons of the coconut oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.Working in batches of two, ladle 3–4 tablespoons of batter perpancake into the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes on the first side. Flip over witha spatula and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side, then remove from the pan and keep warm in a low oven while you make the rest, adding a little more coconut oil to the pan as you go to make sure the pancakes don’t stick.

To serve, pile the pancakes in a stack and drizzle over a little maple syrup.
Top with a dollop of coconut yoghurt, scatter over some blackberries and drizzle over the peanut butter. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of lemon zest.

TIP Zest is prepared by scraping or cutting from the outer skin of unwaxed citrus fruits such as lemon, orange and lime. The zest is incredibly flavoursome and adds a lovely citrus element to your food. You can find zesting tools in homeware stores.

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