Chickpea Pancakes

Chickpea Pancake Stack with Lemon Cashew Cream Sauce

vegan, gluten free

Begin your day the right way with a protein-packed pancake stack. Chickpeas are an excellent source of plant protein, soluble fibre and are a low GI food - synergistically slowing down digestion, promoting fullness and lowering LDL cholesterol in the body. To support digestion further, there is the option to make the batter probiotic-rich by using vegan kefir or fermenting overnight. Whilst the lemon cashew cream sauce also provides protein and healthy essential fats that are required for normal body functions, it also contains a great source of magnesium required for over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. The sun-drenched tomatoes, green olives and herbs de provence provides a flavour of the Mediterranean.

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Serves: 2 Makes: 12

Prep time: 10 minutes (plus 30 mins - 2 hours soaking time)

Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Utensils needed: high speed blender, a large non-stick frying pan

• Ingredients

  Lemon Cashew Cream Sauce

  200g cashews, soaked, washed and drained (see notes)

  3 tbsp lemon juice

  2 tsp apple cider vinegar

  1/2 tsp salt

  1/4 tsp mustard powder

  150ml filtered water

  Pancakes

  1 tbsp coconut oil, plus extra for frying

  45g red onion, diced

  60g chestnut mushrooms, chopped

  60g spinach

  80g sun-drenched tomatoes, chopped

  30g green pitted olives, chopped into quarters

  230g gram flour

  25g flaxseed

  10g nutritional yeast, ground into a powder

  1 tbsp herbs de provence

  2 tsp baking powder

  1 tsp smoked paprika

  1 tsp ground turmeric

  1 tsp sea salt

  1/2 tsp garlic powder

  1/2 tsp onion granules

  1/4 tsp ground black pepper

  380ml vegan kefir or almond milk (see notes)

• Method

  For the Lemon Cashew Cream Sauce

  1. In a high-speed blender, blend the soaked cashews, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, mustard powder and water until smooth.

  2. Pour into an airtight container and store in the fridge to cool and thicken until ready to serve.

  For the Pancakes

  1. In a large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil over a medium heat. Once hot add the red onion and mushrooms and saut​é​ for 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften and start to colour.

  2. Add the tomatoes, olives and spinach and cook for a couple of minutes until the spinach has partially wilted. Turn off the heat and set aside.

  3. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the gram flour, flaxseed, nutritional yeast, herbs de provence, baking powder, smoked paprika, turmeric, salt, garlic powder, onion granules and black pepper. Pour in the almond milk and mix with a whisk for a smooth and thick consistency.

  4. Add the cooked vegetables to the pancake mix and stir until combined.

  5. In the same large frying pan, very lightly coat with coconut oil. Heat the pan and oil on a medium-high heat.

  6. Once the oil is hot, pour 1/4 cup of the pancake mixture onto the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until they look golden brown. You should be able to cook 3-4 pancakes at the same time depending on the size of your pan.

  7. To keep the cooked pancakes warm, place them in the oven on a lined baking tray at ​140°​C / Gas Mark 1 until ready to serve. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until the remaining pancakes have been cooked.

  8. To serve, stack 6 pancakes onto a plate. Top with 2-3 tbsp of lemon cashew cream sauce, fresh rocket, a side of sliced avocado, a sprinkle of chilli flakes and a drizzle of oil e.g. avocado or extra virgin olive oil.

• To serve

  10g rocket

  1/2 avocado

  Sprinkle of chilli flakes (optional)

• Notes

  • For the cashew sauce soak the cashews for 20-30 minutes in boiling water (or to retain more nutrients soak in cold water for 2 hours).

  • If you have digestive problems or simply wish to increase the nutritional benefits of this recipe, I advise that you replace almond milk with vegan kefir OR ferment the batter overnight by simply mixing together the gram flour and almond milk with either a shot of kombucha, pickle juice or the powder from a probiotic capsule and leave overnight to ferment. The next day, continue following the steps as normal and once you get to step 5 just add the ingredients to the fermented batter. Fermented foods are probiotics that support digestion.

• Allergens

  Mustard, Nuts