Green pancakes with avocado, fennel and chickpeas
Mix it up this pancake day with these heathy, veggie, green pancakes. Packed with iron and vitamins, they’re too good to save for once a year!
Makes 10-12 large pancakes
500ml coconut drinking milk, or almond milk
3 eggs
220g buckwheat flour
250ml water
Pinch of salt
2 large handfuls of spinach or watercress
1 tbsp fresh basil leaves
1 large courgette, grated
1 tbsp melted coconut oil, plus extra for frying
For the filling:
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
400g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and sliced
Optional: supercharge your pancakes by adding a sprinkle of spirulina, wheatgrass or chlorella powder.
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. To make the fillings, arrange the fennel slices on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp of the oil, then sprinkle with a little salt. Bake for 45-50 mins, until juicy and crisp around the edges.
2 Place the chickpeas in a small bowl, add the tahini, the remaining oil and the nutritional yeast. Season to taste, then stir well to combine.
3 To make the batter, use a high-speed blender to blitz the milk and eggs with everything, apart from the coconut oil, for 1-2 mins, until the mixture is smooth and develops a pale, green hue. Leave in the jug of your blender for easy pouring.
4 Heat 1 tsp of coconut oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat then, once hot and melted, pour in a ladleful of batter – about the size of your outstretched hand – rotating the pan to evenly coat the base. Cook for 2-3 mins on each side. Repeat until you’ve used up all the batter.
5 Take one pancake at a time and line your choice of fillings down the middle of it, starting with the fennel, then 1-2 tbsp of the chickpea mixture, and finally some avocado slices. Serve immediately.
Green pancakes with avocado, fennel and chickpeas from Well Being by Danielle Copperman (Kyle Books, £25). Photograph: Rita Platts.