Some flipping good healthy pancake recipes

A few weeks ago my boyfriend came home and shared with me one of the easiest, and most delicious dessert/snack/breakfast recipes I have ever heard of; Banana pancakes.

Sharing the recipe with my work colleagues, who are now mad about the healthy snack too, I've decided to reveal the quick and easy recipe along with a few others, ahead of Shrove Tuesday this week. Some flipping good #pancakeinspo below if I do say so myself, however, the keen baker I am not!

What equipment you'll need:

• A bowl
• A pan griddle or frying pan
• A fork
• A spatula (or anything which will help you flip your pancakes)
• Some low calorie spray oil for the pan

Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 large egg

Method:

1. Mash the banana with a fork in a bowl and crack the egg in, stirring the mixture until it becomes a smooth, mushy paste with no lumps. (Do not blend).

2. Heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan on a medium heat and pour out two large or four small pancakes.

3. Once bubbling on top, or brown on one side, carefully flip the pancake onto the other side and cook until both sides are lightly browned.

4. Enjoy on their own or add some fresh berries, a dash of honey, or a sprinkling of coconut shavings on top.

Blueberry Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 large egg
• A pinch of cinnamon
• Blueberries (as many as you want to use!)

Method:

1. Mash the bananas with a fork in a bowl and beat in the egg, stirring the mixture until it becomes a smooth, mushy paste with no lumps. (Do not blend).

2. Mix in the cinnamon into the banana mixture.

3. Heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan on a medium heat and pour out two large or four small pancakes and top with blueberries as one side cooks.

4. Once bubbling on top, or brown on one side, carefully flip the pancake onto the other side and cook until both sides are lightly browned.

5. Repeat stage 3 if you would like a stack of pancakes or are cooking for a second person (the perfect Valentine's breakfast!). Stack, stack, stack 'em up.

6. Enjoy on their own or add some extra fresh berries or a dash of honey. I decided to add some blueberry and elderflower yoghurt too, yum!

Coconut Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• A pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of coconut oil

Method:

1. Mash the bananas with a fork  in a bowl and beat in the egg and the coconut, stirring the mixture until it becomes a smooth, mushy paste with no lumps. (Do not blend).

2. Mix in the cinnamon into the banana mixture.

3. Heat the coconut oil in the griddle or frying pan on a medium heat and pour out two large, or four small pancakes.

4. Once bubbling on top, or brown on one side, carefully flip the pancake onto the other side and cook until both sides are lightly browned.

5. Enjoy on their own or add some extra coconut shavings and dried or fresh fruit. I decided to create a fresh, Spring pancake and used raspberries, passionfruit and flower petals to add an aromatic kick to the pancakes (when using flower petals only a small amount is needed - the rest use for decoration!)

Chocolate Chip (or Double Chocolate Chip) Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 large egg
• A few handfuls of Chocolate chips (add as many as you want!)
• You could always add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder if you'd like to create double chocolate chip pancakes, however, be sure to add another egg and half of a banana to ensure the egg can contain the mixture together. (The rest of the banana can be used as a topping).

Method:

1. Mash the banana with a fork in a bowl and crack the egg in, stirring the mixture until it becomes a smooth, mushy paste with no lumps. (Do not blend). If you would like to create the double chocolate chip pancakes, then this is when you should ass the cocoa powder, and the extra egg and half banana.

2. Heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan on a medium heat and pour out two large, or four small pancakes and top with chocolate chips whilst cooking.

3. Once bubbling on top, or brown on one side, carefully flip the pancake onto the other side and cook until both sides are lightly browned.

4. Enjoy on their own, or add some of the extra banana to top it off. With Easter in mind, I decided to add a few mini eggs for decoration and a dollop of Nutella with strawberries - best for those with a sweet tooth.

You'd be flipping mad not to try these out, and if you're feeling naughty, you could always add a splash of maple syrup with bacon rashers or even Nutella to any of the pancakes above! 

Happy flipping!

  For Now...

Just Julia

CUE Aberdeen: The Meat Off

Rub me, smoke me, sauce me, eat me. The holy mantra of Aberdeen's latest restaurant, Cue Barbecue. Brainchild of Chris Tonner and the team at hot sauce company, Angus & Oink, this snazzy wee eatery is anticipated to be the city's must-go-to hub for Southern American and South US cuisine.

Attending the pre-opening weekend with my boyfriend, our anticipation for good quality food and creative cocktails was high, and thankfully for Cue, they delivered.

Grabbing a table just before the 8 o'clock service kicked off over the pre-launch weekend, I got a sneak peek into what the restaurant looked like without ravenous diners in the way. It wasn't long until diners began to pile in around 8pm and from then, service was in full flow, putting the staff to the test.

With food on our mind, Chris (the owner and also extremely skilled, and well-established chef) talked us through the menu, advising that the wings were a great start in what was anticipated to be a serious meat-off. Who would win? The damsel diner in distress or the ultimate mammoth meat tray? Time to put those stomach muscles to the test....

Not a huge fan of chicken on the bone I was a little hesitant to order the chicken wings. But reassured by my date we decided to 'wing it' and dig in deep. The wings were succulent on the inside and crunchy on the outside. I'd recommend squeezing the fresh lime over the chicken after you've tried it on its own,  as it gives a completely new taste. We also paired them with various Angus & Oink hot sauces, which were situated at the end of our bench, until the starter was finito.

Obviously for my tipple of choice I was always going to pick a cocktail. I'd highly recommend the Cue Gin Punch. It's got passionfruit liqueur, gin, lemon, iced tea and sugar in it, what more could you ask for? I also opted for a Pink & Fluffy too - if you like the sweet lolly, Drumstick, then be sure to order this. The cocktail menu was generous and included other drinks including; a Buckfast Daquiri, Cue Bloody Mary, Watch Me Whip Watch Me Chardonay-Nay, Chocline Bling, Cue Hobo Juice and  a Cue Rum Punch, as well as some old cocktail classics.

There's also a varied craft beer selection and a serious bourbon collection, as well as a hearty spirits and wine offering to get stuck into.

Onward to the food. A pulled pork extraordinaire, the shredded meat was on my mind, so the Pulled on the Smoke rollin roll (£14.50) was the choice or me. A pulled pork shoulder drowned in pit boss BBQ sauce, with slicked smoked sausage, coleslaw and pickles on top, served with seasoned house fries. All meat dishes are served on metal trays, portraying the casual, soul food offering in a simplistic manner.

My boyfriend opted for a traditional old school burger (£14.50) consisting of an aged beef patty topped with double cheese and double bacon, iceberg lettuce, picked coleslaw and ancho mayo (a chilli and lime mayonnaise) and decided last minute to add cheesy fries (£4) to his order, a good tact is I should have also executed, but the seasoned fries were perfect for me. Deciding to stretch those stomach muscles we also ordered some additional sides; onion rings, big mama's mac and cheese (£4), and grilled corn on the cobs (£4). The corn was a scream, the smokiest corn I've ever tasted with a healthy dollop of butter, my corn on the cob hatred immediately obliterated.

Alongside the pretty delicious dishes, Cue sports some funky interiors too. A neon board screaming the companies mantra at the front door, the skullog a longhorn cow along with some American sign posts and many other small quirky delights.

With a rustic vibe accompanied by some serious Southern US interiors, the showstopper of this eatery HAS to be the feature wall. Wow is an understatement. Hats off to local illustrator, Katie Guthrie, who absolutely killed it on the wall mural. A true work of art and done in record time. I especially love the drunk UniHog creature at the top of the stairs. Sassy.

Open to the public as of the start of this week, Cue is already proving pretty popular with all ages and is anticipated to be a hot-spot for foodies. Go check it out if you can, and definitely order the smoked corn on the cob. Trust me, even if you hate corn you'll love this! 

See you guys at the bar.

  For Now...

Just Julia