Chia Seed Pancakes

I love a good pancake stack!  This was my breakfast on Saturday morning: fluffy chia seed pancakes, topped with organic vanilla yoghurt, fresh blueberries and drizzled with honey.

It was reading Michael's review of Cafe Lua that got the idea of chia seed pancakes in my head.  The ones he ate there were savoury pumpkin and chia seed pancakes, served with a lentil and spinach salad - sounds delicious, right?  Cafe Lua is now on my (ever-expanding) list of places to visit, and on my next trip to the supermarket, I picked up a packet of chia seeds for the pantry, which I used in the sweet pancakes you see above.

You see, I've been attempting to eat healthily and exercise more in the lead-up to Christmas, and by the time the weekend rolled around, I really felt like a little treat.  I wanted something substantial, but not something that would ruin all my hard work.  I thought that a small stack of pancakes, enriched with health-giving chia seeds would do the trick.

I based the recipe on Nigella's American breakfast pancakes (How to be a Domestic Goddess), adding chia seeds and making them very small, like pikelets.  I initially considered making the batter in the blender, but I didn't want the crunch of the chia seeds getting lost.  I don't like the idea of sneaking healthy ingredients into normal food - (sorry Jessica Seinfeld!) - and much prefer the approach of finding healthy food that actually tastes good.  (Prime example: antioxidant-rich blueberries!)

Here is a pancake in the pan, just as it's ready to flip. Can you see the little grey specks from the chia seeds?

Bird's eye view of the stack

Nude stack

Adding the yoghurt

Adding the blueberries

With some honey

I really liked these! The seeds gave the pancakes a nice crunch, without making them heavy or dense, and the blueberries were a very tasty (and healthy!) accompaniment.  Fabulous.

Chia Seed Pancakes
Adapted from Nigella Lawson's American Breakfast Pancakes
Makes 8-10 small pancakes, serves 2

Ingredients
115g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
15g chia seeds (black or white)
1 large egg, beaten
15g butter, melted and cooled
150ml milk
Extra butter for frying
To serve: vanilla yoghurt, fresh blueberries, honey

Method
Sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a mixing bowl, and stir in the chia seeds.  Make a well in the centre, and gradually add in the beaten egg, melted butter and milk, whisking all the while.  Set aside for 30 minutes.  (Enough time to prepare the fruits, set the table and put a pot of coffee on!)
Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat, and melt a teaspoon or so of butter in the pan.  Drop 30ml of batter at a time into the pan, (I use a quarter cup measure and get two pancakes out of each one), and cook until the top of each is bubbling and the base is sealed.  Flip over and cook for another minute or two until browned to your liking.  Keep the cooked pancakes warm as you cook your way through the remaining batter.

Serve with vanilla yoghurt, fresh blueberries and honey.

So, now I have a packet of chia seeds in the pantry - any suggestions on what I can do with them?

I love a good pancake stack!  This was my breakfast on Saturday morning: fluffy chia seed pancakes, topped with organic vanilla yoghurt, fresh blueberries and drizzled with honey.

It was reading Michael's review of Cafe Lua that got the idea of chia seed pancakes in my head.  The ones he ate there were savoury pumpkin and chia seed pancakes, served with a lentil and spinach salad - sounds delicious, right?  Cafe Lua is now on my (ever-expanding) list of places to visit, and on my next trip to the supermarket, I picked up a packet of chia seeds for the pantry, which I used in the sweet pancakes you see above.

You see, I've been attempting to eat healthily and exercise more in the lead-up to Christmas, and by the time the weekend rolled around, I really felt like a little treat.  I wanted something substantial, but not something that would ruin all my hard work.  I thought that a small stack of pancakes, enriched with health-giving chia seeds would do the trick.

I based the recipe on Nigella's American breakfast pancakes (How to be a Domestic Goddess), adding chia seeds and making them very small, like pikelets.  I initially considered making the batter in the blender, but I didn't want the crunch of the chia seeds getting lost.  I don't like the idea of sneaking healthy ingredients into normal food - (sorry Jessica Seinfeld!) - and much prefer the approach of finding healthy food that actually tastes good.  (Prime example: antioxidant-rich blueberries!)

Here is a pancake in the pan, just as it's ready to flip. Can you see the little grey specks from the chia seeds?

Bird's eye view of the stack

Nude stack

Adding the yoghurt

Adding the blueberries

With some honey

I really liked these! The seeds gave the pancakes a nice crunch, without making them heavy or dense, and the blueberries were a very tasty (and healthy!) accompaniment.  Fabulous.

Chia Seed Pancakes
Adapted from Nigella Lawson's American Breakfast Pancakes
Makes 8-10 small pancakes, serves 2

Ingredients
115g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
15g chia seeds (black or white)
1 large egg, beaten
15g butter, melted and cooled
150ml milk
Extra butter for frying
To serve: vanilla yoghurt, fresh blueberries, honey

Method
Sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a mixing bowl, and stir in the chia seeds.  Make a well in the centre, and gradually add in the beaten egg, melted butter and milk, whisking all the while.  Set aside for 30 minutes.  (Enough time to prepare the fruits, set the table and put a pot of coffee on!)
Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat, and melt a teaspoon or so of butter in the pan.  Drop 30ml of batter at a time into the pan, (I use a quarter cup measure and get two pancakes out of each one), and cook until the top of each is bubbling and the base is sealed.  Flip over and cook for another minute or two until browned to your liking.  Keep the cooked pancakes warm as you cook your way through the remaining batter.

Serve with vanilla yoghurt, fresh blueberries and honey.

So, now I have a packet of chia seeds in the pantry - any suggestions on what I can do with them?