Shrove Tuesday: Cook up a healthy storm with our recipe for low GI pancakes

Just because it's Pancake Day you don't have to let your diet slide.

10:53 04 March 2014

This recipe shows you how to make healthy pancakes with a low Glycaemic Index (GI) rating. Even the sugar replacement used in the recipe, Perfect Sweet, is good for you as it also has a low GI value.

 

Contents of each pancake with filling and topping:

 

• GI value - 5
• Fat - 1.4g (of which is saturated: 0.31g)
• Calories - 125.5kcal
• Carbohydrates - 29g

 

Healthy ingredients for 12 pancakes

 

• 110g wholemeal flour - has nearly three times the fibre content of plain flour
• Pinch of salt - Try Lo Salt as it contains only a third of the sodium in common salt
• 2 eggs - Columbus Omega 3 Eggs are naturally high in the essential fatty acid Omega 3, which also gives them a lower GI value than normal eggs
• 275ml skimmed milk - low in fat, but still high in protein
• Several sprays of Fry Lite Better Than Butter - a healthy alternative to butter without having to sacrifice the taste of butter by using oil.

 

For the filling

 

• Raspberries - high in antioxidants
• Blueberries - high in vitamins C and E and packed with antioxidants
• Cinnamon - known to be antimicrobial and may help those with diabetes
• Perfect Sweet - the first xylitol sugar substitute

 

Method:

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.

 

Make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it.

 

Begin whisking the eggs, with a whisk or fork, incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.

 

Gradually add small quantities of the milk whilst still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk).

 

When all the liquid has been added ensure there is no flour left around the edge and then whisk once more until the batter is smooth.

 

Now add a couple of sprays of Fry Lite to a frying pan (add a couple to the mixture and beat if desired) and ensure that the bottom of the pan has an equal covering.

 

Get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium.

 

Add a couple of spoonfuls of the batter (its always best to do a test pancake to ensure you're using the right amount of batter for the pan).

 

As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter.

 

Cook for about 30 seconds, depending on the thickness of your pancake, so that you can lift the edge with a knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be.

 

Flip the pancake over and cook for only a few seconds on the other side.

 

Remove and put on a plate.

 

Fill each pancake with a mixture of berries, cinnamon and Perfect Sweet.

 

Fold over and sprinkle with Perfect Sweet and a squeeze of lemon juice.

 

Preparation time: Less than 10 mins

Cooking time: Less than 10 mins