Pillowy Pumpkin Hotcakes with Glazed Oranges

DIET is a four letter word. One of the most influential things I have learnt on my Paleo journey is that fat does not equate to fat, and calories are not equal. OK, that’s two things!

My generation and the few preceding, grew up with the notion that dietary fat, and to a lesser extent, protein, makes you fat and carbohydrates make you thin. This of course, was based on the foundation belief of calories in = calories out. But old habits beliefs are hard to break and conscious of my increasing snacking tendency, I examined my diet and realised that I simply haven’t been eating enough protein lately, hence fuelling my snacking demon to rear its ugly head!

Lots of people think my diet consists of magic bean cake and ….. meat! Ha ha!! They think that eating Paleo is all about eating lots of meat, but it’s not. Surely “replacing those pesky grains with something means replacing them with meat” is a common thought. Uh-oh, nope! Replacing those pesky grains with more vegetables and nuts is a more realistic ideal and one that I strive for. But I obviously haven’t been eating enough meat (and don’t really feel like it) so I revisited the path of taking a protein supplement.

Now, protein supplements are not food. They are so highly processed they really resemble chemicals (– like sugar), but like aspirin, in certain situations, they can be useful! I have written more about protein powders here.

Rather than make my own, I sourced a fabulous vegan protein powder without artificial sugars, soy, dairy, or fillers. And I have been using it in the afternoons when I am tired and hungry and raiding my husbands secret stash of chocolate (that he doesn’t know I know about)! And it has been satiating me so well, I’m not really hungry for dinner. And because I’m eating less at dinner, I am sleeping soooo much better. And not needing to snack after dinner. Win/win!

So if you have teenage boys who are hard to fill, or daughters, who in their tenacious wisdom, refuse to eat…because they are DIETING, give them more protein. These hotcakes were certainly a hit with my family, I haven’t mentioned the protein powder to them of course, but they stop at one, – and stop rummaging the cupboards for more food afterwards! Being grain-free and nut-free, I have used my favourite la farine de jour; banana flour, but you can substitute this with your preferred flour, perhaps buckwheat or sorghum.

3 small eggs (or 2 large eggs)

130g roasted pumpkin (or steamed but roasted is better)

150g almond milk (or alternative milk if nut-free)

70g banana flour

2 tabs protein powder

¼ teas psyllium powder*

½ teas cinnamon

pinch salt

30g maple or brown rice syrup or honey (about 2 tablespoons)

20g olive oil

2 teas baking powder

1 teas apple cider vinegar

Glazed Oranges

2 oranges

80g maple or brown rice syrup (or honey)

3 tabs marmalade

4 tabs water

Purée the pumpkin and eggs together on SP 6 for 5 seconds until smooth. Add the milk, maple syrup, oil, salt & cinnamon and blend for a further 10 seconds on SP 6.

Mix in the banana flour, baking powder and protein powder on SP 4, adding the vinegar when the batter is smooth.

Set aside in a bowl for 10 minutes – 1 hour to rest. The baking powder will activate with the protein powder and vinegar and the batter will expand and become light & fluffy. Wash the TM bowl to make the syrup.

Without squashing too much air out of the mix, pan-fry dollopfuls of the mix in plenty of ghee or coconut oil until brown. Start on a low heat and adjust as they cook. The mix will brown very quickly and you don’t want this to happen before the inside cooks. Flip and cook on the other side.

Serve each hotcake with a few slices of orange and a little syrup.

Glazed Oranges

Peel and slice the orange thinly and set aside in a shallow heat-proof bowl.

Mix the syrup, water and marmalade and cook on SP 2 for 2 minutes at 90°C. Pour over the oranges.

*The psyllium will thicken the batter and help stabilise it to assist with the airy texture. If you omit it, your hotcakes will still be yummy but not quite as thick & fluffy. Have a look at your protein powder ingredients. If there is already a thickener in there, like inulin or guar, omit the psyllium.  I have been using this vegetable protein powder as it is really clean with no additives or binders.