Quinoa & strawberry gluten free pancakes

I’ve been trying to cut down our meat consumption, and since reading that quinoa is a complete protein (which is rare for a plant source) I’ve been trying to work it into more of our meals. I use oats an awful lot for breakfasts, biscuits and baking, and have been trying out substituting my recipes with half oats and half quinoa flakes. The half and half approach is largely an economic decision because quinoa flakes are expensive! Quinoa is a good gluten free option, and these pancakes can be completely gluten free if you use GF oats.

Pancakes are a great breakfast or pudding option for babies and toddlers, and thankfully being allergic to dairy and eggs is no longer an obstacle as there are so many great vegan recipes around. My kids are major pancake fans, and I often make oaty pancakes sweetened with fruit. In this version I switched half the oats for quinoa flakes, and used a large handful of strawberries – if you don’t have strawberries you could substitute in other berries, in similar quantities.

We like these topped with honey (for over one year olds only), chia jam, or coconut yoghurt.

For babies: Cut into strips, pancakes are an excellent choice for an early weaning food. Plus, these pancakes are sweetened with fruit meaning they contain no refined sugar. Just be aware that the nuts are a potential allergen so be sure your baby is alright with almonds before serving these up; if you need to make these nut free, you can substitute the ground almonds with the same amount of oats or quinoa flakes.

Ingredients and method:

These amounts give about 12 small pancakes:

• 45g quinoa flakes
• 45g rolled oats (or gluten-free oats)
• 30g ground almonds (substitute 30g extra oats if you can’t have nuts)
• 1 handful strawberries, green tops removed
• 1 medium banana
• 150ml almond, oat or coconut milk (choose a milk which is unsweetened and calcium fortified)
• Rapeseed or olive oil for frying

Put the oats, quinoa flakes and almonds into a blender and blitz until you have a well combined rough flour mix. Roughly chop the banana and halve the strawberries, removing the green tops. Then add in the fruit and your chosen milk into the blender and mix until well combined. You can add a little more milk if the mix seems sticky.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and add a glug of rapeseed or olive oil, allowing it to heat up. When the pan is hot, spoon the batter into the pan using a large spoon or ladle, aiming to make small pancake rounds. Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side; you can do a few at a time, depending on how big your pan is. I often have two frying pans on the go at once! Serve immediately.

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