Naturally Meghan : breakfast

Wednesday, 14 June 2017

Vegan Chocolate Pancake Recipe (New & Improved!)

In the four or so years since I first went vegan, I can count the number of weeks I've gone without eating a stack of pancakes on one hand. I really wish I was joking when I say this, but I'm not! The pancake life has well and truly ensnared me.

When I first went vegan I admit that I was still in the thralls of an eating disorder, but instead of restricting food in general (i.e. anorexia) I was now restricting my diet to only eating what I deemed to be 'healthy' or 'clean' foods (i.e. orthorexia). Refined sugar was a no-go, flour wasn't on the table unless it was gluten-free and fit into my idea of what was 'nutritious', and cocoa powder was the evil adversary of my beloved cacao powder. Luckily, I've now fully recovered from that disordered way of eating and I happily eat processed food and refined sugar pretty much every day, as well as takeaways a couple of times a month. No one's died, I haven't gained any weight (and who cares if I have, I'm cute either way) and I'm honestly happier than I've ever been. There is a point to all this rambling, I promise.

So, I was looking back through all my old recipes and wondering when I ever had the time/energy to come up with so many (being an adult is hard, guys), and noticed that a lot of my old pancake recipes are full of expensive, hard to find and also slightly pointless ingredients. I've been making my pancakes a bit differently in recent months, and to be honest they're so much better now.

I've learned a few things in my quest to create the perfect vegan pancake:

'real' (refined etc etc, blah blah) flour is way easier to use and cook with than buckwheat or rice flour, and it has a much better texture
cocoa powder is tastier than cacao powder, sorry babes
please use sugar, don't deprive your gorgeous lil' body of the good stuff

Hope you enjoy the recipes, my lovelies! Do let me know what you think of it and if you have any opinions on the whole orthorexia deal. It sucks to have an obsession with food dictate every part of your life, but it's good to get people talking about it so we can all try and help each other!

5 Super Simple Vegan Breakfasts

I don't know about you, but I totally agree with the notion that breakfast is the most important meal; having a delicious breakfast accompanied by a big mug of coffee is by far my favourite part of the day, and I definitely notice a drop in energy later on if I don't eat a large enough meal or if I skip it entirely. It does get kind of boring eating the same thing every day though, especially if you're vegan and can't eat a number of the more popular breakfast choices anyway, so I thought I'd put together a list of super tasty (and really easy to make!) ideas for you all so you don't get stuck. Of course there are plenty of other options but this is a good starting point for beginners or people who don't have a lot of time on their hands in the morning!

Vegan Blueberry & Vanilla Pancakes

It's the last day of February and, in my opinion, the best day of the month; Pancake Day! Although pancakes aren't just reserved for one particular day of the year (I don't know what I'd do without my weekly Sunday brunch!), there's something so nostalgic about Shrove Tuesday. Some of my best memories involve my dad making the most amazing pancakes and flipping them with ease. This blueberry and vanilla variation doesn't really resemble the pancakes of my youth - crepe-style, doused with lemon juice and sprinkled with sugar - but they're delicious, regardless!

Cath Kidston Health & Happiness Collection | Chocolate Overnight Oats Recipe

Hello, lovely people - it's been a while (again)! One of my goals for 2017 is to become more consistent with blogging so hopefully you'll be seeing a lot more of me from now on.

Today's post features something I'm very, very excited about; Cath Kidston's new Health & Happiness collection. I'm an avid Cath Kidston fan and have been for a few years now, so when they told me about their new healthy living range I could barely contain myself. Cath Kidston's signature floral prints combined with cute workout gear? A dream come true for this girl! They've made everything from leggings and tops, to gym bags and accessories, all featuring their beautiful Wildflower Bunch print.

Sweet & Creamy Green Smoothie Bowl with Naturya Superfoods

I have a love-hate relationship with greens; I love them because they're incredible for my body and are full of so many vitamins and minerals but I hate them because, well, I really don't like the taste of them. Unless you're giving me spinach in a sandwich with avocado or hummus, I'm really not interested. Actually, I lie - pesto pasta with spinach is pretty damn tasty too. But what I'm trying to say is that you won't catch me eating a spinach or kale salad anytime soon. I'm a firm believer that a healthy lifestyle should be enjoyable and sustainable so I'm not going to force down something I don't like, even if it is amazing for me! So that's where green smoothies come in. Spinach has a wonderful way of not being detectable once it's blended with fruit and various other tasty ingredients, so you get to enjoy all the benefits of it without actually being able to taste it. Win-win, right? This smoothie bowl is quite sweet so it's the perfect introduction to green smoothies, but you can always increase the amount of spinach if you feel happy doing so. To take this smoothie to the next level I added a tablespoon of for extra goodness, so I was positively glowing afterwards! I also added some vegan vanilla protein powder for a protein boost but that's completely optional.

Vegan & Gluten-Free Vanilla Protein Pancakes

As a vegan, the question "where do you get your protein?" is one of the most common and frustrating things you'll hear. If you're eating a whole foods plant-based diet that's full of abundance in the form of fresh fruit and vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds then you'll hit your protein needs with very little effort (as long as you're eating enough food!). However, depending on your goals, you might want to add a bit of extra protein into your diet; a good quality vegan protein powder is a fab way to do this because it's super easy to add to meals you'd be eating anyway such as oatmeal, waffles, smoothies, banana ice cream and pancakes. I love having a scoop of protein powder with my breakfast as I find it keeps me full and satisfied and gives me lots of energy to power through my day. This protein pancake recipe is a Sunday brunch favourite and it's boyfriend-approved too!

Vegan & Gluten-Free Vanilla Protein Waffles with Poached Apple

I feel like I'm just posting breakfast recipes at the moment - that will change soon though, I promise! Have no fear, I've got a couple of kitchen experiments in mind so stay tuned for how those turn out. Anyway, this week's recipe is for vanilla protein waffles, a delicious vegan and gluten-free breakfast that not only tastes good but is super nutritious and full of ingredients that will give you energy all morning. I usually have my waffles served with lots of berries, nut butter and syrup (maple, rice or date syrup are the best - leave the bees alone and avoid honey!) but yesterday I decided to go a bit crazy and have poached apple. The result? A plate of pure breakfast joy. Very sweet apples such as Pink Lady apples are best for this as you don't need to use any additional sweeteners. I'm a bit of a picky eater when it comes to apples and only ever have the Pink Lady variety anyway so I've always got a ridiculous amount of them lying around - poaching them to add to breakfast dishes is actually a great way to use them up! Of course you don't have to have the apple with your waffles if you're running a bit low on time or simply can't be bothered (this is usually the case for me) but it's highly recommended, trust me.

Vegan Cinnamon-Raisin Oat Pancakes

Oat pancakes are one of my favourite things at the moment, mainly because they're so cheap to make (especially if you use rolled oats as opposed to shop-bought oat flour). The flavour of oat flour is much more mellow than buckwheat flour so this recipe is a good starting point for someone who is used to traditional pancakes. I've made regular oat pancakes and chocolate oat pancakes (recipe coming soon!) but this cinnamon-raisin version is by far my favourite. The banana in this recipe gives the pancakes plenty of sweetness but I love adding coconut sugar too because I have a huge sweet tooth and adore the extra dimension of flavour it adds! You can substitute the coconut sugar for the same amount of liquid sweetener or other type of sugar; alternatively you can use stevia to taste or just leave out all additional sweeteners completely.

Vegan & Gluten-Free Chocolate Waffles

Hello lovelies - long time no blog post! I've taken a lot of time away from this blog to focus on my work and personal life and, in all honesty, I'm not sure if I'll be getting back into posting regularly. However, I noticed that I haven't shared a recipe for waffles yet which is basically a crime because I've been eating them so often recently! Ever since I got a waffle maker a few months ago they've become a staple in my diet. Luckily I've found a way to make them vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free so I can enjoy them safe in the knowledge that they're cruelty-free and they won't hurt my sensitive stomach. It also helps that they taste amazing and are pretty awesome for your body too! I like adding protein powder to mine to keep me going all morning but that's definitely optional.

Spiced Apple & Pear Oatmeal

It's almost April which means that spring is upon us and the weather in the UK should be getting warmer - should being the operative word! In fairness, the past couple of weeks have had a few sunny days which have been a welcome change to the chilly weather we experienced throughout autumn and winter, but unfortunately the last few days have been full of wind and rain. It doesn't feel very spring-like at all so warming breakfasts have been a necessity; one of my favourite comforting breakfasts is oatmeal, especially my apple pie version, but yesterday I fancied adding some extra fruit to the mix and so a wonderful creation was born - spiced apple and pear oatmeal. It's definitely a new favourite of mine!

Raw Vegan Cookie Dough Banana Ice Cream

Before I transitioned to a vegan lifestyle and began eating a plant-based diet my all-time favourite ice cream (other than mint choc chip!) was definitely Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough; there was just something so incredibly satisfying about the creamy vanilla ice cream mixed with chewy chunks of heaven. Unfortunately I can no longer dig into a tub of it and I'm sure a lot of you are in the same boat for various reasons, but what if I were to tell you that you can still enjoy a bowl of cookie dough ice cream that's completely healthy, gluten-free, raw, vegan and utterly delicious? Believe it or not, it's true! This fab recipe uses the raw vegan chocolate chip cookies that I shared in my last post plus a couple of frozen bananas and a touch of vanilla extract - super simple and yet so effective.

Vegan Blueberry Muffin Buckwheat Pancakes

I haven't posted a new pancake recipe for a few months but I think this one will definitely make up for that! Before I created this recipe I'd planned on adding blueberries to my pancakes for a while but wasn't sure how they'd turn out; luckily the experiment was successful and the result was a delicious stack of pancakes which tasted exactly like a blueberry muffin - plus they're incredibly good for you, so it's a win-win! I'll be posting a recipe on my blog every Monday and Wednesday from now on and vegan lifestyle tips or a product review every Sunday so don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you know exactly when there's a new post!

Vegan Christmas Spice Buckwheat Pancakes

Christmas is almost upon us and I'm starting to get super excited about it; I think it's honestly my favourite time of year because it's such a family-orientated occasion and I get to buy lots of presents for people! I absolutely love giving people gifts and making them smile, and Christmas is definitely a perfect excuse to do that. Plus there's so many other little things that make winter an amazing season - the comfort of a steaming mug of hot chocolate, going for chilly walks and then returning to the warmth of your home, the cheesy Christmas specials of television programmes (I'm especially looking forward to Downton Abbey!) and, of course, all the wonderful food! Winter is all about the warming spices so I decided to celebrate the last Sunday before Christmas Day with a delicious stack of Vegan Christmas Spice Buckwheat Pancakes - after all, 'tis the season to eat lots of fab food!

Cherry Banana Ice Cream

Banana ice cream is definitely one of my favourite breakfasts and I'll probably still be eating it in the middle of December when it's absolutely freezing! It's ridiculously versatile and there are so many different flavours you can add to it; one of my recent discoveries is cherry banana ice cream - it's super refreshing and fruity, and if you pair it with cacao banana ice cream you'll have a match made in heaven!

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

It's mid-October which means that Halloween is just a couple of weeks away, so I'm sure most of you have seen your fair share of pumpkins already! Although I've grown up seeing pumpkins being sold this time of year (and have even carved faces into one or two) I've never actually eaten anything with them in before. I decided that would change this year and after searching for a can of pumpkin puree for what seemed like forever I finally managed to do so! I wanted to make something simple first so I decided that oatmeal would be the perfect starting point for my pumpkin experimentation. The puree lends a smooth and creamy texture to the oats and, when coupled together with spices, it creates a delicious and warming breakfast which is perfect for those chilly autumn mornings.

Cacao Banana Ice Cream

One of the best things about eating a plant-based diet is that you can essentially have dessert for breakfast and it's completely healthy! For example, you wouldn't often catch someone starting their day with a huge bowl of regular chocolate ice cream because it simply isn't nutritious enough to do so. However, when it comes to chocolate banana ice cream it's a completely different story; the only ingredients in this bowl of heaven are frozen bananas, raw cacao powder and a tiny amount of water or non-dairy milk if necessary - super simple and super healthy! Plus it tastes absolutely incredible and that's the most important thing, right?

Vegan Cinnamon-Raisin Buckwheat Pancakes

It's October which means that autumn is well and truly upon us! As much as I love the warmth of summer I do have a soft spot for autumn and winter; I absolutely adore snuggling up in cosy oversized jumpers, sipping steaming mugs of (vegan) hot chocolate and using heaps of warming spices in oatmeal and pancakes (think flavours such as apple pie, chai spice and gingerbread). Buckwheat pancakes are an incredibly hearty meal which will definitely be a favourite of mine throughout the coming chilly months - throw in some cinnamon and raisins and you've got one of the best pancake flavours you could possibly imagine!

Vegan Chocolate Bounty Buckwheat Pancakes

I've mentioned my love of the combination of chocolate and coconut in a previous recipe (this one to be precise!) - I've never actually experimented with it in any other recipes though, which is rather surprising because I adore coming up with new flavours for oatmeal, pancakes and my various other staple breakfasts. I've been planning to make a chocolate-coconut smoothie for a while now but I fancied something a little more substantial for breakfast today (well, it was actually my lunch because I woke up at a ridiculously late time!) so I decided to transfer the flavour into pancakes. To put it simply, the result was incredible. The rich flavour of my usual cacao buckwheat pancakes was still present but it was complemented perfectly by the taste and texture of the dessicated coconut. The only thing that would have improved this stack would have been the addition of some chocolate coconut butter drizzled over the top but unfortunately I don't yet possess a jar of this goodness!

Basic Chia Pudding

I absolutely adore chia puddings; they're the perfect size for a snack and you can also double the ingredients and add various toppings to make a filling and energising breakfast. In the past I've posted recipes for a banana chia pudding and a chocolate chia pudding, but I've never posted one for a basic version. You can add whatever flavours you like to this pudding, or you could just eat it as it is! If you don't add anything else to this recipe then the milk you use is important to consider - I love using coconut, almond or rice milk when I make it but oat milk probably wouldn't work as well because it doesn't have as strong a taste as the others. But no matter what milk you decide to use this will still be an amazing meal to start your morning with or a great snack to keep you going throughout the day!

Chocolate Chia Pudding

Chia puddings make a perfect and balanced snack or meal due to the fact that chia seeds are full of protein, fibre and healthy fats; they're also a wonderful source of Omega 3 so they're a great addition to anyone's diet. I've written a post about how amazing chia seeds are here so if you want to find out more about why they're so good for you then definitely have a read of that! This chocolate chia pudding is rich, creamy and tastes utterly decadent, whilst at the same time being ridiculously good for your body, so it's a win-win creation! You could eat it on its own as a snack or dessert, or top it with coconut milk yoghurt for a filling and delicious breakfast to start your day with. Either way, it's certain to nourish both your body and soul and will also satisfy any chocolate cravings you may have!