Fibre & Whey Protein Pikelets

Pikelets are a go-to recipe in my household. It is very easy to make and the toppings options are so versatile: you can have it with chocolate spread to satisfy your sweet cravings or with avocado and cheese as more "politically correct" everyday savoury option. 

There are hundreds of pikelets' recipes on the Internet. However, this one is my personal creation that I have been perfecting it over the years. These are definitely not your ordinary pikelets! Truth be told, I loaded these little beauties with all the good stuff while balancing sugar just right to keep the taste pretty neutral so it can be either sweet or savoury. 

There is one unusual and very unique ingredient that goes into these pikelets: the whey. Those of you who have ever made cottage cheese or ricotta at home know that once you separate the curd you will end up with a liquid, that is called whey. For many years, for the food industry, whey was considered a waste product and was either dumped or fed to the farm animals (pigs especially like it). These days whey processing technology turned waste into profit once scientists found out that whey protein has a very high nutritional value. It is a complete protein that contains all of the essential amino acids, very digestible and absorbed very quickly compared to other proteins. 

I am not a fan of wasting products and try to use every part of the vegetable or fruit while cooking. This recipe is a perfect way to use up leftovers from cheese production as the whey is considered to be liquid gold in the health world of the 21st century.  

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs, large (organic if possible)
2 ripe bananas, peeled
1 tbsp. Maltexo
2 tbsp. date syrup
2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
3 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups whey/milk, warm
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

2 cups white flour
1 cup whole meal flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup ground LSA mix
1/2 cup wheat germ
3 tsp cinnamon, ground

Garnish (optional): marmite and cheese, avocado and camembert, salami and mustard, sour cream, cottage cheese and muesli, peanut butter and whatever you like really. 

METHOD

Whisk eggs with Maltexo, date syrup, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract in a large bowl.  

 

In a separate bowl warm up whey and add baking powder and baking soda. Mix it up with a spatula. The mixture will bubble a lot. Leave it on the side while measuring dry ingredients (next step). 

Measure white and whole meal flours, almond meal, LSA mix, wheat germ and cinnamon in a measuring cup.

Pour whey mixture over the egg mixture. Add cut bananas and blitz with the hand blender until well combined. 

Add all dry ingredients to the mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. 

Transfer the batter to the fridge for at least 30 minutes for the mixture to set before baking.

You will need a non-stick frying pan or a skillet. I am using silicone pancakes moulds (bought from TradeMe) as it saves me time and I love the consistency it provides to the final product. You just need a little oil, like sunflower or olive to prevent the batter from sticking to the moulds (just lightly drizzle the mould before pouring your batter). 

Fry on a very low heat until you see the bubbles on the top surface of the pikelet. 

Flip over. Fry for another 30 seconds or so to ensure your pikelets are cooked through.

Transfer in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it in an airtight container or silicone zip lock bag. 

Before serving garnish with your favourite toppings. 

 

 

Sign up for our newsletter to receive yummy recipes directly into your mailbox. Don't feel like cooking? Then, check our SHOP instead!