My Guilty Pleasures …
+ Coconut Pancakes

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #9b9b9b;”] T[/dropcap]here’s one thing I don’t think my Irishman and I will ever agree on. And that’s the ‘news’.

I avoid current affairs in all its forms as much as I can without being a complete hermit. I love my ‘low information diet’, a term coined by Tim Ferriss. It frees up my time to read things I care about like, let me think… Oh yeah like food and wine.

Plus I don’t get exposed to all the gloom and doom.

Glen on the other hand, is always reading the Guardian or listening to current affairs on the radio when driving. He thinks I’m crazy when I talk about how much time he’s wasting.

But just between you and me, I am glad someone in the house knows what’s happening in the world. And I love that he sends me links to interesting articles.

Like the one recently where chefs were asked to reveal the processed snack foods they loved in secret… Their ‘guilty pleasures’.

It was a bit of fun that got me thinking about my own ‘low brow’ indulgences.

I know this sounds a bit boring but there aren’t any processed foods I crave. Truly.

I do love ice cream but since my diabetes and focus on eating low carb to keep my blood sugar under control, I haven’t missed it.

I think there are two reasons. First the less carbs I eat the less I crave them. And second is I’ve really embraced eating high fat which keeps me feeling full.

There are plenty of things I eat now without restriction that 1990s Jules studying ‘low fat’ nutrition at university would have had so much guilt around.

So here’s my list of ‘not-so-guilty’ pleasures that I turn to when I need a treat.

My ‘Not-so-Guilty’ Pleasures

1. Very dark chocolate – current favourite is Lindt 90% cocoa solids. Love it with a cup of vanilla rooibos tea or if I’m feeling really indulgent a cup of unsweetened chai made with full fat milk.

2. Nut Butter on a Spoon – Pics ‘really good’ peanut butter is a fave in our family. We go through at least a jar a week. But I also keep cashew butter, almond butter and ABC (almond, Brazil, cashew) in the house.

3. Double Cream – from when I was living in California, I know this isn’t readily available everywhere in the world. If you think about whipping cream it’s usually 35% milk fat. Well double cream is a more concentrated cream usually around 50% fat. It’s divine! I use it anywhere you’d normally serve ice cream (like on the pancakes below). I also love to add a big dollop with my home made yoghurt and grain-free granola. But the truth is I like it best on a spoon straight from the tub (no double dipping of course, I’m not a savage).

4. Fruit. After eating hardly anything sweet there are few things better than crunching into a cold pink lady apple. Or slurping mango. And what about berries. Add some double cream and that’s all the indulgence I ever need…

5. Coconut Oil on a Spoon. If I feel like something sweet after lunch I find a spoon of coconut oil does the trick.

—

Coconut Pancakes

Inspired by a recipes from Eleanor Ozich’s cookbook, My Petite Kitchen. This is a recipe where the light fluffiness of coconut flour really comes into its own. Feel free to serve with your fave pancake accompaniments.

Enough for 1
Takes 15 minutes
20g (3/4oz) coconut flour
30g (1oz) coconut oil , melted & extra to cook
2 eggs
80g (1/3cup) milk
fruit + cream, to serve

1. Combine coconut flour, oil, eggs and milk in a jug or bowl. Whisk until smoothish.

2. Melt a little more oil in a small frying pan on a medium high heat. Add about 1/3 of your batter and cook for a few minutes until the mixture is starting to bubble and looks cooked around the edges.

3. Carefully flip with a spatula and cook on the other side for another 30 seconds or so. Just enough to brown it. 

4. Remove the pancake and place on a warm plate while you make the remaining cakes.

5. Serve with cream and fruit.

Variations

no coconut flour – make my paleo pancakes instead using 2 eggs and 4 tablespoons almond meal per person and skipping the milk and melted coconut oil.

no coconut oil – butter!

savoury pancakes – use salted butter instead of oil and serve with savoury accompaniments. I love baby spinach and mayo.

Video Version of the Recipe.

Big love,
Jules x

ps. Just thought of another reason packaged food doesn’t tempt me…

All those years working in the food industry with unlimited access to tim tams and and pop tarts certainly means I ate more than enough to last a life time. Plus when you know what goes into processed food it really loses its appeal.

I prefer my food (and cups of tea) made with ‘grá mór’ (big love) as my Irishman says. ;)