A friend recently asked me for a good healthy pancake recipe, that’s suitable for kids. There are already a few favourite recipes on this site (see A tale of three pancakes ) but I’ve been doing a  bit more experimenting in the kitchen and what better occasion to bring them out than pancake day.

These are made with sweet potato and banana. My first try was flour free – and an utter failure, they definitely need flour of some kind. But what kind is up to you – wholemeal or coconut is a great choice for added health benefits. I love swopping in vanilla protein powder for an extra tasty high protein pancake – but wouldn’t go with this for kids.

On dishing them up for three small boys I awaited the usual upturning of noses and pushing away of plates that tends to accompany any treat I try to “healthify”.. But amazingly these were wolfed down and there were even demands for seconds. (I think the maple syrup may have helped!)

Serves 4 children or 2 adults

Ingredients

100g chopped and peeled sweet potato

1 ripe medium banana

1 egg, 2 egg whites

2 tbsp flour (coconut or wholemeal if possible) or vanilla protein powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

Splash of milk of your choice

Coconut oil or butter

Berries, yogurt, banana, chopped nuts and maple syrup or honey to serve

Method

Put the chopped sweet potato into a dish with a tablespoon of water, cover loosely and microwave on high for five minutes until soft.

Put it into a blender, with all the other ingredients except the toppings, and whizz until smooth. (If you don’t have a blender you could just mash together the banana and potato, then whisk in the rest of the ingredients)

Add a little knob of coconut oil or butter to a frying pan and heat up. Pour in puddles of the mixture and fry – flipping over when bubbles appear. Make in batches, keeping warm in the oven if necessary.

Serve with your choice of yogurt, berries, banana, chopped nuts and maple syrup or honey. Or if making as a dessert you could drizzle over a bit of chocolate sauce and add ice cream.