Cheesy Vegan Stuffed Pancakes
These cheesy vegan stuffed pancakes are not only gluten, egg and dairy-free but the delicious filling is also high protein and low FODMAP.
Servings: 2
Equipment
- Large non-stick frying pan
Ingredients
Pancake Batter
- 200 g gluten-free, low FODMAP plain flour I use Freee by Doves Farm.
- 350 ml almond milk
- ⅛ teaspoon black salt Swap for regular salt if preferred.
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
Macadamia Ricotta
- 40 g macadamia nuts Soaked overnight, weighed before soaking
- 24 g blanched almonds Soaked overnight, weighed before soaking
- 200 g / 1 cup coconut yoghurt
- 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon miso paste
- ⅛ teaspoon black salt
- 1 tablespoon almond milk Optional
Tofu Ham
- 1½ tablespoon dark soy sauce Gluten-free equivalent if required.
- 1½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1½ teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Vegemite Gluten-free if required or miso paste if preferred.
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 300 g firm tofu Pressed, drained and diced
Salsa
- 100 g vine/truss tomato
- 100 g red bell pepper
- 15 g spring onion/scallion greens
- ½ cup fresh parsley Roughly torn/chopped
- squeeze fresh lime
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh black pepper
Wilted Greens
- 4 cups greens I used spinach
Instructions
Tofu Ham
- This tofu ham can be prepped 48 hours to 30 minutes in advance.
- Whisk together 1½ Tbsp dark soy sauce, 1½ tsp toasted sesame oil, 1½ tsp maple syrup, 1 tsp Vegemite, ¼ tsp smoked paprika and ¼ tsp ground black pepper until fully blended. Add 300 g firm tofu and stir thoroughly until coated, then set it aside for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- After marinating the tofu for at least 30 minutes, pop it into a nonstick pan along with any leftover marinade. Fry on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Turn the tofu frequently until nicely browned and lightly toasted on the outside. The oil in the marinade should be enough to stop the tofu from catching in the pan. Add a splash more if required.
Wilted Greens
- Remove the tofu to a dish and add a splash of water to the hot pan.
- Water saute enough greens for 2 people for a few minutes until only just cooked. I used spinach but kale and collards/spring greens would work well too.
- Once the greens are lightly cooked set them over a strainer and squeeze out any excess water with a pair of kitchen tongs.
Macadamia Ricotta
- This ricotta can be prepped anywhere from 48 hours to 30 minutes in advance.
- Soak 40 g macadamia nuts and 24 g blanched almonds together overnight. Drain and rinse the nuts thoroughly and place them into a blender with 200 g / 1 cup coconut yoghurt, 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, ¼ tsp miso paste, and ⅛ tsp black salt.
- Blend to a smooth. creamy, ricotta consistency. Depending on the strength of your blender you may need to add an extra splash of milk or water to loosen it up as I did.
- Pour the cheesy sauce into a container and store it in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes to firm up slightly.
Salsa
- This salsa can be prepped upto 48 hrs in advance and stored in the fridge.
- Cut, deseed and quarter 100 g red bell pepper. Pop it under a hot grill/broiler until the skin is blackened (approx 5 minutes). Pop the hot pepper in a glass jar and close the lid. Leave for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the steam should have loosened the skin. Peel away the skin and finely dice the pepper flesh. You could also use grilled peppers from a jar if preferred, but check that there are no sneaky high FODMAP ingredients such as garlic.
- Dice 100 g vine/truss tomato, finely chop 15 g spring onion/scallion greens and ½ cup fresh parsley. Mix everything together and toss with ⅛ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp fresh black pepper and squeeze fresh lime.
- If it’s easier and you have a trusted brand available then use a premade FODMAP safe salsa sauce. Alternatively just use some diced, fresh tomato.
Pancakes
- Sift 200 g gluten-free, low FODMAP plain flour into a large mixing bowl then add ⅛ tsp black salt and create a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.
- Pour half of 350 ml almond milk into the centre of the flour and gradually begin to whisk the milk into the flour. Continue to pour the rest of the milk in a steady stream as you whisk to create a light, smooth batter.
- Try not to overwork the batter, particularly if you’re using wheat flour, as this can make the pancakes chewy. You just need to whisk out any signs of the dried flour, there’s no need to beat out every lump.
- Pour the batter into a jug; this makes it easier to measure out the right amount for each pancake. Leave it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- After the batter has rested for 30 minutes, heat a nonstick frying pan on high heat for 1 minute. This next step is important because it helps to stop the first pancake from coming out all pale and soggy. Add 2 Tbsp vegetable oil to a good non-stick pan. Swirl it around to coat the whole pan and heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute until it’s hot. Pour half of the oil into the pancake batter and whisk briskly. Pour the remaining oil into a heat-safe dish; this is the oil you will use to grease the pan between each pancake. Return the pan to medium heat.
- Using a double thickness of scrunched up paper towel, quickly and carefully wipe a thin layer of oil around the pan. Be very careful not to burn yourself as both the oil and the pan will be hot, use heat-safe tongs to hold the paper if preferred.
- Quickly pour 80 ml / ⅓ cup of the batter into the centre of the pan. As soon as the batter hits the pan, start swirling it out to the edges to form a neat circle. Cook for about 1 minute until you see the edges lift away from the pan all the way around. Flip, toss or turn the pancake and cook for a further 30 seconds on the second side.
- Slide the cooked pancake onto a plate or baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
- Repeat the process of oiling the pan using the oil you poured out at the beginning and continue with each step until all the batter is gone. If you want to cook the full batch then pop a piece of greaseproof between each pancake and stack them on a tray. You can put them in the oven on a low heat to keep warm.
Filling the Pancakes
- For a regular filled pancake, once the pancakes are cooked, taking one at a time, spread the whole surface with a generous layer of macadamia ricotta. Top half the pancake, from one edge to the centre, with a spoonful of wilted greens, tofu ham and salsa. Fold the empty half over the filled half and press down lightly. Serve immediately.
- For a crispy calzone pancake, lightly oil the pan as before and put it on low/medium heat. Lay the first pancake in the pan and spread the toppings on one half as above.
- Fold the half of the pancake without the toppings over the side that’s filled and press down the edges to seal it together as best as you can. The trick is to not overfill the pancake so it’s more likely to stick together at the edges.
- Once you’ve folded the pancake, lightly press it down to crisp the bottom against the pan. Using tongs and a spatula, carefully flip over the filled pancake and keep cooking and pressing for 1 minute or so on each side until nicely crisp.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve any extra macadamia ricotta and salsa on the side.
Notes
Cook's Tips: Don't let the multiple elements of this recipe put you off. Each separate element can be prepped up to 48 hours in advance and brought together quickly when you're ready to eat the pancakes.
To save time you can swap the plain, marinated tofu for smoked tofu. You’ll likely need to add a little oil to the pan so that it doesn’t stick and burn.
My frying pan is 24cm or 9.5 inches and I used about 80ml / scant ⅓ cup of batter for each pancake.
I typically use and recommend a good blended, gluten-free, plain (all-purpose) flour such as Freee by Doves Farm.
FODMAP Notes: See the full blog post for detailed FODMAP ingredient notes. FODMAP values, portions and categories can and do change over time.
I use standard UK metric measurements in all of my recipes:
- 1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 tablespoon = 15 ml
- 1 teaspoon = 5 ml
