Stacks of goodness.

Every time I arrange to go out for brunch I decide that I'm definitely going to have the pancakes. Every time I sit down in front of a brunch menu, I don't need to read it because I know that I'm DEFINITELY going to have the pancakes. And every time a server asks to take my brunch order... I opt for the scrambled eggs. It's not that I really think that a plate heaving with bacon is actually any healthier than a maple syrup-soaked stack, but in my mind pancakes are the boldest kind of brunch. And I need to be a good girl. (Well, at breakfast time at least.) So, this new recipe from Jamie Oliver's latest book, VEG, is set to be the saviour of my Saturdays. They're pancakes but of the healthy variety, and they're are packed with flavour – unlike the usual suspects which only taste like, well, toothache. Whip 'em up at the weekend – or for a light mid-week meal – plate them pretty and snap their green goodness for Insta before you tuck in.

Super spinach pancakes Avocado, tomato, cottage cheese, chilli & coriander 

Serves 6 25 minutes 

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado 350g ripe mixed-colour cherry tomatoes 100g baby spinach 3 spring onions 1⁄2 a bunch of fresh coriander (15g) 1 lime extra virgin olive oil 1 large egg 1 mug of self-raising flour 1 mug of semi-skimmed milk olive oil 300g cottage cheese hot chilli sauce

Method

Halve, destone, peel and finely slice the avocado and quarter the tomatoes, then place in a salad bowl with a quarter of the spinach. Trim, finely slice and add the spring onions and pick in the coriander leaves, then squeeze over the lime juice. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper, toss to coat and put aside. Crack the egg into a blender, add the flour, milk, remaining spinach and a pinch of salt and pepper, then blitz until smooth. Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat, rub the pan with a little olive oil, then pour in a thin layer of batter, swirling it up and around the edges. Cook on one side only for 2 minutes, or until lightly golden, then stack up on a serving plate and repeat. Top each pancake with dollops of cottage cheese, the avocado salad, and a few good shakes of chilli sauce. Really nice served with extra lime wedges for squeezing over, and a fried egg on top, if you fancy.

Tip

Instead of spinach you could use a mixture of soft herbs, such as parsley, mint, basil or tarragon – whatever you like!

Nutritional information

Energy 331kcal Fat 13.3g Sat Fat 4g Protein 13.5g Carbs 42.3g Sugars 6.3g Salt 1.2g Fibre 3g VEG by Jamie Oliver, published by Penguin Random House, €26. Food photography by David Loftus. Cover and portrait photography by Paul Stuart.