Happy Healthy New Year!

Now we have left Christmas and overindulgence behind and are well into the new year, which we hope will be a prosperous and healthy one for everyone.

Unfortunately many have a health challenge like diabetes which puts serious restrictions on what to eat. Good cookbooks are available that make it a lot easier to plan meals, but to re-create favourite dishes of family members takes a lot of research and experimentation!

One of those favourites in our home is pancakes with all possible variations. Today I will show you one of them: Potato pancakes originally, now called coco yam pancakes. The change was necessary because coco yam is lower on the glycaemic index than potatoes, therefore better for diabetics but just as delicious!

You will need:
1 medium sized coco yam (malanga coco)
1 small onion
1 egg
1 heaped tbsp wholemeal flour ( wholewheat )

a pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper
about 1/2 cup water
vegetable oil for frying

Method:
Peel and finely grate the coco yam and onion into a bowl. Add the egg, flour, salt and pepper and whisk to combine. then add enough water to make a medium dense batter.

Heat a little oil in a fairly large non-stick frying pan and when very hot add a ladle of batter in 3 places, spreading each into a neat circle. Fry until top is no longer liquid and bottom is nicely browned. Flip over and fry the other side until brown. Remove from pan to a warmed plate lined with absorbent paper.

Frying the first batch second side

To serve, choose a savoury or sweet accompaniment. I like to serve apple puree (homemade and without sugar) with these pancakes since it is traditional and my husband simply loves this combination!