RSU Expert: Quick and Simple Healthy Breakfast

Ilze Lutere is a lecturer and dietician at the Department of Sports and Nutrition of the RSU Faculty of Public Health and Social Welfare. In this video, Ilze shows us how to quickly and simply make healthy oat flour pancakes with tuna, cream cheese and vegetables.

‘I consider that a breakfast like this that combines grains and dairy products is a good source of protein as they complement one another well. The amino acids not found in dairy can instead be found in grains meaning that this combination will ensure you get all eight essential amino acids. Preparing this breakfast will only take a few minutes in the morning,’ explains Ilze Lutere. ‘The carbohydrates found in grains should be eating early in the day because the body will use these to generate energy. Protein, on the other hand, is what we are made up of. We need both in order to start our days and you could combine any other grain with any other dairy product – it could also be rye bread with cottage cheese, or oatmeal made with milk which could be eaten with berries or vegetables, depending on whether you want a sweet or savoury breakfast.’

Ingredient list for a few medium-sized pancakes (1 person, 350 calories):

• Oat flour or ground wholegrain oats – 30 g (2 tbsp.)
• 100 ml milk (approx. ½ glass)
• 1 egg
• A pinch of turmeric
• A handful of salad leaves
• A slice of pepper
• 50 g tuna in brine
• 30 g fresh cream cheese
• Salad dressing: a little unrefined pumpkin seed oil and balsamic vinegar or something similar.

Preparation

1. Batter

Add 2 tbsp. of oat flour to the egg, as well as half a glass of milk. Sprinkle in a pinch of turmeric. Turmeric is from the ginger family and one of the most researched spices. It is valued for its great antioxidant properties and it is a natural anti-inflammatory that can help fight cancer. Make the batter and let it sit for a few minutes in order for the pancakes to hold together better.

‘You will get approximately 2-3 medium pancakes from this amount of batter. If you need to feed more people, I suggest you make another batter separately. Since oat flour doesn’t contain a lot of gluten, the batter won’t hold together very well if it is made in large quantities.’

You can substitute dairy milk for water, oat or almond milk. You could also use buckwheat, quinoa or wheat flour in place of oat flour. ‘In order for the nutritional value to be higher, i.e. for it to contain more vitamins and micronutrients, I suggest that you choose spelt flour which is a wholegrain flour.’

2. Frying

‘First heat the pan with a bit of grease so that the pancakes don’t stick to the pan and absorb too much fat.’

3. Filling

When the pancake is ready, spread cream cheese on one side so that it will be easier to fold the pancake over. ‘I have chosen fresh cream cheese with a low fat content, but you can choose anything else that you like. You could use cottage cheese mixed with yogurt or sour cream instead.’

You can add your filling on top of the cream cheese. ‘I like using tuna in brine. If you do not like tuna, you can use fresh salmon, or high quality crab sticks. You could also just use cream cheese and vegetables, skipping the fish. Another option is to chop up an egg as filling,’ says Ilze.

4. Additions

You can serve the pancakes with a mixed salad with a little bit of unrefined pumpkin seed oil and balsamic vinegar, or something similar.