Will it be pancakes or waffles on Shrove Tuesday this year?

Pancake Day is on February 17th this year and there is plenty of time to plan and prepare.

There’s a great choice of offerings: morning, afternoon or evening?  Sweet or savoury?  Accompanied by indulgent cream, a deliciously fruity low-sugar sauce, or healthy luscious thick plain yoghurt?

Take your pick.  

This post offers dairy-free options and starts with basic pancake and waffle recipes.

Basic 67 recipe for pancakes: fat-free, no/low sugar Scotch Pancakes here. Beautifully textured, they will swiftly become a standby.   

Basic 67 Waffle Recipe

Healthier Waffles 
Low sugar & fat, with wheat-free, dairy free and high-fibre options

1. Savoury

Waffles stuffed with ham/pastrami & veg:

great with soups & stews; wallet-friendly,healthy

Lentil Brunch Pancakes 

unexpected frugal delight;  opt for dairy-free,

serve with spinach, avo & poached eggs

Portable Pancakes: Savoury Corn & Ham or Pastrami : perfect for the lunchbox, low-fat/sugar & yeast-free, easy, make-ahead

 Crepes stuffed with Ricotta & Sunblush Tomato with White Wine Sauce

 Indulgent vegetarian treat will thrill a special someone on a special occasion

Vegan Spelt, Polenta & Sweetcorn pancakes 

replace toast in a classic English breakfast or make great soup dippers; they  are also a brunch conversation stopper spread with avocado and a poached egg 

Sprout Latkes/Pancakes: really, really tasty budget Vegetarian fare 

2.  SWEET

A 67goingon50 favourite is American Buttermilk pancakes with healthier Caramel Apple Sauce.  This version has a dairy-free option. 

American Buttermilk Pancakes

The pancakes are sweeter than 67 usually likes but the gorgeously fluffy sturdiness and lovely crispy brown edges are worth the calories.  Maple syrup is replaced with Caramel Apple Sauce, using fresh apples. 

Caramel Apple Sauce

Both batter and sauce can be made in advance.  This recipe for Americdan Buttermilk pancakes includes a healthier vegan option for the pancakes - butter and sugar-free with plant milk. 

***

Use the same recipe for Blueberry pancakes, made the night before; blueberries are stirred in just before cooking. (If your kids like the idea of purple 'unicorn' pancakes, toss in the blueberries before refrigerating;  the blueberry juices stain the pancakes a lovely blue and make a great backdrop for sprinkles etc).  

Chocolate Flower Pancakes make a great family brunch.  Kids love them, not just because they're pretty and tasty but also because they can help make them.

Skinnier Crepes a l'orange have all the flavour, booziness and yumminess of the classic dessert without all the sugar and fat.  Ace...but probably not for the kids!

WAFFLES

Banana Nut Waffles, dairy free opt
'...adds a gorgeous creamy texture, smells delightfully of banana'  

 

And an 

Blueberry Spelt Waffles, dairy-free option
'needs an extra minute or two for optimum crispness but were soft & lovely inside'

SWEET TOPPINGS FOR PANCAKES & WAFFLES 

Maple syrup, honey, chocolate sauce sprinkled with nuts or - for the health-conscious - lower sugar fruit compote or jam.  

Uber-indulgent toppings include two easy sweet spreads Lemon Curd or Almost Guilt-Free Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.  

Please leave a Comment in the box below

These recipes  have been developed or adapted by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  They may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission. 

 

INDULGENT VALENTINE’S TREATS

My new iPad  ate the post intended for this week, but this cobbled together selection of recipes is guaranteed to wow guests and family.  

They run the range from luxurious indulgences to wallet friendly wonders.  Some are easy, some healthier than most; some 'never-mind-the-calories; just enjoy the deliciousness!'  But all are mouthwatering and utterly delicious.

Options include luxury, tea-time, easy, vegan & cheats' delights.

Note: dairy free options are clearly marked.  Or some friends make the cream-filled desserts as a special treat but wait 1-6 hours after the main course before offering them to guests.

Many posted Prices do not reflect recent inflation; note the dates on the individual posts, top right hand above the photo. 

 

1.  SPECIAL OCCASION -- Pure Indulgence

Luxury Pistachio Cheesecake: pale richly creamy fillling, studded with bright green chopped pistachios, slathered over a generous crumb crust

Grown men sampling these two spreads think they've died and gone to heaven...

Almost guilt-free 
 Guilt-Free Chocolate Hazelnut Spread 

Foolproof Lemon Curd

...and if I were with my two true loves on Valentines' Day, this is what they’d  be getting as a pressie: a jar of Lemon Curd and one of Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread.

Luckily both recipes are super-easy.  The curd is unforgettable - rich, smooth and  lemony - and there's no danger of lumps when cooking it.  Spread on toast, the curd is a revelation.  Poured into a freshly baked or store bought pie shell lined with fresh raspberries and covered with meringue (Special Occasional Lemon Raspberry Pie), it's sensational; stirred into puddings, it's a wonderful accent.

The Chocolate Nut spread is also magical spread on toast or layered between slices of plain cake.  But it's sublime made into a mousse-like icing; drizzled over brownies or - a favourite - eaten straight from the jar with a spoon.  A big spoon!  This chocolate spread - unlike commercial ones - is almost guilt-free; it's low in added sugar and preservative-free.

Triple Chocolate & Cointreau Shortbread, melts in the mouth, warms as it goes down!

Triple Chocolate Truffle Brownies, WOW!

2.  FESTIVE FABULOUSLY FRUGAL & WALLET-FRIENDLY 

Creamy Pineapple Pudding, thrifty, easy, dairy free opt, choice of fruit

Boozy Orange Marmalade Bread & Butter Pudding: Inexpensive but yummy with an alcoholic twist 

 

TEA-TIME TREATS

Twisted Scone Wreath stuffed with Chocolate & Nuts, Orange & Cinnamon

Sensational Lemon-Mint Angel Food Cakes: tender fluffy interiors with unexpectedly  crackly tops. Think they look boring?  Prepare to be blown away!  

Blueberry, Pineapple & Walnut Cake: rich, fine-crumbed Blueberry, Pineapple & Nut Cake is the perfect indulgence for visitors/guests. Tasters loved it.

3.  DIETERS' DELIGHTS

Skinny Chocolate Peppermint Mousse:  Dairy-free unless you want it as a to - and the pudding's choolate flavours are still deep & dark.  Option to replace mint with fresh fruit soaked in liqueur.  

Light & lovely but still intensely chocolatey; 
no-bake, butter-free, cream optional

Luscious Lemon Pudding: gloriously gorgeous crowd-pleaser; diary-free option:; yoghurt lightens & enhances creaminess and flavour; 67's Foolproof lemon curd instead of shop-bought elevates the dish

4.  Easy-Peasy

4-ingredient shortbread: dairy-free option; first class melt-in-the-mouth Scottish treat, needs only butter, sugar, flour and flavouring. And you can leave out the flavouring!  Perfect for a cost of living crisis. 

1 Recipe=2 Delicious Treats: Cinnamon Breakfast Twists for breakfast & Blueberry Scones for Tea: mouthwatering contrast of flavours 

5.  VEGETARIAN/VEGAN 

Special Occasion Lemon Drizzle Cake: VEGAN, Indulgent, fat & egg free.  Easily the best of the vegan cake recipes tested by 67goingon50.  Truly fabulous taste & texture but cake has a maddening tendency to sink in the middle but taste & texture not affected, just fill the dip with fresh fruit!

Cherry Garcia Ice Cream: VEGAN , easy-peasy; the nicest, tastiest, healthiest ice cream ever; no cream - just bananas...

'Irish Coffee' Chocolate Cake':  Vegan-glorious; dark, rich and gorgeously chocolatey, the cake is fine-crumbed and hints of whiskey.  The frothy topping is served on the side or turned into icing 

Pomelo (Chinese grapefrut) fruit platter with Cinnamon Vanilla Yoghurt Cream: wallet-friendly, low-fat 

Orange Berry Plate: fresh, colourful, guilt-free, budget friendly

6.  CHEATS' DELIGHTS

Cheat's Luxury Log: When the pressure's on, a good supermarket Swiss Roll, smothered in simple home-made chocolate ganache, makes a great impression.  

Cheat's Black Forest Trifle: Simple, light but ever-so-delicious, so yummy & quick

For more Christmas dishes, see How to...on the Nav Bar above; they're 2/3 of the way down the page

These recipes have been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.

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Make the most of Leftovers 2025

 Updated Dec 2025 ; some prices historic 

Tough times turn leftovers into life savers 

(Courtesy of Pinterest; licensed for reuse)  

                                   

More than ever, we can't afford to waste food. With a little thought and plannning however Festive leftovers can morph into scrumptious comforting meals, especially if you remember you don't need as much protein as you think.  Leftovers can also form the basis of canapes.

Nearly all of the recipes here are Wallet friendly.

A note on Storage Tips:

• Never re-freeze something that has been frozen before UNLESS it was frozen raw/uncooked (eg meat, casseroles, stews) and then cooked
• 67goingon50 recommends a 2-3 day limit on refrigerated food before it is frozen or binned. Bin it if it fails the  smell test
• The post 'Freezing Matters' from 67goingon50 is recommended

Whether you are saving the leftovers for meals once January is over, to keep food spending down until Feb, here are a few helpful 67goingon50's tips, ideas and recipes for leftovers. There are two categories: leftovers frozen over the Hannukah/Christmas blow-out, and perishable cupboard items like fruit, veg and eggs .

1.  Using FROZEN LEFTOVERS

Bread/Buns/Croissants

• Sandwiches: See Christmas Sandwich Free for All, Hoisin Chicken/Turkey Baguette, Devilled Tuna Open Faced Sarnie, Fancy Make-Ahead Sandwiches 

• Ultra Easy Double Dipped French Toast: frugal; so easy kids can make it 

• Bread & Butter Puddings: various on NavBar: Recipes I/Baked Goods, including special occasion ambrosial Chocolate Mint Bread & Butter Pudding and frugal Boozy Orange Bread & Butter Pudding 

• Croissants: stuff with ham/pastrami, scrambled egg and chopped parsley; warm through in moderate oven

• Breadcrumbs (from stale unfrozen breads processed coarsely and frozen in portions suitable for your household) are ideal for anything needing a crispy shell:  schnitzel, fish gougons, southern un-fried chicken, pasta

Cheese

• (Note: hard cheeses and brie are best frozen wrapped first in grease-proof paper then tightly in cling film)  

• Odds and ends of cheese: grate, add a little cream and a touch of smoked paprika; pile onto toasted bread & grill till melted OR layer one half of puff pastry with leftover cold cuts or sausage, cover generously with cheese/s of choice; layer other half of pastry on top;  crimp edges, brush with egg; poke a small hole in the top for escaping steam, bake and cut into squares.  Or try Sensational Cheese Straws using odds and ends of cheese.  Or scatter over leaves and fruit using the template of Warmed Tortilla with Salad, Stilton and Pear

Double Cream

• use within 1-2 months; once defrosted it may not whip as nicely as usual

• beat to a soft peak with vanilla and a little icing sugar for a superior topping for Irish Coffee & hot chocolate

• transforms into butter when beaten continuously with electric beaters until the cream splits into butter and whey; discard whey or use in baking

Egg Whites & Yolks, Frozen

Defrost; see  Cupboard Leftovers

Pre-shredded, sliced Ham/Pastrami, frozen in small portions 

Add to soups, salads or pasts for add colour & warmth to soups, salads or pasta.  

Also :

- stuff croissants with spiced meat & cheese; toast till cheese melts  

-  Celeriac, Ham/Pastrami & Mustard salad or sandwich filling

Potatoes

• Roasties:  Replace chip shop chips with chopped roast potatoes in Tortilla Espagnol: Cheat's Version 

• Leftover Mash: super easy Spiced Potato Cigarillos  (Indian-style 'chip butty' canapes) or Easy-Peasy Smashed Potato Salad (ready in minutes)

Salmon

• Salmon & Rice Leftover Salad: '...fresh bright taste; loved the chilli, the crisp yellow pepper and the lightness of the rice.' 
• Salmon & Mayo Sandwiches with finely chopped sweet pickle

Turkey/Chicken (see Recipes for Turkey leftovers/supermarket bargains) below

2.  CUPBOARD LEFTOVERS

Eggs

Raw: 

• make frittatas & quiches; these will also use up cold or raw vegetables, cheese & shards of protein
• Tortilla Espagnol: Cheat's Version
• Tortilla Espagnol: Glamour Mode, also uses up cooked & raw veg 

Raw Egg Whites (fresh or frozen and defrosted):

• Exquisite Emergency Almond Biscuits: delicious & delicate; gluten & dairy-free; fast & easy     
• Lower-Sugar Mini Pavlovas with Spicy fruit: deliciously crumbly, redolent with Christmas spices
• for anything that will look good with a cloud of meringue, such as Lemon Meringue Surprise Pie or Chocolate Meringue Pie or Baked Alaska

Raw Egg Yolks (fresh or frozen):
     Easier Fruit Curds: lemon or orange or a combo of citrus fruits

Hard Boiled:

• Carnival Potato Salad, also uses up raw peppers
• Skinnier Scotch Eggs, low-fat, high flavour, wallet-friendly; uses up sausage meat
• Avocado & Ham Devilled Eggs, frugal and fabulous
• Tuna Stuffed Eggs, one of 67goingon50's Classics - a delight as the end of January approaches

    
Mixed Fresh Fruit

• Fruit salads: replace sugar syrup with unsweetened fruit juice, fresh or from a carton; flavour with mint or ginger syrup or alcohol; top up with tinned fruit if necessary

• Trifles (See Recipes 1: Baking)

• Crumbles (as above)

• Incorporate into waffles or pancakes (see recipes 1 & 11)

• Bake with fruit juice & flavouring of choice; process to a sauce; strain if necessary; pour over ice cream

Lemons

• Sprinkle juice & zest over lightly steamed or boiled veg & top with toasted sunflower seeds

• Lemon curd for spreading on toast or mixing with yoghurt OR added to  whipped cream in Luscious Lemon Pudding

• Reduced fat Lemon Cheesecake: a complete knock-out dessert

Nuts

• Roast lightly for No-bake Granola Flapjacks: vegan, low sugar, high energy & protein

• Process and transform into lower-sugar Nut Chocolate Spread for Chocolatella Brownies in canapé sizes for special treats

Oranges

•  Skinner Crepes a l'orange 

• Sunshine Salad, also uses up cooked poultry, ham & apples

Raw Potatoes

•  Skinnier Scalloped potatoes, French style - perfect comfort food for frugal January
•  potato salads in Recipes II/Salads 

Vegetables

• Raw: Cook up an attractive, appealing and delicious low-carb vegetarian platter Stir-fry of Low-Carb Vegetables OR make quick & easy simple pickled vegetables

• uncooked sprouts: try Sprout, Pear, Walnut & dried berries 

• Cooked: soups, frittatas and quiches; also vegetarian sandwiches with lettuce, cucumber & tomatoes or veggie slaw moistened with yoghurt mayo or mayo

• Salad Ingredients: Stocks and Fried Rice

RECIPES FOR FRESH LEFTOVERS & SUPERMARKET BARGAINS

  

TURKEY LEFTOVERS/POST-HOLIDAY SUPERMARKET BARGAINS are very popular.

1.  Cooked Turkey/Chicken

• Frontier Turkey in low-fat Creamy Sauce on buttermilk biscuits; 'the biscuit didn't turn soggy' 'Super creamy yet light and full of flavour.' 

One can see this  served from the back
of a chuckwagon in the American mid-west during the cowboy era

• Sliced turkey in hot yorkshire puddings with gravy & cranberry sauce

• Spicy Singapore Noodles with Turkey, Ham/Pastrami & /or Prawns: quick & feisty

• Almost Instant Crispy Noodles with turkey, chilli, broccoli & gravy: divine taste & textures 

• An accent in soups, stir fries, noodles

2.  Raw Turkey (from New Year supermarket bargains)

Turkey in Curry Sauce (from raw or turkey leftovers): This classic turkey leftover recipe happens to be  extremely healthy with plenty of veg incorporated into the sauce.  It is also delicious, comforting andf ull of body and flavour

• Don't forget: turkey carcass makes fabulous stock.  Toss in a slow cooker with a couple of onions, carrots & sticks of celery, some peppercorns & a bay leaf.  Cook on low overnight or for 8 hours.  Strain, throw out veg but strip meat from the bones and save for sandwich fillings and pies.  Refrigerate overnight; remove fat; freeze

3.  Alcohol 
The obvious...but also flavouring coffees, icings (for adults), cheesecakes (for adults), homemade truffles

4.  Bread/Buns

• Sandwiches: See above, also Toast Toppers (various)
• Process stale bread into Fresh Breadcrumbs: freeze 

5.  Cheese

• spread leftover mixed cheeses over half a rolled out puff/shortcrust pastry, sprinkle with spice of choice, top with the rest of the pasty and press down with a rolling pin, cut into strips and twist into cheese straws; bake at 180c/350f until golden brown, about 10-15 min. (these go down a storm!)
• layer bottom half of pre-made puff pastry with leftover deli meat or sausage, cover generously with grated cheese; top with rest of pastry, crimp edges, brush with egg; bake; cut into generous squares; serve warm
• Remember: Hard cheeses and soft ones like brie can be frozen but wrap first in grease-proof paper, then in cling film and store in an air tight freezer bag  

7. Eggs (see also above)

Raw Egg Yolks (fresh or frozen, defrosted)

• Easier Fruit Curds: lemon or orange or a combination of citrus fruits

Mixed Fresh Fruit   

• Ripen at home fresh pineapples can be sweet and budget friendly, usually around a pound;  see how to peel a pineapple)
• Berries near the end of their life on offer can be frozen for jam/compote

Orange

• Sunshine Salad, uses up cooked poultry, ham & apples

Raw Potatoes

•  Skinnier Stuffed Potato Skins (also uses up bacon & cheese) 

Vegetables

• uncooked sprouts: try Christmas Season Slaw: Sprout, Pear, Walnut & Cranberries

• Salad Ingredients: add to Stocks and Fried Rice

 

DON'T FORGET THE HOMELESS:

Freeze or keep back some:

• sandwiches/rolls with nice fillings

• robust treats/desserts

When shops re-open, add  fresh fruit, bag up and leave with a cup of hot coffee foe your favourite homeless person.

Christmas leftovers from 2015 on NavBar: How to..

Please leave a Comment in the box below

  

This group of recipes has been compiled by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.