When I went to pick up a jar at The Happy Pear it had disappeared off the shelves the day previous. Of course they had it in a couple of days later and needless to say I did my usual jump for joy, overly enthusiastic bit of chatter at the till delight; I was super excited to try it and I let everyone know it! 
Your probably thinking what’s all the fuss? Is it meant to taste amazing? What could be so fantastic about this bee pollen she’s making a song and dance about….
Well let me tell you when I bought it I didn’t even know the half of it. I knew it was a super food but I’d know concept of just how amazing it had proven to be!
“Collected by our friends, the bees, pollen has been described as ‘the perfect food’ as it contains more than 96 different nutrients, in fact, every single nutrient that is needed to sustain human life!”
Well who could say no to trying some that!
Here are some other interesting highlights of these magical little buds of pollen!
- Antibacterial, anti fungal & antiviral!
- A fantastic immune system enhancer
- Useful for stabilising body weight; overweight or underweight thanks to the balancing amino acid phenylalanine
- Contains a range of antioxidants
- All the Essential Fatty Acids
- Helpful in lowering cholesterol, strengthening and stabilising capillaries
So what exactly is it?
Bee pollen is the male seed of a flower blossom which are collected by the honey bees and mixed with the bees’ digestive enzymes.
It was a tough decision deciding whether or not I was ok with eating the pollen…vegan or not vegan..I see it as a waste product the bees have not collected it for their own purpose, nor have as humans encouraged or exploited them to collect the pollen. Also I’m vegan primarily for the health benefits so that was my decision made but I guess it’s a personal choice.
I’ve eaten a teaspoon of it every this week so I’ve a whole heap of recipes that it has been sprinkled over to share with you. First up were some awesome peanut flour pancakes! I’m not quite sure if I’m experiencing the benefits of not yet…I feel like my skin has a bit more a glow, a spot I had during the week healed really quickly and I feel slightly more energised…but these could all be just coincidence. I’m going to stick with it anyway, it has to be doing some good!
Incredibly filling, protein packed, with a wonderful aroma. A quick strawberry sauce on top, fresh strawberries, banana and a few dollops of PB2 and of course the now obligatory sprinkling of bee pollen! The pancakes were incredible and I immediately took a liking to the bee pollen. A richer flavour than honey, a teeny bit bitter, along the lines of cacao nibs…all together it was a delicious plateful, nutritionally complete
Did you know Muhammad Ali was apparently a fan of these super duper yellow granule’s of goodness? Maybe it’s were his “sting like a bee” came from!
Ever tried bee pollen? Tempted?
Peanut Flour Pancakes
Servings – 1 (3 large pancakes)
Preparation Time – 5 minutes
Cooking Time – 8-10 minutes
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 30g (1/4 cup) peanut flour
- 30g (1/4 cup) chickpea flour
- 1 small ripe banana
- 125ml (1/2 cup) almond milk
- 1 tsp baking powder
Toppings
- 1 heaped tsp bee pollen
- 2 heaped tbsp PB2 + 1.5 tbsp water (or 2 tbsp peanut butter)
- 1/3 cup sliced strawberries
- 1/2 tsp desiccated coconut
Strawberry Sauce
- 1/2 cup frozen or fresh strawberries
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1/3 tsp cornstarch + 1 tsp water
Directions
- Mix together all pancake ingredients. Blend until smooth using a hand blender.
- Place 1/3 cup measures in a large non stick pan and spread flat using the back of a spoon to form a nice even large round.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes over a medium before flipping over and cooking for a further 4-5 minutes.
- Meanwhile add strawberries and maple syrup to a pot and allow to simmer over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until strawberries disintegrate. Mix together cornstarch and water. Mash strawberries until smooth, remove from the heat and stir in cornstarch mixture. Return to the heat, stirring continuously, and allow to simmer for a further 2- 3 minutes until desired consistency.
- Serve topped with a dollop of PB2 or peanut butter on each, a spoonful of strawberry sauce, sprinkle over bee pollen and coconut and place strawberries around the sides!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve never tried bee pollen and to me it falls under the same category as honey. Obviously no-one can be some kind of ‘perfect’ vegan but I was devestated when I realised that KIND bars were sweetened with honey. It wasn’t until I realised how upset I was that I’d been eating them for a few months that I discovered how vehemently I believed that honey wasn’t vegan. But I’m not vegan for health reasons by any means (my body actually functions better on a vegetarian diet due to my high protein needs, but my mind/ethics won’t accept it) so I’m coming from a completely different perspective. I’m also pretty skeptical about superfoods – they’re incredibly expensive and honestly when I was consuming mass quantities of maca, mesquite, MSM, goji berries and whatnot I felt absolutely no different than without them. I always wonder about the science behind some of the claims, and just how much of any ‘superfood’ you have to eat to notice any benefits.
xxx
Thanks for the input Jess! I’m always skeptical myself when it comes to “superfoods” but bee pollen really is the most nutritionally complete food known to man
I love the idea of using bee pollen as a topper for things. Sheesh, my Mom used to make us eat bee pollen every day from the time we were little to when I moved out. That and cod liver oil. The bee pollen was served up plain, no fun pancakes or breakfasts, and the cod liver oil tasted absolutely horrible! Your way of enjoying it is SO much better
I’ll happily it eat straight from the spoon but it does make for a good pancake topper! Cod liver oil…no chance!
Bee pollen is only being heard about in Ireland now and even still not many people have heard of it and know the benefits, let alone are they eating it!
I’ve never tried bee pollen but I think it falls under the same category as honey for me. As I am vegan not just for health reasons but for ethical reasons too, I don’t consume animal products in whatever form they may come in. It certainly seems like it has good nutritional benefits but it won’t be something I will be trying out.
i never taste bee pollen before but with your write up here it seen so interesting to have a taste of it. thanks for sharing.