Monday, October 4, 2010

Flourless Pancakes: Gluten-Free, Casein-Free, Refined Sugar-Free

Well, it looks like I lied about posting the Hempseed article before October. Seriously - what happened to September? I thought I had a few more days left! Not only haven't I posted my hempseed article, it's time to pick a new superfood of the month! Oh well. I am opting to extend the reign of the hempseed for another week. It will give me time to do more research... or keep procrastinating (lol). More to come on the Hempseed!
Anyway, on to the pancakes. As of yesterday, I may have transcended to a new level as a barista and cook. At the very least, I impressed my family with some awesome pancakes. My mom and brother talked about them the entire day! Or maybe it was me. I don't really remember who kept bringing it up, but the bottom line is they were a huge success. Possibly the best part was that they were so nutritious and satisfying that we didn't eat another thing until dinner and no one was hungry all day long. I should also add that my mom isn't really a buckwheat fan, and these totally won her over. And what's not to love? They are flourless, wheat and gluten-free, casein-free, refined sugar-free, and the taste and texture are incredible. Yesterday was my 3rd or 4th time making these pancakes. I added more ground millet, Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, and chopped macadamia nuts. The results were phenomenal. If you enjoy a hearty, fluffy pancake, then you will love this recipe. It is adapted from one featured on the Cooking Candida Free and Living Well blog.


Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups buckwheat groats, soaked and sprouted, measured after sprouting
¼ cup freshly ground whole millet, measured before grinding
2 tbsp freshly ground golden flax seed, measured before grinding
2 eggs, organic & free range
splash of vanilla
3 tbsp unrefined coconut oil
splash of lemon juice

nut milk of choice (enough to blend the ingredients above into a batter consistency)

1tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt

Optional (but highly recommended!): 1 cup of nuts (macadamia nuts or walnuts are my favorite)
½ cup of Enjoy Life gluten-free chocolate chips

Toppings: agave nectar, maple syrup, berry compote, ghee, butter, hemp seeds

Directions:
Blend buckwheat, eggs, vanilla, flax, coconut oil, lemon juice, and nut milk in a blender. Add nut milk bit-by-bit to achieve a batter-like consistency. In a separate bowl, stir together baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Combine the dry ingredients with the batter and blend thoroughly. Stir in nuts and/or other optional ingredients.

These pancakes cook fairly quickly on a skillet at medium to low heat, with a little bit of oil. It's safe to flip once they begin to bubble, and the 2nd side takes less time than the 1st.

Note: I topped mine with Ghee, a sprinkling of Stevia, and hemp seeds for some extra protein. Wow.

PS. I brewed 50% Blueberry Cinnamon Crumble coffee and 50% Vanilla Nut Teechino in the french press. I got the coffee from a local mom & pop coffee shop called The Lazy Bean. Their flavored coffee has a nice robust smoothness of flavor.