The Yummiest Blueberry Pancakes

What's a girl to do after an early morning weekend spin class and power yoga session? Why, make a yummy gluten free, vegan pancake brunch of course!

 I love, love, love pancakes, and these are so light & fluffy! They are sure to make you smile :)

Be warned, this recipe makes quite a large batch.... we like leftovers in our apartment! I always make more and wrap the extras up. Also if my lovely boyfriend comes over with his gorgeous new puppy, she always seems to get her tiny paws on a couple, so a few extra can come in very useful.  They taste so good cold or popped in the toaster the next day. Pancake & almond butter sandwich anyone?

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup buckwheat flour (or groats processed into flour)
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup gluten free oat flour
• 2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
• 1 banana
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (to sweeten, agave nectar would work)
• 1 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond or soy milk
• 1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract
• 1 cup blueberries
• extra blueberries, banana slices, & maple syrup to serve (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat a large non stick skillet over a medium heat.
2. In a a large bowl mix together the 3 flours and the baking powder until fully combined.
3. Pour the milk, vanilla, and syrup into the bowl, and whisk the batter until smooth and lump free.
4. Mash the banana with the applesauce, and then fold it into the pancake batter.
5. Lightly grease the skillet (I used Earth Balance Spread), and then ladle in a dollop of batter (about 3 1/2 inch diameter).
6. Sprinkle some blueberries on the top of the pancake. (I prefer adding the blueberries this way as it stops the pancakes turning overly purple, and it means you can make sure all the pancakes are loaded with blueberries. (A few months ago, I had a batch with one sad pancake containing only one lonely blueberry... my room mate wasn't too impressed, so she got some extra fake bacon to make up for it). 
7. Cook until bubbly on the top (slightly more bubbles than the pic), and then flip. Cooking the other side for a couple of mins, keeping peeking at it to check it's not browning too much. Golden brown is good, burnt is bad! These hold together surprisingly well for vegan, gluten free pancakes,but you still need to be gentle when flipping.
8. Repeat until the rest of the batter has been used.
9. Serve with extra blueberries & banana slices, and some warm male syrup drizzled on top. YUM :)

 

Feeling extra hungry, or wanting an extra special treat? Cook up a side of fake-bacon... it tates so yummy on top of the pancakes and all maple syrupy! Be sure to check the label though, quite alot of vegan meats contain wheat-gluten.

 

If you're looking for other brunch ideas, try my Berry French Toast. Can you believe french toast can be gluten free and vegan? It's yummy too (even if i do say so myself) ;)

 

 

Hot Chocolate Banana Breakfast Quinoa

Chocolate for breakfast? Oh yes, yes, yes! This is a really yummy alternative to oatmeal in the mornings, it gives you a quick chocolate fix too... and if you're like me I need atleast 3 chocolatey hits a day!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 1/4 cup gluten free oats
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla soy/almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 banana
• 2 tbsps cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp raisins

Directions

1. Mash or puree the banana and set aside.
2. Put the quinoa, milk, and water in a saucepan, bring to boil, then turn down to a low heat and simmer for 15 mins.
3. Add the oats, and simmer for a further 10mins.
4. Stir in the raisins, cocoa powder and pureed banana until fully combined.
5. Spoon into a bowl, and serve warm. Yummy in your tummy!

This also tastes amazing with a tablespoon of almond or peanut butter stirred through... packs some extra protein in there aswell!  Perfect for a pre- or post- workout breakfast.

Berry French Toast

Continuing on my quest for yummy gluten free, vegan dishes for my favourite meal of the day.... breakfast/brunch! I really don't need to say much about my Berry French Toast, I'm going to let it do it's own talking. Enjoy :)

Ingredients
(serves 2)

• 4 slices of gluten free bread
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla soy or almond milk
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons gluten free vanilla extract
• maple syrup (to serve)
• 2 handfuls fresh berries (to serve) - I like raspberries or blueberries for breakfast/brunch
• tiny bit of vegan spread, I used Earth Balance

Directions

1. Add the bananas, milk, almond butter, cinnamon, & vanilla extract together in a food processor, & pulse until fully combined. If the batter is too thick, you can add more milk. 
2. Pour the batter into a large dish & soak the slices of gluten free bread.
3. Heat a large non stick skillet, & add the vegan spread.
4. When the spread has melted, carefully (gluten free bread breaks up very easily) place the soaked bread in the skillet to cook.
5. When the bottom of the bread has turned a dark golden brown (not burnt, but the darker the bread is the less likely it will fall apart), flip it using a spatula.
6. Cook the 2nd side until just turning golden.
7. Plate up the french toast, drizzle with maple syrup, sprinkle with berries and serve warm. YUM :)

Cheesy Tofu Scramble

I went out with some friends for brunch at the weekend, and had the most delicious tofu scramble... I was truly inspired, so I decided to create my own version.

Ingredients

• 1 block firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (other oil would work too, I just prefer coconut oil for the health benefits & taste)
• 1/2 medium red onion
• 5 mini tomatoes
• 1 handful chopped spinach
• 4 small mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons vegan cheddar cheese (I use 'Daiya' cheddar style shreds)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon crushed fresh garlic
• freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Press & drain the tofu between two plates to get most of the moisture out (it takes about 10 mins), crumble it into small cubes.
2. Melt the coconut oil in a skillet. Add the onion & mushrooms.
3. When they are a nice golden color (don't let them get too brown), add the garlic and reduce the heat.
4. Add the spinach & tomato to the skillet first, and then the crumbled tofu.
5. Sprinkle on the nutritional yeast and the freshly ground black pepper.
6. Stir fry for 3-4 mins until the scramble is cooked through, sprinkle on the cheese (keeping the scramble on the heat until it melts) and serve. At the cafe, it was served with fresh fruit on the side.
7. Enjoy foodies!