Vegan Quinoa Pancakes

What a perfect way to spend the weekend.

A morning run in the fresh air followed by a plate of gorgeous vegan pancakes smothered in maple syrup and tart fresh berries. I feel like I have fallen straight out of the Cosmo lifestyle section...

These pancakes are vegan-friendly, gluten and dairy free but still keep that familiar light fluffiness of their traditional counterparts. Win-win right?!

Now I decided to use quinoa flour in my batch purely because I hadn't tried it in a pancake batter before and I'm going to be honest, if you aren't used to the taste you may want to swap in some buckwheat, oat or other type of flour or use a blend to ease yourself in. Its not a bad taste necessarily but it does retain a more earthy/grainy flavour that is more subtle in other types of flours out there and if you are jumping straight from the processed wheat flour to a gluten free option it might be a bit of a palette shock. But hey, if you try it out and aren't such a fan, there is nothing a good dousing of maple syrup or honey and a fist full of fresh berries can't fix!

I also used mild EVOO as the fatty component but you could use grape seed, canola, coconut or whatever other oil you like. Usually I would go for a flavourless oil in this sort of a batter but I couldn't detect any olive-y taste so as long as it isn't a strong flavoured oil you should be fine whichever way you go.

**ALSO! I did a quick little recipe video down below the recipe so check it out and let me know what you think! **

Vegan Quinoa Pancakes

Serves ~2


1 cup quinoa flour (or another variety if you prefer)
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract/essence)
1 cup almond milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large tbsp applesauce
 

Combine your dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the wet ingredients and whisk to combine until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps. 

Heat a fry pan over a medium heat with a little oil and cook your pancakes for about a minute each side or until lightly browned. 

Finish with your favourite choice of toppings! I went with a squirt of fresh lemon, a generous drizzle of maple syrup and some fresh blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. A nice dollop of whipped coconut cream would have been great though... maybe next time!  

 

Be it brought on by 'that time of the month', a bad breakup or a good old sweet tooth; sometimes you crave the sweet things in life. Often times this involves ice cream. 

But should we let these cravings ruin all our hard work in the gym for a few minutes of sugar-induced satisfaction?! Will you be regretting every mouthful as soon as you down the spoon?!

There is only one thing we say to gym-defying deserts: Not Today! 

What up Game of Thrones reference!

What you should have instead is a serving of 'Nice Cream', a healthy ice cream alternative sweeping rawists, vegans and the hippy instagram community. 

 

As the name suggests, this 'desert' is both delicious and nutritious! 

The ice cream is simply frozen banana blitzed in a food processor and layered with whatever fruits, nuts and flavours your sensible-yet-hungry heart desires.

 

Banana, Date and Coconut 'Nice Cream' 

 

You Will Need: 

3 Bananas

Handful of pitted dates

Large handful of dried, flaked coconut

Large handful of raspberries (or blueberries, chopped strawberries etc.)

Handful of pecans (or another type of nut)

Peel and slice the bananas into bite sized pieces and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Stick in the freezer for an hour or so until the banana slices are well frozen. 

Blitz the frozen banana in your food processor for about 10 minutes or until it becomes smooth and creamy (don't worry if it just looks chunky at first, just keep blending!). If the banana is too soft stick it in the freezer for 10 min or so until it firms up a little.

Grab your most hipster-ish mason jar and spoon a little nice cream into the bottom. Add a layer of berries, nuts, dates and coconut and continue filling your jar, alternating between banana and the flavourings. 

Voila! 

Enjoy your sweet fix guilt free!