Blueberry Banana Buckwheat Pancakes

I should also mention these are vegan and gluten-free, but “vegan gluten-free blueberry banana buckwheat pancakes” is too long for the title of a post. Plus, I don’t want to scare off people who think vegan and gluten-free food tastes like shit.

Every few months, I become obsessed with a food and then I want to eat that food all the time. My recent obsession is pancakes. And since I can’t consume buttermilk on the reg, I decided I needed a healthier version.  These pancakes are healthy so you definitely won’t get that fluffy, buttery, sugary taste. Instead, you get to eat whole grains and fruit. Exciting huh? Since I’m trying to remind myself how to eat healthy again, I better learn to become obsessed with vegan gluten-free blueberry banana buckwheat pancakes.

Images via myself

Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows

• 1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats (not kasha), ground into a flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond milk
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 medium ripe banana, diced
• 1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.

In a blender, blend the buckwheat groats on high speed until a fine flour forms. Place into a large bowl. Now whisk in the rest of the dry ingredients (rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder).

Pour in the almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Whisk the batter until no clumps remain.

Fold in the diced banana and scraped vanilla bean. If using fresh blueberries, mix them in now.

Lightly grease skillet. Scoop 1/4 cup of batter onto the preheated skillet. If using frozen blueberries, sprinkle on a heaping tablespoon of blueberries. Cook until many bubbles appear and then flip and cook for another couple minutes. Repeat for the other pancakes.

Pumpkin Pancakes

I have yet to exhaust adding pumpkin to everything I eat. It just makes stuff taste better. Especially breakfast stuff like pancakes. Yes, I made pumpkin pancakes and they were almost as good as the ones at IHOP with half the calories I’m sure. I’m proud of myself.

Photos via me

Recipe:

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Europa

This has been a busy few months. It’s like I suddenly developed a social life or something. We’ve spent most of our weekends away from home and recently indulged in an overnight trip to Palm Springs and a sugary breakfast at Cafe Europa to celebrate the Husband’s birthday.  Breakfast is underrated don’t you think?

There’s something about the Husband being in school that makes us want to fill up all his free time with travel. But real life resumes today and so does my countdown to the season premiere of Gossip Girl!

What I Ate This Weekend

On Saturday I made my own version of a gorgeous chopped Greek bean salad courtesy of Bri Emery. I traded in one block of feta for buffalo mozzarella (it’s what I had in my fridge) and threw in some zucchini and any other vegetable that struck my fancy. My salad  would more aptly be called a chopped Italian bean salad. I’ve decided to have an affair with cannellini beans. Chickpeas just aren’t doing it for me anymore.

Then on Sunday, the Husband (who pretty much has weekend breakfast duty) made me his grandpa’s famous Swedish pancakes, which are essentially delightful sweet crepes. I like to fold it into fourths, drizzle real maple syrup all over and top it off with strawberries. I’m still talking about breakfast.

And for dinner…a frozen pizza. Yes, I said FROZEN PIZZA! Sometimes, I can’t bear to cook (like on nights when True Blood and Entourage are on back to back) so I keep a cheese pizza in the freezer for those occasions. I do, however, dress it up with vegetables. In this case, it was zucchini, jalapenos, bell peppers and onion.

All images by me.

Rosemary Potato Frittata

It occurred to me that I haven’t done a recipe post this week, which is ridiculous since food is all I can think about.  We had this rosemary potato fritatta for brunch prior to my deprivation diet and I just never got around to sharing. I used this recipe, but left out the cream. Oh how I long for a potato.

It’s been nearly two weeks since Operation Fiji Body and I’ve been pretty good — mostly stayed away from carbs except that one night; mostly stayed away from alcohol except red wine; and mostly worked out other than that one weekend.  Do I feel skinnier? Eh…My mom mentioned something about my chin looking leaner, but she’s obligated.  

I should probably also confess that I haven’t weighed myself once since starting this diet. When I’m really unhappy with my weight (which I currently am), the number is too depressing. Instead I’m keeping track based on how my clothes fit, which works pretty well for me. My clothes fit a tiny fraction better than before. I have two more weeks to turn that fraction into a whole.

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway!

Lovefest 2011

I lied to all of you when I said we weren’t big on Valentines Day. In truth, we celebrated with a vengeance.

via Etsy

I wasn’t expecting the Husband to get me anything, but we both recently read Gary Chapman’s “The Five Love Lanuages” and he’s making a serious attempt at speaking my primary love language: receiving gifts. 

He gave me a Kindle. If you know me even a litte bit, you know I should have been a test rat for the Kindle. It was distressing that I, who doesn’t leave home without reading material, was Kindle-less. I finally got one thank God. And flowers too.

In turn,  I’m trying to speak the Husband’s languages. He’s multilingual. We shared an egg white hash and blackberry muffin at our fav cafe in Solana Beach, worked off our breakfast with a four-mile hike in the wilderness, soothed our aching limbs with a dip in the spa and then folded laundry whilst watching the Grammys. It really was the perfect Valentines Day.

I also should add that I have the best mom in the world. For reals. She always finds a way to show me I’m her favorite child and also speaks my love language fluently. She got me the cutest apron and a fantastic bottle of wine. I love you mom and Husband!

Pampered

This post would more aptly be titled “How Not to Lose Weight,” but I love the Husband too much to let him know he’s contributing to my impending obesity. Last weekend, he sweetly took over the task of feeding the family and our meal choices, while mouthwatering, added pounds to my frame.

Breakfast: This egg and faux sausage sandwich was waiting for me after my three mile run, the benefits of which were shot to shit as soon as I indulged.

Lunch: I like to drink my afternoon meal in the form of grapefruit mimosas. Some things are worth being fat for.

Dinner: Don’t let the salad fool you. A giant plate of sourdough bread was also inhaled.