Whole Grain Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes (vegan)

Spring-time always brings a basket-full of busy-ness. Besides the buds bursting, seeds being planted, and all the spring cleaning, there is the constant yearning to be outdoors. And this year because of the unseasonable warm weather there are bees, mosquitoes and a taste of July in the middle of March. I can't complain, but it does feel a little weird to have such warm weather so early in Michigan. Surreal almost 90 degree weather, tempted to be in the air conditioning and yet there are no leaves on the trees, only buds? Just plain strange if you ask me!

Basically, this past week was a story of weird occurrences for me. To name a few there was a smelly dead squirrel in the chimney, a dog-bite while running and then the record setting "heat-wave" in March. Just was one of those weeks where I had to stop and ask myself if this was real and I wasn't dreaming. Needless to say, I was looking forward to the weekend before humpday even started. 

Well because life does move on (and fast I might add) the weekend finally came and we were more than ready for it. So, it was about time for a special, slow-down morning with a special breakfast with the whole family. Today I decided on something perfect for a spring day. Something with fresh and sunny lemons along with a touch of poppyseeds. A classic combo with lots of love.

I made these pancakes without eggs, and they turned out fabulous and fluffy! I couldn't believe it. I was fully ready to add eggs half-way through making them because I thought they wouldn't turn out, but it happens that buckwheat and oats make a perfect combo for a gluten-free and vegan pancake without starches or gums or anything extra. Not to mention...with the addition to some fresh or frozen berries and a drizzle of local maple syrup... pure heavenly bliss!

Whole Grain Lemon Poppy Seed Pancake Recipe (gluten, dairy, egg, nut, sugar-free and vegan) 
1 cup of buckwheat groats
1 cup of gluten-free rolled oats

*Grind each grain, separately in magic bullet or high powered blender 
to make a heaping cup of flour- about 1 1/4 cup of each flour*

2 TB of aluminum-free baking powder
2 TB of chia seed meal
1 TB of poppy seeds
2 TB of grape seed oil or light olive oil
3 TB of maple syrup or coconut palm sugar
1 ts. of pure vanilla extract or 12 drops of liquid vanilla stevia extract
2 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk (So Delicious coconut milk beverage makes the BEST!)
1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice from about 3 lemons
zest from one lemon (about 1 TB)

optional additions or toppings:
fresh or frozen blueberries
fresh or frozen strawberries
goji berries
local maple syrup
raw and local honey

Pancake Instructions:
*First, grind your buckwheat groats and oats separately so that you have your flour for the pancakes. Then, mix the flours and all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Then add the wet and whisk well together. You know your batter is doing well when you start to see the batter-bubbles appear and the batter thickens. This batter is pretty thick to make a fluffy and thick pancake, but if you like thinner pancakes add a touch more milk to the batter until it is less gooey and more milky.  


*Then, warm either your skillet or griddle and use some coconut oil or ghee to grease up the frying area. Then use a 1/4 or 1/3 measuring cup to pour batter over the hot skillet to make a good sized pancake. 


*Let cook for about 2 minutes and you will see bubbles on the top and then you know to turn to the other side. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Make sure you keep the heat on low to medium so avoid burning! This recipe makes 1-2 dozen cakes depending on how large you make them.

I like to make my pancakes more rustic looking and not too perfectly round. I also like to slather a touch of vegan butter and a drizzle of local maple syrup. A heaping handful of fresh or frozen berries is the best topper if you ask me, but if you ask my husband he prefers chopped apples or apple butter.

For these pancakes to get the lemony taste best you want to add the fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, but you could easily swap out that flavor for another...just make sure you replace the juice with a comparable liquid. Peaches would be yummy or really any fresh fruit that you can find in season.

These pancakes hit the spot this Saturday and are a great treat for any spring weekend. I hope you find yourself slowing down this weekend and enjoying life for all it's gifts. Especially rest and pancakes!

Much love and light to you!