Happy summer, all!

I know, I know, yet another pancake recipe.  This one is to die for though, whoa.  Having to actively hold myself back from eating several (as I need them for brunch with friends tomorrow ;-)).  These guys are loaded with a variety of fun flavorings and ingredients.  Juicy blueberries.  The barest hint of floral with a sprinkling of lavender.  Poppyseeds, mostly for photogenic purposes.  A dash of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.  A capful of vanilla extract.  Get excited, these babies are super yummy.

And on top of all that awesomeness?  They are grain-free, dairy-free and sugar-free.

Regarding the ingredients in this dish, first off, buckwheat.  Believe it or not, buckwheat isn’t actually a grain.  Despite its name, which can be misleading.  Its actually a fruit seed.  I have to tell you, discovering this food was a game changer for me.  I can have my pancakes and not worry about health risks that come with consuming grains.  This was a big time fantastic find.  Because life with a limit on pancakes…I cannot imagine such a thing.

Buckwheat is awesome for your cardiovascular system.  Its filling, helps control blood sugar and can decrease risk of diabetes.  It has health promoting potential equal to that of fruits and vegetables, believe it or not.  To read more about the health benefits of this super food, here is a great link.

Did you know that lavender can be used as a sleep aid?  That its good for skin and hair?  For a bit more interesting information on lavender, here is a short article.

And of course, blueberries.  A MAJOR superfood.  Blueberries are amazing for your health.  They decrease the acceleration of wrinkles.  They can reverse some age related memory loss.  They reduce the likelihood and severity of certain allergies, are anti-inflammatory and just taste delicious!

So, after getting you excited about the health benefits of what you’ll be eating, now onto how to make these subtly sweet, filling, moist, totally tasty pancakes.

Ingredients

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup of almond milk (or other nondairy milk)

1 tablespoon of vanilla

1 cup of buckwheat flour

1 tablespoon of lavender buds

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of ginger

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

4-5 tablespoons of honey

3-4 tablespoons of poppyseeds

A handful of fresh blueberries

1. Mix together the eggs, milk, and vanilla in a medium size bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the buckwheat flour, lavender, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones.  Mix just until combined.  The batter should not be too runny or wet.  It should have a slightly thicker consistency, similar to brownie batter.
4. Add in the honey and poppyseeds, stirring just to combine.  Do not overmix.
5. Then add in the berries, stirring gently.
6. Pour 1/2 cup of batter for each pancake onto a warm greased skillet. Cook until the top begins to bubble a bit.  Flip the pancake.  Cook until the other side is light golden brown.  You may have to flip each pancake twice before it’s finished completely, to ensure even cooking through.  I recommend cooking for roughly 90-120 seconds on each side.  Keep a close eye on them.  You will be able to see when they are done.
7. Enjoy!  These are super tasty straight off the griddle.  I like mine topped with maple syrup or coconut yogurt.  But peanut butter, honey, almond butter, and any other toppings you might like will also be fantastic.
8. The finished product on these pancakes is a slightly thicker, denser version of a usual pancake.  They taste just as good heated up the next day as leftovers!  Store them in an airtight container at room temperature.  They stay good for up to 3-4 days.
9. This recipe yields roughly 6-7 pancakes.  Enough for two people.  For more hungry mouths to feed, I recommend doubling the recipe.