Vegan Blueberry Pancakes with Spelt Flour

Over the last few weeks Sam and I have unintentionally started a tradition. Or maybe it's more of a ritual? Either way, it all started when one Saturday morning I said we should walk to Capitol City Bakery because I had heard that they only have their vegan cinnamon rolls on Saturday morning. It never takes much convincing Sam to eat food, especially food involving sugar, so off we went bringing my roommate's dog along for the walk. When we got to the food truck it was closed. Major bummer. So we headed back to my house disappointed and with our hearts still pining after a sweet and tasty breakfast. 

It was decided that pancakes were the perfect solution. While they are certainly not cinnamon rolls, they are delicious and that's good enough for us. This continued to happen over the next few weeks; we'd take the dog for a walk with the intention of eating cinnamon rolls only to find the bakery closed and end up making pancakes instead. We finally got the hint that they indeed do not have cinnamon rolls nor are they open on Saturdays (they aren't even in that location anymore). However, the plus side to all of this is we came up with an awesome recipe for blueberry pancakes. Seriously, during the photo shoot Sam kept whining, "hurry! I want to eat them!"

So I had him eat this bite which was instantly met with, "That is the best bite of pancake I've ever had". And you know what? I think he might be right. I didn't think I could love a pancake like I love my Toasted Coconut Banana Pancakes, but these, these, are good. Real good. 

Vegan Blueberry Pancakes with Spelt Flour

• 1 1/4 Cup Whole Spelt Flour
• 1/4 Cup Ground Flax Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Coconut Sugar
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• 1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Cup Frozen Blueberries
• Unrefined Coconut Oil for greasing the skillet

Makes 4 pancakes.

Start warming a skillet over medium heat. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, flax seeds, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add in the almond milk, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar and whisk until ingredients are fully incorporated. Gently fold in the frozen berries. Place approximately 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in the skillet and spread to evenly coat the pan. Pour one quarter of the batter onto the skillet (I find using a 1/3 measuring cup works well) and allow to cook until the top starts to bubble. Flip! And continue cooking for about another 45 seconds-1 minute. If the pancake looks to dark or undercooked adjust the stove temperature accordingly. Continue this with the rest of the batter, adding more coconut oil as needed. Store pancakes on a plate under a clean dish towel until ready to serve. Add your favorite toppings (we made a vanilla honey syrup) and go to town! 

Notes:

-If you do not have spelt flour feel free to substitute whole wheat flour, just know it won't taste quite as delicious.

-Fresh blueberries are great in this recipe, too. I just only happened to have frozen on hand. If using fresh, I'd advise either adding the berries to the individual pancakes rather than the batter, or dusting them in flour before adding to the batter to prevent it from turning blue.

                                                   What are your weekend rituals?

Toasted Coconut Banana Pancakes (Vegan)

Saturday morning I woke up and decided it was a pancake morning. Some days are pancake days and it doesn't do you any favors to ignore that fact. Nine times out of ten when I make pancakes, it's this kind- it's my absolute favorite! Pancakes should always be made with bananas and coconut in my opinion. Then again, if you've been hanging out at my blog, you've probably noticed I think most things are better with bananas and coconut. 

Now before we get to the recipe, there's something I should mention. Every time I make these pancakes I also get this song playing in my head. So if you plan on making these pancakes, make sure you have this song playing in the background; it makes them taste better I swear.

Toasted Coconut Banana Pancakes

Adapted from Chef in Disguise

• 1 1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar (I used Beet Sugar)
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 Cup Almond Milk
• 1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Ripe Banana
• Coconut Oil for Cooking
• Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (I totally forgot to measure how much I used, I just sprinkled away!)

Makes 4 Large Pancakes.

Warm skillet or griddle to a medium-low heat. Place about 1 teaspoon of coconut oil on the surface and spread it around as it melts to grease the pan. Sprinkle a thin layer of shredded coconut onto the pan and allow to toast. While that's heating, in a medium sized bowl, mix the first four ingredients together. Then mix in the almond milk and apple cider vinegar until just combined; try not to overmix. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the heated surface. Thinly slice the banana and place the slices on top of the pancake batter. Allow to cook until small bubbles begin to form, flip the pancake and cook for another minute or two. Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more coconut oil and shredded coconut as needed. Serve with pure maple syrup or fresh strawberry sauce or whatever you like (I like honey on mine). And if you're feeling really fancy, you can even mix chocolate chips into the batter.

Today is Tuesday so that means I must announce the winner of my first ever giveaway! Drum roll, please...

The winner is Hannah from Grove St. Kitchen! I loved her idea of using the vanilla extract in nut butters, I can't wait to try it. Congratulations Hannah! I'll be contacting you soon so I can send you your vanilla extract.  As for everyone else, be on the lookout for my next giveaway!

Happy Tuesday!

What are your favorite kind of pancakes?