Up until a few weeks ago, I only had one go-to gluten free and vegan pancake recipe in my breakfast food arsenal. Don’t get me wrong, I love my healthy Sweet Chickpea Flour Pancakes, but one is such a lonely number. Now I have two favorite pancakes.

 

Just like my chickpea flour pancakes, these buckwheat pancakes are high in protein, high in fiber, and have no refined sugar or oil. If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been on a serious buckwheat kick lately. I love this powerful little grain seed. Although buckwheat can be made into porridge and can take the place of other grains to make flour, it is actually a fruit seed related to sorrel and rhubarb. It is completely unrelated to wheat and contains no gluten. Besides being a good source of fiber, protein, and magnesium, buckwheat is also loaded with unique antioxidants, making it a bonafide super food.

To make all those beneficial nutrients easier to digest and assimilate, I activated my buckwheat groats. Which is just a cool way of saying I soaked them overnight to release the phytic acid, an enzyme inhibitor that is protective to the seed, but can make our digestion and absorption of vitamins and minerals difficult. There is no need to dehydrate the seeds after activating, since we’ll be throwing the rinsed buckwheat right in the blender with all of the other ingredients. Other than remembering to soak your seeds before hitting the hay, the process is pretty easy peasy.

To boost the awesome benefits of the buckwheat I added hemp seeds, another super powered whole plant food that I’ve been putting in everything. I mean, can you blame me? They boast a near perfect balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. The type of omega 6 fatty acid they do contain is the gamma linolenic variety (also found in evening primrose and borage oil) that has been found to be beneficial in balancing hormones. Not to mention hemp seeds are an ideal source of plant-based protein, containing 20 amino acids, including 9 essential amino acids that our bodies can not make on their own. They are also a great source of fiber, and high in iron, magnesium, and zinc.

If you’re looking for a crazy-nutritious breakfast option, look no further than these surprisingly light and fluffy buckwheat and hemp pancakes. Try them with a drizzle of ginger and lemon infused maple syrup (directions below recipe). So delicious!

Activated Buckwheat and Hemp Seed Blender Pancakes – Vegan, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free

serves 2 – 3

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw buckwheat groats
• 3/4 – 1 cup plant milk of choice (I used organic soy milk)
• 4 medjool dates
• 3 tbsp hemp seeds
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• coconut oil for cooking

Instructions:

The night before, place the buckwheat groats in a large bowl or 1 quart measuring cup. Fill with filtered water, so that it covers the groats by a few inches. Add a couple of squeezes of lemon juice.

In the morning, drain the groats in a fine mesh strainer and rinse very well. Allow to continue draining over a large bowl or the sink while you gather your other ingredients and prepare your pan. If your dates are hard or seem dry, allow them to soak for a few minutes in hot water, then drain.

Pre-heat a non-stick skillet over medium low heat. I also like to turn my toaster oven to about 250, for a place to keep the pancakes warm. In the meantime, blend all of the ingredients in a high speed blender in the order listed. Blend until smooth.

Add a tiny bit (1/2 tsp) of coconut oil to the pan. I usually turn my heat down a bit (“3” on my burner). Scoop or pour batter straight from the blender, using about 2 tbsp of batter per pancake. Cook until the edges look dry and the top forms bubbles, then flip and cook another minute. Cook in batches, placing pancakes in a warm oven until all pancakes are done. Note: I find that buckwheat pancakes cook up quite dark on the surface even when perfectly done.

Notes:

Make all substitutions and omissions at your own risk. You can omit the hemp seeds, however the texture will be more spongy as opposed to fluffy.

In my Vitamix, 3/4 cup of plant milk yielded the best batter, however when my official recipe tester (my mom) made these in her Ninja, she needed to use closer to 1 cup to get a smooth batter. Start with 3/4 of a cup and add a tablespoon at time as needed until everything has blended smoothly.

To make the Lemon Ginger Syrup:

Combine 1 cup maple syrup, 1 inch piece of ginger (sliced), and 1 tbsp lemon zest in a small pot and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for about 10 minutes before straining and using.