By mid-week I always miss being awoken by the sweet smell of breakfast cooking on the stove, which will fill the house, and swirl into each room and tumbling around in a delightful sort of tease under our noses. Pancakes that smell like freshly baked banana bread - and even taste like it - sound wonderful at the moment.
Except my stomach is full from a breakfast date this morning, and I ate more like a mad woman than the delicately put together girl I wanted to portray in these knee high boots and black jacket. Perhaps I'll think of these pancakes again when I am home and feel the need for a pick me up, or a restart to the day after travelling back to the island.
We woke up early with the sound of my friend's little brother laughing and chatting as he began his Saturday morning playing in his pajamas, giggling at being tickled and running around the hall of the apartment. I wasn't mad to be awoken so early, instead, I was glad that the sun was streaming in through the open curtains, and the brightness kept my eyes open as I slowly became more and more conscious to the awakened day.
We must have made pretty good haste to be out of the restaurant where we decided to go for breakfast that morning so early before noon, and left the apartment bundled in coats and scarves to face the wind as joggers ran briskly in full running gear. At least we were spared a nice day free from Vancouver's notorious rain. However as I sit here writing it seems that it was only a short bout of sunlight, and the clouds once again are covering the strong rays.
The little place we went to was on Main Street (my favourite street in Vancouver!) amongst little stationary shops, independent clothing stores, and many antique shops. Called the Wallflower, it had black painted designs across the walls and if you looked close enough, you could see little photographs of people's faces that were cut out and then stuck on the wall in the centre of a flower. Even tinier, were sometimes little sayings next to the photo. I wanted to ask them what it would take to get my name on the wall,
"Perhaps I would need to be a frequent customer?" I asked.
Their menu included many gluten-free options, and I was so excited to see the vast choices of items I could actually eat - including Egg's Benedict, something which I haven't had gluten free, and have surely been craving. Underneath the headline, an entire section was devoted to Egg's Benedict, from original to vegetarian, to smoked salmon and cream cheese.
There we sat, the three of us, with our large plates of breakfast in front of us, mine the smoked salmon Egg's Benedict, and forks and knives in hand. It seems amazing now that I was able to eat as slow as I did, knowing now how delicious it was. And I'm sure the bun used was made from tapioca flour, something that I'll be sure to try soon.
Since I haven't yet formed the perfect breakfast bun, similar to the Brazilian Breakfast tapioca bun that came with my lunch from the Ethical Kitchen and now similar to this gluten free English muffin, to make my own Egg's Benedict, I'll give you a breakfast recipe that will surely satisfy that craving for something sweet, and healthy, on your lazy weekend mornings. (Or anytime you wish, really. Because when aren't pancakes perfect!)
I might even make them for lunch today, they really were that good. Have you heard of a second breakfast?
 |
Dad is always my pancake man - he always gets the temperature just right,
resulting in delicious and perfectly cooked pancakes each and every time.
Of course, the recipe needs to be sound or our pancakes won't turn out so
finely tuned. |
Gluten-Free Banana Oat Pancakes
Print recipe here.
Since we've always been drawn into cooking crêpes on the weekends, reminiscent of dad's "famous" breakfast crêpes, I decided this morning to venture into something new - real pancakes, made with banana and oats.
Fluffy and golden brown when cooked, these gluten-free banana pancakes have a sweet, creamy middle to be cut into. A healthy and delicious, naturally sweetened breakfast for those lazy mornings. It's the perfect comfort food thats enjoyed around the world, incarnated with sweet flavours when paired with maple syrup, or savoury when served with cooked vegetables and cheese. The modern day pancake even dates back from Roman times, and the earliest known recipe for pancakes was found in a 16th century Dutch cookbook. So delve into history with a hearty plate of pancakes this morning.
Makes 8 pancakes
Ingredients
2 small bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1 small lemon, juiced)
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 eggs
1 cup oat flour or ground oats (I used a blender to grind regular baking oats until fine)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
In a small bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, coconut oil, lemon juice and maple syrup.
Beat in the eggs. If your coconut oil goes back to its solid state like mine did at this point, just warm the mixture for short 30 second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, until it is melted again.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. With a big spoon, stir just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened. Do not overmix or you’ll run the risk of getting tough pancakes!
Let the batter sit for 10 minutes. The book notes that you may want to thin out the batter a bit with a touch of milk or water, I did not.
Heat a heavy cast iron skillet (or nonstick griddle) over medium-low heat. If necessary, lightly oil the surface with vegetable oil or cooking spray.
Once the surface of the pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles on it, pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan. Let the pancake cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until bubbles begin to form around the edges of the cake.
When the pan is just beginning to set, flip it with a spatula and cook for another 90 seconds or so, until golden brown on both sides. You may need to adjust the heat up or down at this point.
Serve the pancakes immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven.
These pancakes freeze well.
Enjoy! xx S
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Labels: banana, breakfast, Cinnamon, eggs, gluten free, maple, nutmeg, oat, pancakes
