Sweet buckwheat waffles

Sweet buckwheat waffles

Woweee. I have pronounced my love for Sloveig’s blog, the Gluten Free Vegan Girl many a time, and she has delivered again on this one. This is her recipe, it is pure, healthy and delicious. Breakfast, dessert, or snacks throughout the day – these waffles are awesome 🙂 I have to share.

I have halved the recipe because it makes LOADS. Also, my waffle maker sadly only does animal shapes (haha) so here we have a giraffe and a lion – looking slightly more like a map of Australia actually… not to worry!

I’ve also done this recipe with half buckwheat and half brown rice flour and I have to say, I really loved that also. It seemed a little lighter to me. But please yourself.

 

• 2 cups unsweetened plant-based milk
• 1.5 cups buckwheat flour
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla [extract]
• 1/4 tsp maldon salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom, optional but recommended
• juice from 1/2 lemon, optional but recommended

Directions:

1. Place all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl and stir together.

2. Place the pitted dates, lemon juice, vanilla essence and milk in a high-speed blender (or use a hand blender) and run until completely smooth. Pour this into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until well-combined. Keep in mind that the batter will be slightly thicker than regular wheat waffles. Do not add any more liquid to make it thinner! This will prevent the batter from sticking together properly, and you will end up with a runny gooey mess.

3. Heat a waffle maker and add your mixture. Depending on your maker, you may need spray oil to stop it sticking. I use brushed melted coconut oil.

 

Sweet buckwheat waffles

I have added fresh chopped strawberries and a homemade chocolate hazelnut sauce. Try this:

 

2 dates, pitted, soaked and pureed (alternatively substitute with rice malt syrup)

1 heaped Tblspn cacao

2 Tblspn melted coconut oil

1 heaped Tblspn hazelnut meal

2 Tblspns non dairy milk

dash of vanilla extract
Whisk together and enjoy. Add more milk if you prefer it runnier.

Chocolate pancake skewers with strawberries (GF)

Gluten free vegan chocolate pancakes

I made these little cherubs for my niece’s birthday party. The task was an allergy friendly addition to the food table! So these are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, soy free pancakes! Wow! Exhausted already? Hopefully nobody has a strawberry allergy 🙂

I have posted a number of varied pancake recipes on this site on a hunt for a “go-to” recipe. Dave and I particularly like the hazelnut pancakes I have to say, but the kids are not as in favour of those as we are (Mr 5 thinks he doesn’t like nuts!). And if you have GF flours in stock, these are super easy to whip up (no pulverising nuts required 😉 ). They are also really delicious!

I thought I wasn’t a fan of buckwheat. I have no idea why I thought that. Because this really works. I’m really glad I gave it a go! It doesn’t have a strong flavour like millet or amaranth or even coconut flour can give.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 cup Arrowroot flour (tapioca)

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup rice milk

2 T rice syrup

1/4 cup coconut palm sugar (or just use more rice syrup)

1 heaped T cacao powder

Mix mix mix and lightly fry 🙂 Easy done.

Add a little more milk if the mixture is too thick…and enjoy! What better than chocolate pancakes for breakfast 🙂

Fluffiest wheat pancakes ever

Before we get to the pancakes, how about that gorgeous plate :). Made with love by my 5yo for Mothers Day. So cute – hearts, sun, rain clouds, rain, a flower and our names. Gorgeous plate to serve pancakes on 🙂 We were in a bit of a rush with this one so the photo is blurry~ Argh. But I’ll update it next time I make some.

This is a gluten alert for the non-gluten followers.

But oh my, they are the most delicious fluffiest pancakes ever. I’ve played around with a lot of pancake recipes on here and although the hazelnut pancakes are my favourite, the kids don’t like variations: they just want plain pancakes. Even if you eat animal products, if you’re one to send pikelets in a lunch box with children on any given day, many places are creating no-egg rules these days. And certainly no nuts.
So traditional pikelets are out, and the nut variations are too.

These just got the big ‘thumbs up’ from mr 3, and despite limiting gluten these days, I managed to eat THREE before even offering any. haha! (And now I’m still in recovery…) The original recipe comes from The Healthy Family and Home.

3/4 cups homemade non dairy milk
2 T white vinegar
1 cup wholemeal Atta flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon quality salt
1 T chia seeds soaked in 1/4 cup water
2 T coconut oil (melted)
1-2 T agave nectar or rice syrup

Mix the vinegar in with the non dairy milk and set aside for 5 minutes to sour.

Mix the dry ingredients together and stir well.

Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.

Scoop 1/4 cup measurements on a lightly greased pan.

Cook for 2 – 4 minutes on each side – until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Orange chia chai pancakes

Orange chia chai pancakes

That’s a mouthful to say isn’t it!

This is an interesting recipe. I can’t explain why but this feels like a kind, karmic start to the day. Must be the chai that says “there is love in every cup”. That’s it. Now there is love in my pancakes too.

I tried out coconut flour this morning and it makes an interesting pancake texture. I enjoyed these a lot, don’t get me wrong. But rather than “pour” the batter, coconut flour makes it more like a paste to spread into the pan. It is very unusual. I’m interested to know more about coconut flour and how it holds moisture because it seems to be an endless pit of absorption. If you don’t have coconut flour, just use an all purpose GF flour (or wholemeal if you prefer gluten). They would work as buckwheat also. I have since watched this video on the Spunky Coconut on all things with coconut flour. Yes, it is an unusual flour!

Regardless, I like these. They are not your usual pancakes but they are creative, healthy, zesty and yum.

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup hazelnuts, ground

1 dessert spoon cacao

1 tsp baking powder

1 T rice syrup

2 tsp orange zest

1 cup non dairy milky chai tea

1 chia ‘egg’ (i.e. soak chia seeds so they become gelatinous and use this in place of the egg)

Blend the dry ingredients together until well mixed, then add the wet ingredients. Fry pancakes in pan and top with orange flesh and freshly squeezed juice. Love in a pancake 😉

Nutty choc-ana smoothie

Nutty choc-ana smoothie

I was in a mood. Thus, lacking in energy, enthusiasm and any interest in breakfast (or, in fact, the day ahead) I decided to try a mood-fixer that is something along the lines of comfort and a ‘naughty’ treat in a bowl. That will help. Yes!

Lucky for me there really isn’t anything naughty about this. And it only took a few minutes – AND it fixed my conundrum! (Love that word).

Here it is.

1 handful of hazelnuts

2 bananas

1 dessert spoon raw cacao

1 dessert spoon protein powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup ice

1 cup rice milk (or non dairy milk)

Whizz the hazelnuts in the blender. When fine, add 2 bananas and cacao to form a puree. Add remaining ingredients and blend.

Happiness in a glass for a grumpy, tired morning! 🙂

Seedy apple and goji muesli bars

Apple and goji muesli bars

Muesli bars are a struggle. My kids have always loved them but it really is virtually impossible to find any to buy that make any sense. They are filled with stuff that is not great and sold as healthy. AND they cost a fortune! So…the task was to come up with something without sweeteners, but still edible (esp for kids), gluten free options, without nuts (so it can be sent to school) and cost effective.

It’s not just about the “without”s though is it. We want something that will give energy, protein, vitamins and minerals for the day. What can we make that will give our kids a sustained boost without all the rubbish?

Firstly, the general gist of this is easy. You blend the dates to provide a glue for the muesli and a sweetener for it. With dates, no honey or brown sugar or anything else is needed. You could also use mashed banana if you like that sort of baked banana flavour (I’m not an enormous fan of that, though I’m sure the children would like it).

Find a mix of grains/flours. If you like to use nuts, almond or hazelnut meal would be great. If you want to be gluten and nut free, stick with buckwheat or amaranth. You can add in brown rice flour or besan flour if you like it a little more glued together.

Find a mix of seeds/nuts. This one is nut free but ideally I would love to add in slithered almonds and hazelnuts. Pepitas, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, chia seeds are always good!

Find a mix of fruits. If you can, go organic. The sulphur levels in dried Australian fruits is out of this world HIGH so it’s great to be free of those preservatives where possible (Just a note about that, apparently just 2 Australian dried apricots sends a child way over the daily recommended intake of sulphur. That’s how high Australia’s sulphur levels are *the industry needs more regulation). If you have a dehydrator, dry your own apple/apricots. Sultanas/raisins/cranberries also work well (remembering that cranberries will most likely have added sugar).

So here is my nut free, wholesome, seedy apple and goji muesli recipe:

8 medjool dates

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup Amaranth (puffed)

1/2 cup coconut (desiccated)

handful goji berries

handful pepitas

handful chia seeds

1/2 cup chopped dried apple

1 tsp cinnamon

2 T coconut oil

Soak the dates in hot water for 30 minutes. Once soft, blend them in a food processor until paste consistency. Add  all other ingredients except coconut oil and process only briefly until mixed.

Stir the coconut oil through and press into a lined tin or dish.

Bake at 180 degrees C for 20 minutes (this will depend on how much mixture you have in how big a dish. If your muesli bar slice is quite thick, you may need to bake longer).

I have to admit, it is a little crumbly. I either could suggest adding more coconut oil to help bind it once it cools or simply letting it cool properly before cutting would help  (I was too eager ;)). Mine held together but the little guy’s didn’t so well. I will wrap it up in glad wrap for the lunch box I think to hold it together in there.

Mind you, this is so delicious i think it will be my breakfast from now on so I might un-muesli bar it and have it as a cereal!

A cheater’s crepe

Never home maker has a pretty brilliant idea. Except in a much more eloquent title, they are called “banana faux crepes” 🙂

Mountain bread wraps are at the centre of this one (well, that’s what I have used). Partly because they have no preservatives etc in them and partly because you can choose what style suits you. I used the rice wraps today, though they do have a small amount of gluten in them. What I needed was a super fast lunch idea and something that felt homely and comforting. Yesterday’s efforts was defrosting some of my Rustic tomato soup which was sensational and healthy. Today….

This is not ‘un’healthy. But eating a salad would be better, let’s face it. Or tomato soup. Regardless…brilliant idea for a quick breakfast or lunch, or I’m thinking even for lunchbox treats.

Basically make a milkshake, dip the mountain bread into it, and fry it as if it is a crepe. And add your filling 🙂 How easy is that!’

1 banana, mashed

1/2 cup non dairy milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

cinnamon

cloves (whatever you like)

1 T chia seeds (I forgot these and mine still worked)

Blend together and dip the flat bread in before frying.

I added  a banana on top of the crepe whilst cooking and rolled it up so the banana heated whilst the crepe crisped. That was delicious!

You could add finely diced apple and cloves or mango and coconut – or pear and cardamon? Yum yum yum. How easy.

Hazelnut pancakes with banana

Hazelnut pancakes with banana, gluten free and vegan

I’ve been working on gluten free vegan pancakes and have finally found a mix that I’m happy with!

1/2 cup millet flour   (EDIT: I have since made these without the millet, but with 1/4 tapioca starch instead. Beautiful!)

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup ground hazelnuts

1 T raw cacao powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 T nut butter (any)

1 cup almond milk

1 banana

Mix the dry ingredients well. Add in the wet ingredients and mix. Taste the batter because you may prefer extra cacao or extra sweetening. After the pancakes cooked I added sliced banana in between and ate them like pancake banana sandwiches.

Hazelnut pancakes with banana, gluten free and vegan

It was delicious! I think the banana is fresh and sweet and just perfect with hazelnut pancakes. I was totally happy with the mix but if you are not using banana, you may want extra sweetness in the batter mix. Thanks to Soul shine Vegan for the idea!

Enjoy! What a breakfast!

Healthy homemade cereal explained

We have a bit of a strange problem in this house for Dave. Despite being plant based and mostly gluten free, Quinoa, which is an obvious choice, does not agree with Dave’s stomach! Devastating really, because there are gorgeous salads and risottos etc that are quinoa based that we won’t be posting photos of 😦 … or more importantly, eating. (Funnily enough, my stomach likes quinoa but not brown rice! Everyone is different, that’s for sure).

This cereal does have popped quinoa in it though and that seems to sit well with him.

So Dave makes up a huge container of this to last – and there are no measurements 🙂 If you want to make this, just throw in quantities according to how much you like it. But this is our homemade, base cereal that is gluten free, plant based and no sugar. All of it, we buy from Foodland (it is a big foodland). It should all be in the health food section of every supermarket and if not, ask them to get it or go to a health food shop.

Puffed amaranth

Popped quinoa

pepitas

sunflower seeds

Flaxseed/Linseed (ground)

chia seed

goji berries

coconut (shredded)

cinnamon

After you have a big cereal base mixed up, it is so easy to add in whatever you like in the morning to make your breafkast different each day.

Add in any combo of:

rice/soy/almond milk

chopped dates (for natural sweetness)

chopped nuts

frozen berries

fresh fruit

raw cacao/carob powder

Can’t go wrong really.
Nutritional info: (thanks Brendan Brazier)

Amaranth is high in calcium, iron, potassium and phosphorus and Vits A and C. It has 17 percent protein and also is rich in lysine which is an amino acid that’s hard to find.

Quinoa is very similar in make up to amaranth and also has the high protein (20%) and lysine content.

Sunflower seeds have 22 % protein and are a rich blend of trace minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and Vitamin E.

Pepitas are pumpkin seeds and are a really great source of iron – especially important to put into everything you can if you’re plant based.

Flaxseed is a good source of Omega 3 (57%) which is an essential fatty acid that is not sourced easily in plants. Keep that one up.

Goji berries contanin 19 amino acids, including the 8 essential ones so they are just about a complete source of protein in themselves. Big in iron, zinc and actually, 11 vitamins and 22 trace minerals. They actually have more iron than spinach.Eat these! They are awesome. My boys LOVE them.

Sunrise breakfast

Healthy sunrise breakfast

This breakfast is a zingy, fresh, gorgeous start to a day: and that is coming from someone who would generally prefer not to eat breakfast!

1/4 cup mashed/blended raspberries

1/4 cup puffed amaranth

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1 T chia seeds

1/2 cup almond milk

2 fresh dates, chopped

1/2 cup chopped nuts/seeds

1/2 nectarine, chopped

Place the blended raspberries on the bottom of the glass.

Next, top with combined amaranth,vanilla,coconut, chia and milk (I prefer this to be soaked – even for half an hour but preferably overnight. I like it a little mushy!).

Add a 3rd layer of nuts, seeds and dates.
Add a 4th layer of fresh chopped nectarine!

I actually think this would be a beautiful dessert as well. But for now, breakfast sunrise it is 😛

Breakfast mash

What else can I call a picture like this? 🙂

gluten free, vegan

This actually is the general standard breakfast in our house.

You choose the quantities you like but here’s what I mash together:

1/2 cup Puffed Amaranth

2 T raw cacao

1 banana, mashed

2 T pepitas

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup coconut (shredded)

1/4 cup rasberries

2 T chia seeds

Yummy! Here is what it looked like before mashing:

It’s tasty, light, and a good start to the day. I adore raspberries so that works for me – my husband always has blueberries (frozen btw) instead. Each to their own 🙂

Breakfast parfait

Firstly, apologies for the ordinary photo, I was in a hurry to try these 🙂

Breakfast parfaits are awesome. It makes you feel “fancy” 🙂 and has unending options of what your favourite tastes and textures could be. This is what is in these particular parfaits:

1/2 cup amaranth (puffed)

1/4 cup raw cacao

1 cup almond/oat milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 T chia seeds

—> make this and leave in the fridge the night before so it soaks into a delicious chocolate porridge.

In the morning, layer the amaranth porridge with nut spread, banana, pepitas, strawberries, plain soy yoghurt, blueberries and coconut. I would have loved fresh raspberries (I love chocolate and raspberries together!) and slithered almonds if I had them.

Delicious, delicious. You could also freeze a banana the night before, whizz it in a blender before putting it in the parfait and it is a beautiful, creamy ice cream texture. I steered away from dates because I didn’t want this one too sweet but dates and agave are of course always possible if you want the sweetness hit.

Passionfruit would be another tasty addition too!

Enjoy, and tell me what your creations are!

Chocolate granola

I seriously struggle with breakfast. I struggle to stomach food early in the morning, despite knowing “it’s the most important meal of the day” and all that. Chocolate granola is not so difficult to face in the morning though 😉

The night before…

2 cups of oats

2 T raw cacao (or more depending on your tastes)

2 T Agave nectar

nuts/seeds as required

Mix it up (keep stirring until the agave coats the oats, like this:

Bake on a tray with baking paper at 150 degrees Celsius for around 30 minutes. I usually check it and take it out when it appears to be getting too dark around the edges.

Serve with fresh fruit and non dairy milk. Enjoy!