Umm… is this thing on?

Sorry for the silence folks. I didn’t mean to disappear for an entire month like that. Just, it’s been a challenging month, food-wise.

See, I’ve been battling some allergy-related issues for a while now, and have been put on a special diet. What kind of special diet, you ask? Oh, just a gluten-free-vegan-except-for-non-cows-milk diet! So that means no eggs, no cow’s milk dairy, and absolutely no gluten. Vegan I can do pretty easily, but the gluten-free part has been challenging. And I have a minimum of two months left eating like this.

So I’ve spent the last month re-learning where I can safely eat in Toronto and what kind of things I can bake. Even the simple task of grocery shopping has been a challenge. You have no idea how much hidden gluten is in things until you’re not allowed to eat it anymore.

On the first day I had to go gluten-free, I tried making buckwheat pancakes, figuring that if I could at least get a decent breakfast into me, the rest of the day wouldn’t be so bad. Poking around with google produced a recipe by one of the authors of Veganomicon and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, two of my favourite cookbooks. So I figured it would be delicious. And, well, judge for yourself:

Don’t those look yummy? The ‘butter’ is actually Earth Balance, and of course that’s a ton of good old Canadian maple syrup slathered on there. I modified the recipe slightly based on what ingredients I had in the house, and was really pleased with the results. I’ve since made them three times, and have added blueberries to the batter as well as making them plain. They’re good either way.

Gluten Free Buckwheat Pancakes
Makes 8 five inch pancakes, so you might want to double the recipe
Recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz, slightly modified by me

Dry Ingredients:
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup corn flour (NOT cornmeal, corn flour is lighter)
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup vanilla or plain soymilk
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre, then add in the wet ingredients. Use a fork to combine all the ingredients well. Preheat a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, and let the batter rest for a few minutes.

When the pan is hot, oil it (or use cooking spray) and scoop your batter with a ladle or ice cream scoop to form pancakes. Do as many as you can fit into the pan comfortably – my pan fits three at a time. Cook about 2 1/2 or 3 minutes, or until a few air bubbles have formed on the surface of  the pancakes; don’t worry if it’s not as many bubbles as you’re used to with ‘regular’ pancakes.  Flip pancakes and cook for another 2 minutes or so, until golden brown. Keep warm on a covered plate (or in your oven, like I do) until ready to serve.

Serve with Earth Balance and lots of maple syrup.

I actually have a ton more posts planned, some gluten-free, some not (stuff I’d planned to post about before this new diet took over my kitchen!). Stay tuned!