Buckwheat Blueberry Chocolate Pancakes

Yesterday my friend Shawnna and I tried a new vegetarian restaurant for the first time, Sadie's Diner. Cozy and adorable on a rainy night, it was adorable and looked like someone's granny's kitchen. I was overwhelmed for choice with the menu, but had been craving a veggie burger, so I went for that.

No regrets, it was the tastiest morsel I've eaten in awhile. It tasted like it had been home cooked on a BBQ in the summer, and I probably put off everyone around me with the ketchup dripping all over my face while I ate it.

Incredibly meaty seeming for a veggie burger, and with some delish onions on top. Definitely going back! Shawnna got pancakes which led me to my inspiration for this post. Lately my pancake experiments haven't been quite right, they're tasty but missing that fluffy cakiness that is quintessential pancakes, to me. I haven't attempted buckwheat pancakes before, but had some buckwheat hanging out in my cupboard, so these were born.

If you're feeling eager you can mix the dry ingredients up in a bowl the night before so you can have pancakes even faster in the morning. Then you don't have to try to figure out measurements that early in the day. I'm always at a loss for why blueberry and chocolate chips have to be two seperate options on the menu. I want it all in one pancake.

Topped with some blueberry compote, maple syrup, and pumpkin butter, these were a perfect start to a Tuesday. Depending on your protein powder, the batter might get a little too thick. Add some almond milk if that happens, you want it to be not quite liquid, but still pourable.

I like to wait til the pancakes are in the pan to add the blueberries, to avoid turning the batter grey.

Buckwheat Blueberry Chocolate Pancakes

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/4 cup almond milk
1 scoop chocolate protein powder(I used Vega)
2 packets of stevia
1 tablespoon agave(optional)
cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 flax egg(1 tablespoon flax meal, 3 tablespoons water mixed and allowed to thicken)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup blueberries

In a bowl mix together buckwheat flour, protein powder, stevia, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips.

Mix together almond milk, agave, vanilla and flax egg. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in wet. Stir until smooth. Add more almond milk if necessary.

In a medium heat pan, cook pancakes, about 2-3 mins each side depending on size. They're ready to flip when the edges look firm and a bit bubbly.

Mango Coconut Bites

I can't stop with coconut lately. Or granola bars for that matter. These were intended to be granola bars, but I figured I should give them a break and made these into smaller bite sized treats. Then dipped them in chocolate, because that was the obvious choice!

Dipping them in chocolate proved a bit difficult since I don't have any toothpicks, and so I tried using a fork but kept dropping them into the chocolate and not being able to retrieve them. I ended up just drizzling the rest of them with chocolate and sprinkling some more coconut on top!

These are best when stored in the freezer, it gives them a nice chewy texture which slows you down so you enjoy them a little longer. That works in theory, but I'm pretty sure I was swallowing them whole. You could make them into bars as well if you'd rather go that route.

Mango Coconut Bites


1/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup puffed quinoa
1/4 cup buckwheat groats
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 cup dates
1/4 cup fresh mango
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Grind the almonds to a powder in blender, then mix with puffed quinoa, buckwheat, oats, and coconut in a bowl. In the blender blend the dates, mango, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Mix into dry mixture in bowl, then roll spoonfuls into balls. Place in freezer to set and store.

If dipping in chocolate let set in freezer for about an hour, then melt some chocolate in a bowl and dip bites in to cover. Or drizzle on top and top with coconut!

The dates are sometimes easier to blend if you soak them in water for 10 minutes before.

Tropical Superfood Bars

A huge part of being successful in keeping healthy eating habits, or being a vegan is being prepared. I bring snacks everywhere, and energy/protein bars are super handy and easy to carry. A lot of bars available though are packed with not so healthy for you ingredients, and are more like glorified candy bars. In general you want to steer clear of bars with ingredients that you aren't aware what they are, isolate powders, artificial sweeteners, or anything you can't pronounce. I look for ones that are within the 200-300 calorie range, with a decent protein/fiber content(5g and over usually for protein), and not too much sugar. A few favorites are Larabars, Macrobars, and the occasional Clif Bar or Luna Bar, although they're a little more processed than I generally like.

Bars are incredibly easy to make, and much more cost effective! I like to wrap them individually and store them in the freezer so they stay fresh and are ready to grab on the go. These ones come together in minutes, and are slightly tropical flavoured. There's no baking involved, you simply mix them and pop the tray in the freezer.

While superfood is a broad, unregulated term, and I don't really think that stuffing your face with superfoods will cure all what ails you, any foods that pack an extra nutritional punch are a plus! The goji berries in here are high in antioxidants, protein and iron. Puffed quinoa adds some complete protein and fiber, buckwheat is packed with magnesium and trytophan. Oats help reduce cholestrol, and digest slowly to prevent spikes in blood sugar. Coconut oil is a healthy fat and a great source of energy. So overall, they're pretty amazing for you!

Tropical Superfood Bars


1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup puffed quinoa(available in the cereal section of most health food stores)
1/4 cup buckwheat groats
1/4 cup almond flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbspns coconut oil
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/2 mashed banana
pinch of salt
1/4 cup dried pineapple chunks
1/4 cup goji berries
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Mix oats, quinoa, buckwheat, pineapple, goji berries, coconut, chocolate chips, and almond flour in a bowl. Mix coconut oil, vanilla, agave, and banana in a seperate bowl. Mix wet with dry ingredients, and press into a 9x9 pan firmly(line the pan with tin foil for ease in removal). Let set in freezer, then cut into bars.