Recipe

Quinoa Pancakes

In my house I always make a double batch because they disappear quickly. My one-year-old daughter loves these! To keep them warm while making batches, put the finished pancakes on a rimmed baking sheet in a 250° oven. Recipe is my version of "Coconut and Quinoa Pancakes" by Amy Chaplin "At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen." If you don't have her book, go out and get it!

Ingredients

½ cup uncooked quinoa, soaked for 12 to 24 hours, in 1 cup of filtered water with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, such as Bragg’s
½ cup rolled oats, such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free or Thick Cut Oats
¾ cup almond flour or unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 egg or 1 teaspoon of chia seeds soaked in ¼ cup of filtered water for 15 minutes
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Extra virgin coconut oil or butter (for cast iron pan)
Fresh fruit, nut butter, and/or maple syrup for serving (optional)
Special Equipment: Cast iron or non-stick pan, blender

Instructions

Drain and rinse quinoa in cold water in a fine mesh strainer, and place it in an upright blender. Add oats, coconut, almond milk, egg or chia (egg substitute), vanilla, baking powder, and cinnamon.
Blend on high speed for about 40 seconds or until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Warm a cast iron pan over medium heat; add about 1 teaspoon coconut oil. Working in batches, spoon about a ¼ cup of batter for each pancake, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Spread the batter out a little with the back of a spoon to make the 4-inch pancake.
Cook for about 3 minutes or until the surface of the pancake is covered with bubbles and the bottom is golden and beginning to brown. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan and repeat until all the batter is used up. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Chef Carla Notes

As with all pancakes, the first batch is always looks a little rough. I oil my pan between each batch of pancakes to prevent sticking. It also gives the pancake more of a golden crust. I also keep a paper towel handy to wipe out the pan each time a pancake is finished. I then add new oil and add the batter for the next pancake.
I find that I don’t need as much oil for subsequent batches; roughly about ¼ teaspoon. Be careful when doing this, the pan is HOT and the paper towel will get HOT. It goes without saying that the paper towel shouldn’t be kept near the flame so it doesn’t catch fire. If the pan gets too hot, turn down the heat. You want golden brown, not burned pancakes.

Freezing and Reheating Instructions:

Cool pancakes on a baking rack or in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Once cooled, place in a Ziploc bag, aluminum foil or freezer safe container and freeze. It is ok to stack them inside of the container. Making smaller packs of two or four pancakes makes for easier serving for one to two people. To defrost, pull them from the freezer the night before and leave in the fridge to defrost overnight. You can also defrost by microwaving for 15-20 seconds. One defrosted, heat in a toaster until warm and crispy, serve immediately after.

I never could have imagined the life that Ed and I live now four years ago. I thought I would live in my little bubble of Williamsburg, Brooklyn forever. But now I have a sweet little family and live in the ‘wilderness’ of New Jersey. Before we had kids Ed and I cooked all the time together. He was my right hand in the kitchen — well, technically my left hand, since he’s left handed — and breakfast has always been our favorite meal.

We would make incredible breakfasts for each other on the weekends: soft scrambled farm fresh eggs, soft gooey cheeses, fresh fruit, crispy bacon, toast with butter and jam, coffee, and tea. We would sit outside on our patio in the sunshine when it was nice and leisurely eat our indulgent spread and chat about our week. After breakfast we would clean up and go work out. As a new parent, just writing this sounds like a vacation!

“The secret of a happy marriage is finding the right person. You know they’re right if you love to be with them all of the time.” –Julia Child

Breakfasts now look a little bit different than they did on those slow-moving weekend mornings. They always start with making Ella her “juice” — water with a dash of vitamin D and probiotics and a splash of OJ — and her oatmeal with cinnamon and ‘seeds’. She just loves hemp seeds! Sometimes she wants a dollop of yogurt, and let’s hope I can find the robot spoon. We have Massimo in his chair and fill up his water. He will be eating any day now, he just turned six months old! It will be interesting to see what Ella thinks of Massimo eating! For our breakfast, Ed may make us eggs and throw in a piece of gluten-free toast for me. We sit as a family, and it’s chaotic and messy but it’s also magical. Despite the chaos, I know we are making memories, and that one day, Ed and I will reminisce about the days when they were babies.

On Sundays, I make quinoa pancakes for brunch. I usually make a big batch and freeze them and eat them throughout the week, but Ella only likes them fresh out of the pan. At less than two years old she is really turning into a real deal food critic! She loves her pancakes topped with almond butter (they are perfect toddler food) and I eat mine straight up. The batter can last up to three days in the fridge, if you must have them fresh like Miss Ella. I doubt it will last that long though, they are so addictive. Before I had Massimo I made four huge batches and froze them, they were perfect when I only had one hand to eat with!!

Hope you have a delicious Valentine’s Day!

xo Carla

P. S. I knew for Valentine’s Day this year, I wanted to get Ed something to remember this time in our lives, a reminder of those lazy, romantic weekend breakfasts. A wooden watch is so different, just like us, and it was made even more unique because I had his watch inscribed with my favorite Julia Child quote, “You are the butter to my bread, the breath to my life.” It makes me smile every time I read it, and it’s the truth. Even when I am angry, tired and had just about enough with two teething babies under two, he is my everything.