Hands down, breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. Every morning, I have to eat something to wake up and be ready for the day ahead. On a work day it’s usually a quick one – a green smoothie or chia pudding, but today I’d like to talk about weekend breakfasts. The best kind.
My approach to pancakes has been a bit different, as I grew up eating the crepe-like variety. But these thicker, American style pancakes intrigued me. Almost anything that contains maca powder usually calls my name, and these guys just looked so good.
I’ve been on an Irish moss kick for a while now, and of course my magical ingredient ended up in the recipe, adding a fluffy quality to the texture. The yogurt cream was a try and see sort of thing. Luckily, it was a hit, and I’ve been using it in many other recipes since.
And so, one weekend morning, we assembled a tower of pancakes. Each layer was populated with a generous spread of yogurt sauce, berries, and honey-glazed apricots. Then a sprinkle of poppy seeds and one more drizzle of honey. It was a pretty mess, a leaning tower. Perfect for a lazy morning.
Tower of pancakes or not, we hope you have one of these mornings soon. Enjoy.
Honey Maca Pancakes
(For a vegan version, substitute the honey with your sweetener of choice)
2 cups cashews – soaked overnight
1/2 cup Irish moss – thoroughly rinsed and soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
1 cup water
1/2 cup raw honey
2 tablespoons maca powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sprouted pecan butter or other nut butter/oil
2 tablespoons poppy seeds – optional
2 tablespoons ground almonds
3/4 cup ground flax seeds
In a high speed blender mix together all but the last three ingredients until very smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the ground almonds, poppy and flax seeds, mix thoroughly. Spread to a desired thickness onto Teflex covered dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 105F for about 6 hours, then flip over and dehydrate for another couple of hours until the pancakes are dry enough and ready to be cut into circles. We cut out the circles by using a bowl as a template.
Yogurt Cream
1/2 cup macadamia nuts- soaked overnight
1/2 cup cashews – soaked overnight
1 tablespoon light agave syrup
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon raw honey
zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon nutritional yeast
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons Bio-k acidophilus
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon sunflower lecithin – optional, really good for you
In a high speed blender, combine all of the ingredients until smooth and creamy.
Honey-glazed Apricots
Slice apricots, drizzle with raw honey mixed with small amount of coconut oil. Dehydrate at 115F for 1-2 hours.
Assembly
Spread the yogurt cream on each pancake, top with fruits of your choice, sprinkle with poppy seeds (optional) and enjoy. You can keep all the components separately, or in the form of a cake, like we did. Either way, it tastes great and holds well.
Dining and Cooking