You know those mornings where you want something fun to make for breakfast, but really are feeling lazy? This is how these matcha buckwheat pancakes came about.

Being the queen of shortcuts for efficiency, I like to keep some homemade premixed flours on hand for quick breakfasts. I had a few servings left of my original vegan, gluten-free buckwheat pancake mix (just mixing together all the dry ingredients) and was planning on making myself a matcha latte, when I thought, "why not just do both in one?"

If you are looking for thick, fluffy, super-moisture heavy pancakes, these are not for you (but I'll be putting up a recipe for one of those soon!). These actually reminded me of those Asian-style sponge tea cakes- so if you like that type of consistency, this is going to be your new favorite pancake mix. Finally, if you want to love these pancakes but aren't so into the sponge-cake thing, try throwing in half a banana to moisten and bind it up a bit more!

Fair warning: I was so sleepy when I first made these and was planning on needing a cup of coffee soon afterwards, but after these pancakes, I was rather alarmingly alert. Hello, matcha caffeine- thanks for making me the energizer bunny. Wasn't a bad thing, considering I zoomed through all my emails for the day afterwards.

Anyway, on to it!

Matcha Buckwheat Pancakes (Gluten-Free and Vegan)

*serves 2 hungry people

Ingredients

For pancake batter:
1/2 cup Buckwheat Flour
1/4 cup Millet Flour
2 tbsp Arrowroot Starch (Tapioca works too)
1 tbsp Matcha (use a culinary grade, like Midori by Matchaeologist)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened Nut or Hemp Milk of your choosing (+an extra dash if batter is too dry)
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp pure Vanilla Extract
1 Flax Egg (1 tbsp ground Flax meal + 3 tbsp water, let congeal for 10-15 min. in fridge)
Nonstick cooking spray (EVOO, Sunflower Seed Oil, Coconut Oil)

Recipe

1. Make your flax egg and put it in the refrigerator for at least 10-15 minutes to congeal.

2. In a large measuring cup, stir lemon juice into nut or hemp milk to create a "buttermilk." Let sit to begin slight curdling. Add in vanilla extract and flax egg, and whisk until combined.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flours, matcha, starch, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and whisk until very well combined. Pour in wet ingredient mixture and whisk gently until consistent. 

5. Heat up a griddle or skillet on medium-high heat (the pan is ready when a drop of water sizzles/evaporates on it). Spritz griddle with nonstick cooking spray, and pour pancakes on griddle. They are ready to flip when bubbles  reach the surface and the surface looks like it's just firming up.

Suggestions for additions: 

• Cashew cream to top these or also layer in between like in my original recipe to make it like a mini layer cake(ingredients and instructions below)

• Greek Yogurt to top (if not vegan!)

• Lots of seasonal fruit- raspberries and pomegranates 

• Of course, maple syrup if you've got an extra sweet tooth. 

HOW TO MAKE CASHEW CREAM:
1 cup raw Cashews, soaked overnight/drained & rinsed
~1/3 cup Water (pending on consistency preference)

Make the cashew cream by combining the cashews and water in a blender and pureeing until smooth. 1/3 cup of water was just right for me, but if you like it runnier, add more water; if you want it thicker, add less water. Cover and stick in the refrigerator until ready to use.