Coconut Cream Cashew-Chai Pancakes

Up early, like watch-the-sunrise early, I made these amazing Coconut Cream Cashew-Chai Pancakes.

..because when one wakes up early on a Saturday, One must make pancakes. I think it's a rule.

No boring pancakes today thank you. These are luscious, coconut-maple-cream-filled, pillowy-stacked, cashew-studded, chai-essenced, coconut-dusted, kamut pancakes.

I used a Kamut grain vegan pancake mix - I adore kamut. And these are easy! Lets put it this way, I got out of bed at 8am and was photographing these babies by 8:30. Fast and yummy for a happy Saturday morning feast...

Kamut. I am in love with kamut pasta - so I decided to try kamut pancake mix. It has the same texture and consistency as a buckwheat pancake - perhaps a tad lighter. I was very impressed with the nutty sweet flavor of the pancakes. You can use any pancake mix you'd like. The one I used (Arrowhead Mills) basic ingredients: kamut flour, baking powder, dry soy milk powder, salt. 6g protein and 2g fat and good stuff like 8% RDA of iron and 20% RDA of calcium per 1/4 cup mix.

Then comes the coconut-maple cream filling. I used light coconut milk and made a stove-top thickened creamy sauce. A generous dose of maple syrup and cinnamon and suddenly my basic kamut pancakes become dessert-inspired and dreamy.

Get my recipe..

Coconut Cream Cashew-Kamut Pancakes

Pancakes
1 cup Kamut Pancake Mix
1/2 cup almond milk, plain
1/2 cup chai tea concentrate (or sub with more almond milk + 1 Tbsp sweetener)
2 Tbsp agave or maple syrup
dash of cinnamon
1/3 cup roasted/salted cashews
2 Tbsp oil (I used grape seed, canola works well too)

Coconut Cream
1 1/4 cups light coconut milk
dash of salt
1 Tbsp corn starch
4-5 Tbsp maple syrup

dusting: raw unsweetened coconut shreds

Directions:

1. Make your coconut sauce by dissolving corn starch into the light coconut milk. Add in the cinnamon and maple syrup as well. Heat in a soup pot - constantly stirring until thickened. I like to run a beater through my sauce to make it extra light and silky. Pour into a dish and chill in the fridge until needed. I like my sauce to thicken up a tad in the fridge - but still stay loose enough to drizzle nicely on the pancakes.

2. Next up you need to mix your pancake mix in a large bowl. Fold int he nuts. Then grease a sauce pan and start cooking your pancakes over a medium flame. If your pan is too hot the pancakes may burn more than you'd like. Transfer pancakes to paper towel to cool for stacking.

3. Assembling your stack is fun! First do a light dusting of coconut shreds. I use raw unsweetened organic coconut shreds. Then add one pancake, a dollop of coconut cream from the fridge and repeat until three layers have been created...

4. Top with coconut. Serve warm!

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Pancakes

I have been experimenting with peanut butter pancakes lately and I've found that I sorta, kinda, love them. My go-to, crave-it recipe is for these vegan Peanut Butter Banana Oat Pancakes. Creamy peanut butter, sweet circles of banana, cozy rolled oats, a pinch of flax seeds, a hint of vanilla, plenty of cinnamon and a waterfall of dark amber maple or raw agave syrup over top.

Scene -> Lazy-breakfast Sunday. You are feeling splurge-y.

..What do YOU crave?

 My splurge-worthy AM meal: pancakes. Childhood-memory thing, I think. Every Saturday morning when I was a kid the menu included three things: fresh squeezed OJ, freshly sliced cantaloupe and fluffy fresh apple pancakes - made using the apples from the tree in our backyard.

And just because pancakes are indeed a carb-fest, that doesn't mean they can't have a few redeeming qualities.. Pancakes can easily be infused with plenty of good-for-you ingredients like fruit, whole grains, nuts, seeds and more.

Pancake morning. Go. Set this tall stack of pancakes on the table, fresh fruit salad and soy lattes too, and don't you dare change out of your pajamas. The dress code is very strict for this cozy morning spread: no slippers, no service.

Easy Banana Slicing.. I have to admit, the one totally unnecessary kitchen gadget I love - this banana slicer I found at Williams and Sonoma. It is just a fun little gadget. Perfectly width-ed slices in a flash..

 To be or not to be .. gluten-free?.. For this recipe, I used a mixture of buckwheat and whole wheat flours - although I'm pretty sure this recipe would be awesome if you subbed in a gluten free flour. Like many people, I have been experimenting with less gluten in my diet lately. I've found less gluten is a good thing, but I still eat plenty of it I assure you. I am always anxious to improve the way my body reacts and thrives from the foods I eat - so gluten is just another one of those interesting variables in my diet. My curiosity continues.
Peanut Butter Banana Oat Pancakes
vegan, makes 7-8 large pancakes

3-4 Tbsp peanut butter, softened
3 Tbsp rolled oats
3 Tbsp maple or agave syrup
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup soy milk, vanilla
1 tsp flax seeds
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 large bananas, sliced

safflower oil for pan

Directions:

1. Combine flax seeds and soy milk. Let stand for at least 2-3 minutes to thicken.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Stir peanut butter and agave or maple syrup into the flax/soy then fold this wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold in the apple cider vinegar last.
3. Heat a small drizzle of safflower oil in a nonstick pan.
4. Pour batter onto hot pan. When pancakes start to bubble through - add banana slices to wet batter and flip. Cook for another few minutes and transfer to paper towel to cool.
5. Serve with fresh bananas and a nice drizzle of agave or maple syrup.