Buckwheat Berry Pancakes

I'm finally on break and finally have time for nice, relaxing, elongated breakfast! It's so nice to be able to wake up and think about what I'm actually in the mood to eat rather than the usual "shovel some oatmeal down my throat while it's still piping hot because I have 3 minutes to be out the door" routine. Today I actually turned off my alarm and went back to sleep! I think I dreamed up this pancake recipe while I snoozed. I wanted some hearty whole grains and something on the sweet side, without being too sweet. I adapted this recipe from here since I had never actually made pancakes from scratch before (I grew up with Bisquik mix with Tollhouse chocolate chips, and would usually just pick out all the chocolate:)) Oh, how times change. I feel like I'll be making these a lot this break since once you have all the flours prepared they are super easy to whip together and grill up on the stove. They came out better than I could have dreamed of!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup nondairy milk (I used almond milk)
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons all purpose flour (I subbed oat flour)
1/2 tablespoons sugar (I subbed 1/2 T flax seeds mixed with stevia)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup mixed berries or filling of choice (I used frozen mixed berries, see suggestions)

2 tablespoons coconut flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon coconut oil (for grilling, I actually used just enough to coat the pan)

In a small bowl, mix milk with vinegar and let sit while you mix dry ingredients. To make whole grains such as buckwheat into flour, simply place in blender on high speed for about 30 seconds. This is so much more economical than buying pricey pre-made flours from the health food store, especially if you buy your grains from the bulk bins like I always do.

In medium bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Slowly pour the wet ingredients over the dry mixture, lightly folding as to keep a nice fluffy consistency. Batter may be slightly lumpy. Do not over stir as this is what makes pancakes hard and dense, not what we're looking for. Fold in the berries and coconut or whatever add-in you choose. Let batter sit 10 minutes.

Heat oiled griddle to medium-high. Pour batter to desired size and cook 2-3 minutes per side. Be careful not to burn them! I usually turn the heat down to a little over medium for best results.
This makes three small pancakes, a good serving for one, but you can double or triple the recipe to make lots for friends! Have a pancake party!

light and fluffy with bursts of berries

Here are some other ideas I came across while searching for recipes online:

-banana with vegan chocolate chip

-sliced apple with cinnamon, raisins and walnuts

-grated pumpkin, sweet potato or squash

-bok choi and mushroom (savory)

-gingerbread pancakes

...the list goes on. I feel like I'm going to be experimenting with this one a bunch!

Update:: I made these with my roommate who blogged about our indulgent experience here. I recommend making a nice syrup to accompany the versatile cakes and also to stack them as high as you possibly can. I think they taste better when they are in skyscraper formation ;)