Seedy Pancakes & Chamomile Maple Syrup

I love spring. I love flowers. I love pancakes!!!!

I'm so pleased to say that all the flowers, herbs and berries pictured are from my garden. This is my favourite time of year.

I have a ridiculous amount of chamomile coming out of my garden, which is how it ended up in my maple syrup—it's everything I make these days. 

Chamomile Maple Syrup
(makes about a 1/2 cup)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup water (optional)
• 1 tbs dried chamomile

Instructions:

1. Combine syrup, water and chamomile in a pan.

2. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat and allow to simmer for a few minutes.

3. Strain and store in refrigerator.

Notes:

• I only add the water because I have a tendency to forget things on the stove...woops.
• The chamomile measurement is a guideline...add as much or as little as you'd like.
• I like to use the left over, maple soaked chamomile to make a super sweet tea afterwards.

I've made these pancakes countless times, but never the same way. The recipe started off as basically just oil, eggs, syrup and flour, but my habit is to keep adding ingredients to any recipe, whether for fun or health or both, usually until it reaches the point of becoming unpalatable. And then I stop making it altogether.

Fortunately! I have yet to reach that point with these pancakes, and I was particularly fond of this batch. They have a nutty taste, and I like the texture of the the seeds.

I'm excited to keep fiddling with the recipe—I'd like to get to a point where I'm making them without any chemical leaveners...maybe whipping the eggs?

This is my second summer in the same garden. I'm looking forward to recording its progress, and making more garden inspired recipes. I'm going to try my best to record any good ones.

So, hopefully see you soon! I know I say that everytime...

Pancakes
(serves 2 people)

Ingredients:

• 200 grams milk, any kind (I use Green Hemp Milk)
• 75 grams coconut oil or butter (melted)
• 25 grams maple syrup
• 2 eggs (I usually use extra large, but large is a-ok)
• 50 grams whole wheat or spelt flour (I like to use sprouted)
• 50 grams almond flour, or any nut flour
• 50 grams rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• up to 25 grams mixed seeds
• I use hemp, chia and quinoa. Sesame seeds are also nice.

Instructions:

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk milk, oil, syrup, eggs and seeds together. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet, and mix until just combined—it should be a bit lumpy...like muffin batter.

4. In a well-oiled pan, over medium heat, pour 1/4 cup-ish of batter and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip. Repeat.

Notes:

• For the milk, I typically use Green Hemp Milk which makes the pancakes pretty hempy. I've tried hazelnut, almond and rice milk...I also used water once when my fridge was particularly bare.
• For thinner pancakes, use more milk in the batter....for thicker pancakes, use less.
• I've changed the dry ingredients for these every which way—both amounts and types. This recipe is just the most recent variation.
• I've also used this recipe to make waffles, by the way. In that case, I usually swap the milk for yogurt, and up the oil a bit.

Bliss Balls

Remember when I used to keep a blog?

Because to write an explanation for the absence would be too difficult and sad, I'll instead write out this recipe for an easy, sweet snack.

There are a millions versions of bliss balls, but this one is inspired by those sold here in Nelson, BC (where I still live!), because they are the greatest. They are rich and sweet, and the best part is the crunch from the nuts and seeds.

I'm sure it won't be another year until my next appearance, but summer is here, the outdoors are calling, and for the first time in years and years, I live in a house with a yard in which to lay, and a garden in which to work. Yippee!

Until next time!

Bliss Balls
(makes about 12 balls at 35 grams each)

Ingredients:

• 150 grams raw almond butter
• 65 grams tahini
• 60 grams honey
• 60 grams shredded coconut
• 60 grams raw sunflower seeds
• 50 grams raisins
• 25 grams sliced almonds
• 1 tsp spirulina (or more)
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Instruction:

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine almond butter, tahini, honey, spirulina and salt.

2. Mix in remaining ingredients.

3. Portion, roll and store in refrigerator.

Notes:

• The dough consistency is soft. If you find it too soft, add more shredded coconut, or even coconut flour. Try a tablespoon at a time until you get a consistency you like.
• I sometimes substitute some or all of the almond butter for peanut butter, without too much of a flavour difference.
• Pretty much everything else is also substitutable—pumpkin seeds for sunflower seeds, chlorella for spirulina, chocolate for raisins...

Hazelnut Milk

Hazelnut milk is the answer to my mild aversion to Almond Milk. It's strange that hazelnut milk tastes just like you'd expect—hazelnuts—but almond milk doesn't taste much like almonds to me. Not only do I prefer the taste, but I am a bit obsessive about not repeating too many of the same foods in one day. I like to diversify my nut consumption, and since there are already whole almonds in my muesli, I'd rather eat it with hazelnut milk, than more almonds.

Hazelnut Chai Brownie...Balls

Finally, I have forced myself to write about another recipe I served at my Christmas party—one of my favourites, too.  This one comes from Green Kitchen Stories, a blog I love and which has very reliable recipes; I used a couple for my Christmas party. I had been wanting to make their Raw Hazelnut Chai Brownies forever and, after a few failed cookie recipes, I thought it'd be a nice break from baking.