Have you ever eaten pancakes for breakfast and then in less than an hour or two it feels like you're starving again? Chances are your pancakes weren't rockin' the lasting protein power of these next Nielsen family breakfast favorite! 

Seriously, don't be fooled. These pancakes look & taste sweet and innocent but, on the inside, each pancakes holds s powerful 1.5 grams of protein and each of the essential 9 aminio acids! Weew! 

How'd we do it? Let me explain... Well, it's all a long story. Let me sum up... 

So you might have noticed I've been MIA for a while. I mean a LONG while. It was initially because we moved. Now if that isn't enough of a life change try MOVING AGAIN on top of that! Pure craziness. We're finally settled now and thankfully I don't have to live out of a suitcase or boxes anymore. ;) Now what does this all have to do with Quinoa Teff Pancakes you might ask? Well, along that journey, my mom and I were able to team up again in the kitchen. She has been loving the nutritional power of Teff and wanted to incorporate it into a pancake made from cooked quinoa. 

So seriously, each pancake has 1.5 grams of protein? Yep, and an entire batch packs 46 grams! How in the world?! Let me explain what's inside:

• QUINOA: I've talked about Quinoa before and it's SUPER food qualities. There's 12 grams of protein in 1/2 cup dry Quinoa! It's literally called a super food because it contains all the 9 essential amino acids. You can read more about Quinoa and learn how to cook it quick and easily on my website HERE. 
  

• TEFF FLOUR: It's one of those un-tapped Gluten Free flours that you don't see too much of in recipes. (It's becoming a more common gluten free flour you can find in your local healthfood store but if you can't locate it, we have a link to purchase it HERE.) Teff Flour is seriously a nutritional powerhouse. It's the smallest grain in the world and provides an excellent source of dietary fiber, protein, iron, amino acids, vitamin c, and especially calcium.  In fact, the calcium content in Teff surpasses that of all other grains! Teff is also high in resistant starches which means that it can benefit blood-sugar management because the body burns it off slower. Resistant starch from Teff also helps with weight control and colon health. In only a 1/2 cup of Teff Flour there are 10 grams of protein! 

• EGGS: Just one large egg holds 7 grams of protein! This recipe uses 3 for a total of 21 grams from eggs alone!  

Now that you know the facts, don't let the healthy scare you aware. These babies are sure to be a crowd pleaser! 
Enjoy. 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free)
Created by jalene & her mom alene

Let me start off by saying that I love Bob's Redmill. I appreciate their Gluten Free Flours and products. I use them all the time in my recipes! But their pancakes have not been their strong point with me! I tried their pre-mixed pancake bag and was in shock! I must have followed the directions incorrectly or something because they were dry and yucky. So I tried them again. Same thing. Yuk! I wouldn't even feel comfortable posting a recipe like that and here they are selling this stuff. Sheesh.  I love you Bob. Just not your pancake mix. 

So I thought, maybe that was just a fluke, maybe they have a better pancake recipe than the pre-mixed stuff they sell but when I tried a recipe off one of their flour bags, same result. That's it. I knew I had to do something. I refuse to eat a dry pancake BOB! So, this next recipe is my improved version: moist, fluffy, healthier, and tastier.

PS- Bob's Redmill Pancake Mix...I'm coming for you next! ;)

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene from a Bob's Redmill Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup white rice flour
• 6 Tbsp coconut flour
• 2 Tbsp almond meal/flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp sugar (I use evaporated cane juice sugar)
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• (optional) 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg 
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
• 1 & 1/2 cup buttermilk or to make it dairy free use 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar + enough almond milk to make 1 & 1/2 cups total
• 1/2 cup water

I bet my family is happy...I finally have this recipe figured out! We've all been having blueberry pancakes off and on for the past month! It all paid off though because these babies are good! Fluffy, golden, and they taste amazing. They're sure to be a crowd pleaser! 

We've had my nephew staying with us for a little bit which is great because he's a gluten-eater normally. So that means his memories of gluten-infested foods are still fresh in his mind when he eats our gluten-free food. So far he hasn't been able to tell the difference between my gluten free cooking and "normal" recipes. He also think it's so funny that my husband critiques my food so in depth and honestly! I told him I prefer it that way because it's the only way I'll get better! 

And thanks to my husband these pancakes are better! Enjoy! 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Contains Almonds & Eggs)
Created by jalene

Makes about 15 (3 inch pancakes)
Ingredients: 

• 1 cup water & 1/4 cup whole raw almonds* or you can use 1 cup dairy free milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 Tbsp honey or 1 Tbsp organic maple syrup
• 1 large egg
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 2 Tbsp almond meal flour
• 2 Tbsp potato starch
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions: 

1. Preheat a skillet over medium heat. 
2. In a Blendtec or strong blender combine your water, almonds, vanilla, almond extract, and honey until smooth. (I use the "whole juice" setting on my Blendtec.) Add the egg and coconut oil and pulse to combine. 
3. Add all of the rest of the dry ingredients to the blender and mix until well combined. Fold in the blueberries. Pour onto your preheated skillet and brown on each side. Serve hot. 

We enjoyed ours with organic maple syrup but blueberry syrup or any other magical topping would be just as good. ;)

*Basically with the water and almonds I'm making my own fresh unsweetened almond milk. You can surely SKIP this part if you don't have a powerful enough mixer. Simply sub out the water and raw almonds for 1 cup of dairy free milk of your choice. 

Pst- Making your own dairy free milk is EASY. Follow the links for some of my recipes: 

• Dairy Free Almond Milk
• Dairy Free Rice Milk
• Dairy Free Soy Milk

I've been on a gluten free carrot cake quest lately but after many attempts I have...pancakes. They don't taste exactly like carrot cake but I'm sure if you were to top them with some cream cheese frosting it would be hard to deny! Either way, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! They have a yummy festive flavor to them and when you top them with a little 100% pure maple syrup, they are delicious! (And between you and me, it's a great way to get your kids to eat more vegetables!)

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar-Free)
Created by jalene

Makes about 12 pancakes (3 inch)
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup +1 Tbsp brown rice flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar and then enough almond or rice milk to make 1/2 cup all together
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/2 Tbsp 100% pure maple syrup
  
• 1 cup (about 1/2 lb) finely grated carrot
• 2 Tbsp walnuts, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat your griddle. 
2. Combine all the dry ingredients: brown rice flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.  Set aside. 
3. In a blender (I used a Blendtec), combine your milk mixture, oil, vanilla, egg, and syrup. Add your dry ingredients and blend until just combined. Add your carrot and walnuts (if using). Pulse slightly to blend (or you can simply stir them in.)
4. Pour batter onto your preheated griddle and brown on each side. 

My parents were in town when I was experimenting with this recipe...and you have to see how my mom topped these. It was hilarious. I turned around and.... 

Applesauce & Sprouts. Ha ha. Not exactly my first choice but definitely a healthy way to start your day. ;)

You're funny mom!

Yum, I could seriously eat pumpkin year round. I think my love started with pumpkin pie and it's just exploded from there. And since you technically shouldn't eat pumpkin pie for breakfast...why not eat pumpkin PANCAKES. :) These have such an amazing taste. Alone, they're not too sweet but with maple syrup, they are HEAVENLY! If you like pumpkin, you'll LOVE these. 

Added bonus: This is another great recipe that only uses 1 kind of flour. I've been trying to keep things simple for those of you that don't have all the different kinds of gluten free flours on hand!

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene

Makes about 16 3-inch pancakes
Ingredients: 

• 3/4 cup milk or milk substitute (I used almond milk)
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree 
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup brown rice flour 
• 1 & 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp ground ginger OR you can use 1 & 1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice instead
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions: 

1. Preheat your griddle over medium heat. 
2. In a small bowl combine the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Set aside. In another bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Stir the dry into the wet ingredients just enough to combine. (The batter will be thick, do not dilute.)
3. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle. Cook on one side until the top looks dry and the bottom has browned. Then flip and cook on the other side. 

They taste amazing warm with 100% pure maple syrup or my dairy free whip cream. 

Oops. Forgot to pick this one... got a little too big!

Good thing I'm getting creative on how to use my zucchinis! I even created a new recipe category to the right so you could have easy access to them! 

If you know me - you know I love a good pancake - and if you know my pancakes - you know I love to create all sorts of combinations! You might think it strange to put zucchini in your pancakes but this combination works AND it tastes great! Enjoy!

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Can be Sugar Free)
Created by jalene

Ingredients: 

• 1 & 1/2 cup gluten free oats
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp sugar or evaporated cane juice sugar (OR to make this sugar free use 1/2 Tbsp Xylitol)
• 1 cup grated zucchini (finely packed)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp oil

Directions: 

1. Preheat a pan over medium heat.
2. In a high speed blender, grind your oats into flour. Add the rest of the dry ingredients to the blender: cinnamon (if using), nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Pulse to combine. 
3. Add the wet ingredients to the blender: zucchini, water, egg, and the oil. Blend until just combined. Scrape sides if necessary. 
4. Pour the batter onto the preheated pan. (I made my pancakes about 3-4 inches large.) Brown on each side. 

So I might be addicted to pancakes. If you haven't noticed I have a lot of varieties! There are just so many options out there. Don't be surprised if I continue to produce more.  ;)

When Audrey was really little I used to make these pancakes for her and take them as to-go snacks. They're great without any toppings and she LOVED them! They are a great tasting pancake with no sugar, wheat, or dairy. The almond and Quinoa add a boost of great nutrients and protein making a very sustaining breakfast meal. 
  

Apple Oat Pancakes
(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Created by jalene (inspired by a recipe from Cathe Olsen)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour (You can make by blending 1/2 cup oats) 
  
• 1/4 cup almond flour (You can make by blending 1/4 cup of raw almonds)
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 apple, core removed, finely grated (see note)
• 1/2 cup milk or milk alternative
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil (melted to liquid)
• 1/2 Tbsp 100% Pure Maple Syrup 

Directions: 

1. Preheat a griddle just under medium heat. 
2. In a blender or food processor, combine all the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. 
3. Add the apple, milk, egg, maple syrup, and oil and stir until just combined. (Batter will continue to thicken as it sits.)
4. Pour onto griddle and brown on each side.  (See note)

Makes ten 3-inch pancakes

You can use a blender to puree the apple instead or you can use unsweetened applesauce instead of the grated apple. 

These pancakes burn a lot faster than normal pancakes so I cook them at a slightly lower heat for longer. You know when to flip them when the edges on the uncooked side start to look dry instead of wet. 

I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet. I actually forgot about it until I was talking to my mom the other day. She reminded me about it! It's one of the FIRST gluten-free recipes that I ever created! Unfortunately it's not dairy-free because of the buttermilk but a great feature is that you don't need xanthan gum or guar gum to hold it together. 

(Gluten-Free, Corn-free, Nut-free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by Saco Buttermilk Co. 

Makes 10 (3 inch) pancakes
Ingredients:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 Tbsp 100% pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup sweet white rice flour (I grind my own from Calrose Rice)
• 2 Tbsp Buttermilk Powder 
  

Directions:

1. Come all dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside. 
2. In another bowl combine egg, water and oil. Blend with dry ingredients until batter is smooth. Do not over beat.
3. Cook both sides until golden brown.