buckwheat, banana, and oatmeal pancakes with dark chocolate (vegan + gluten free)

this weekend was packed.  on friday night after work, we headed over to a family friend's house to help out with a few chores such as moving boxes, cleaning furniture, and doing some touch-up paint on the outside of her house.  on saturday, we ran some errands and then met up with my parents to cool off a local water park since we were in the middle of a heatwave.  on sunday, we spent the majority of the day outside at a work function for ryan.  luckily, in the midst of all of that, we carved out a little time on sunday morning to have a peaceful breakfast in our pajamas on the back porch.

we had a very ripe banana sitting on the kitchen counter that needed to be used up, so we found a good use for it in some pancakes.  it has been a long while since the last time we made buckwheat pancakes, and we had some buckwheat leftover in the pantry, so we pulled it out and put it to use.

these pancakes are exactly what sunday morning pancakes should be.  mashed banana acts as the base and combines perfectly with buckwheat, oats, and dark chocolate.  oh my goodness, these pancakes were so good!  we were both so impressed by how tasty they were.  (guess what?  they're vegan and gluten free too!)

buckwheat, banana, and oatmeal pancakes with dark chocolate
prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
yields: 2 servings
adapted from yammie's noshery

ingredients:
1 large ripe banana
3/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

directions:
in a large bowl, mash the banana with a fork.  add the milk and vanilla.  stir with the fork until combined.  add the buckwheat, oats, baking powder and salt.  stir just until combined.  fold in the chocolate chips.

heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan on medium heat.  pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake.  cook for 3-4 minutes until small bubbles begin to form.  flip the pancakes when they start to bubble, then cook for 3 minutes until they are dark and cooked throughout.  serve warm, topped with additional chocolate chips, sliced banana, and warm maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie