Paleo Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Pancakes

Paleo Banana Pancakes is one of my favorite posts here. The recipe has all the goodness of a sweet and indulgent breakfast packed in into just half a banana and one egg per serving. And 9 grams of protein per serving.

PLUS, the pancakes are gluten free and paleo…and could be almost vegan if you dare replace the single lonely egg for Egg Replacer (on my bucket list).

This little chocolaty variation is the new and improved way to make them. I just got a purple immersion blender and is my new best friend. Batter to batter, you can’t even tell if this one is gluten free or paleo or “normal.”

Save some trees: Print the recipe here and check out the nutritional info.

Ingredients:

For 1 serving. This was inspired by the Paleo Banana Pancakesrecipe.

• 1/2 ripe banana
• 1 egg
• 1.5 tsp raw cacao powder
• 1 tsp coconut palm sugar, or stevia
• 1 tsp coconut flour
• 5 vegan chocolate chips
• 1 pinch of Kosher salt

Directions:

With everything in one single container (minus the salt), use an immersion blender until frothy. If you don’t have an immersion blender, grab a fork, mash the banana, and then beat the rest of the ingredients (skip the chocolate chips).

In a medium pan at medium to low heat, cook SMALL silver dollar pancakes (small is key as these are a little bit tougher to flip versus other ones). Watch them like a hawk – they can burn in extra 3 seconds. Start with the heat at low and build from there. Around 2 minutes for the first side and 20 seconds for the other side.

Serve with maple syrup, coconut nectar, skinny coconut cream frosting, or solo. Add the pinch of Kosher salt at the very end…it really does the trick!

Review: Bob Red Mill’s Coconut Flour

Amazon is a beautiful thing at the time of trying to find crazy flour and gluten free and organic and vegan ingredients. I keep a shelf well stock at home of flours, gluten free soy sauces and almond milk.

This flour was fantastic to work with…the smell as you first drop it in the bowl is quite delightful. I almost wanted to eat it raw!

So what can you do with coconut flour? (By the way, you can buy it here: click for flour!)

For starters, awesome pie crusts, like in this Dark Cherry Mini Tarts recipe.

I’ve also found a few more online I’m looking forward to testing soon:

• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Fluffy Coconut Pancakes
• Argentinean Chocolate and Dulce De Leche Pionono

Yes. I will buy it again!

Dark Cherry Mini Tarts

Cupcakes and sliders move over! Mini-tarts are the new delicious thing hitting the town. Think about them as mini pies you can enjoy guiltless… and gluten free and fodmap free.

This recipe was adapted from the Coconut Mama, and I think it could really work as a quiche too. In terms of the crust, you’ll find tons of crusts that are gluten free around the web…but as much as I’ve tried  with coconut oil, it was the real butter that did the trick.

I used frozen cherries, but you can use whatever is in season these days…blueberries, strawberries, you name it. The meringue is time consuming, but worth it if you have guests to impress, or you want to sound like a sophisticated chef. “Meringue-ing” is not a verb yet, but one day…maybe.

Ok. Here it goes…

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, Melted
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup coconut flour – click here for link
• 1-3 tablespoons sugar (to taste)

For the filling:

• 3 cups of cherries or other fruit
• 1 cup of sugar
• almond extract
• 1/4 cup of orange juice

For the meringue:

• 2 egg white
• 4 tablespoons suga
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Set the oven to 425 degrees and grease a muffin or cupcake pan. In a bowl, beat the butter for the crust, the eggs, and the rest of the ingredients until you form a ball (it should not be too sticky, or too crumbly). Carefully divide it with a spoon or your fingers and form pie crusts in each cupcake hole. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on cooling rack.

For the filling, in medium to high heat, drop the cherries or the other fruit until they start juicing…soon it will come to a boil. (Around 15 minutes). Add the sugar and mix with a wooden spoon continuously. Add the almond extract and the orange juice, cover and simmer in low until most of the liquid is consume and the mix is thick (slightly thicker than jam). Cool.

Finally, for the meringue, set the broiler in the oven. Beat the egg whites in high until they form peaks. Add the sugar and vanilla essence carefully, and beat in slow until the meringue thickens and you can pipe it.

On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, carefully set the pie crusts, fill them with the cherry filling and pipe the meringue. Then, paying a lot of attention, toast the meringue in the oven (don’t let it burn!). Remove from the oven and cool.

Enjoy with tea, cappuccino and good friends.