It is that time of year again, Mardi Gras, Carnival, or here in Ireland, Pancake Tuesday. Mardi Gras, literally meaning “Fat Tuesday,” is often thought of as the “last hurrah” before lent begins on Ash Wednesday. This time is also known as Carnival in many Catholic cultures and is the time outside the Christmas or Easter season. Carnival comes from the Latin words carne vale, meaning “farewell to the flesh.” This likely has roots in pre-Christian tradition based on the seasons. Some people believe the festival represented the few days added to the lunar calendar to make it coincide with the solar calendar; and since these days were outside the calendar, rules and customs were not obeyed. Take a trip to the French Quarter in New Orleans at Mardi Gras and see the mayhem for yourself! The belief also exists that Carnival was a late winter celebration to welcome spring. In Ireland the faithful were obstaining from eggs and dairy for 40 days until Easter so they had to use up the remaining ingredients and make pancakes. Whatever your customs or beliefs are, today, people all over Ireland will be enjoying pancakes for dinner. So… let the festivities begin! Here is a grain-free favourite in our house.
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Grain-Free Pancakes
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1/3 cup of almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 local free-range eggs
- ¼ cup of kefir or natural yogurt* or a non-dairy alternative (like almond or coconut milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon honey
*if using a thick yogurt you may need to add a bit of water to thin the mixture.
Instructions
1. Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
2. In a separate bowl add the wet ingredients, beating the eggs until they are nice and foamy.
3. Mix the two together and set aside for a few minutes. Coconut flour will need a bit of time to soak up the moisture.
4. Heat a bit of grass-fed butter or coconut oil in the skillet and pour in your batter using about ¼ cup per pancake.
When the pancake begins to bubble flip it over and brown the other side.
Additions
We like to mix things up when we make pancakes. Try some of these variations:
- Add mashed banana, pureed sweet potato/butternut squash or apple sauce and slightly reduce the liquid
- Add in fresh blueberries or banana slices during the cooking process
Toppings
- Stew apple or pear in grass-fed butter or coconut oil and cinnamon
- Kefir and berries
- Almond butter and syrup
Get creative and enjoy!
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Michelle
March 7, 2015 at 2:17 pmSounds delicious!