Light and Airy Banana Buckwheat Muffins

My buckwheat muffins are made with gluten-free buckwheat flour - hence their rich, dark color! This recipe can be used for both banana bread, and muffins, so choose your favorite pan! These wonderful muffins have a delightful texture because they are made with soft bananas, and studded with milled flax seeds, dates and raisins, sprinkled with chia seeds! Simply heavenly! Can you believe the prep time is a mere 15 minutes? The recipe is extremely simple. You can use buckwheat flour and milled flax seeds, or simplify the process by buying The Pure Pantry Pancake Mix, Buckwheat Gluten Free, 1.4-Pound. This is what I used for this recipe, and it was purely heavenly!

Ingredients (I use all organic):
1/2 cup olive oil or butter at room temperature
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup soy milk

2 cups The Pure Pantry Pancake Mix, Buckwheat Gluten Free, 1.4-Pound

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup dry pitted dates

1/2 cup raisins

1 tbsp chia seeds

Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease your muffin tin with olive oil.

In large bowl beat oil or butter with electric mixer. Add eggs and beat until well blended. Add mashed bananas and blend. Stir in brown sugar and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add the dry baking mix, ½ a cup at a time, alternating with soy milk stirring slowly after each addition. Stir in baking powder, dates and raisins. Distribute onto the muffin pan using an ice-cream scoop, sprinkle with chia, and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

You can frost these, or eat them just plain! I love the inviting smell of vanilla in the house whenever I bake, and you will too!

Vegan Chia Seed and Buckwheat Pancakes

I grew up in Russia, and buckwheat is a grain we eat daily. Russians make buckwheat "kasha" for breakfast, and enjoy it with milk and a sprinkling of sugar (just like cereal), they make it as a side for meat and eat it for lunch and dinner. It is a relatively inexpensive grain, and our National staple, even more so than potatoes.  You will be surprised to know that buckwheat used to be in deficit during the communist times! My mother used to have to wait in line and purchase her ration with a coupon, and the only people who were given access to it were diabetics, since this was the approved low-sugar food they were allowed to consume to stay stable, and not spike. 

Not only is buckwheat a delicious, fluffy, and warm comfort food, but it is also good for you! Did you know that buckwheat is one of only few alkaline grains? This means that it won't feed candida, and won't cause inflammation and acidity imbalance in the body. This recipe will not only satisfy your taste buds, but will keep you full without spiking your blood sugar - so it's low on the GI (glycemic index) and absolutely satiating. 

Ingredients (I only use organic):

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 3/4 cup plant milk of your choice (I usually use unsweetened soy milk)
2 tsp. vanilla

1 teaspoon chia seeds
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cups buckwheat flour

½ cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 tbs. olive oil, or melted coconut oil + some to grease the pan.

Combine all ingredients in a big bowl, and mix well. I preheat and grease my cast iron skillet with a bit of coconut oil, and pour the pancakes. Once I see that they become porous all the way through, I flip them, and remove from the skillet just seconds after that. You will easily get the hang of it - nothing too complicated!

A great way to eat these is with a drizzle of raw honey and some organic berries, but you can also have them with anything your heart desires - peanut butter, soy yogurt, anything! You will love these, and make them often. Enjoy!