Gluten Free Vegan Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

When I woke up this morning I was craving pancakes… but with “nothing” in the house I thought, what am I going to do?

With a little detective work I pulled out 2 frozen bananas, frozen blueberries, Maine maple syrup, GF oats, flax seeds, cinnamon, vanilla, baking powder, Himalayan salt… voila! The perfect ingredients for gluten free vegan pancakes!!

Although this breakfast is a delicious indulgence, it is jam packed with nutrition! The blueberry syrup is a great way to get all the sweetness without drenching your pancakes in too much syrup. With only a 1/4 cup of maple syrup the blueberries macerate and release their juices into this sweet purple syrup. As discussed in my last post, dark colored fruits like blueberries are high in antioxidants which are so important in fighting free radicals and repairing damage they cause to your cells.

Keeping pesky gluten out of these pancakes is very simple with the substitution of oats. Oats are naturally gluten free but they are usually processed in plants that also process wheat. So that is why it is important to make sure you have gluten free oats.

In contrast to gluten, oats have a very soothing effect on your body. You may be familiar with oatmeal baths or lotions which help sooth rashes and inflammation on your skin. Well the same is true to your gut, oats provide a very gentle and soothing effect inside your gut.

Flax seeds are high in omega 3’s and replace the eggs in these pancakes. Flax has two times more omega 3’s than fish oil! They are also the most abundant source of lignans which are fiber compounds. These lignans bind to estrogen receptors and interfere with cancer promoting effects of estrogen on breast tissue. They also produce a protein that regulates estrogen levels by escorting excess estrogen from the body. So flax seeds are amazing for breast cancer repair and prevention. Plus, all foods high in fiber are so important for your diet as they bind to toxins and escort them out of your body!

So as you can see, even though you think you are indulging in a guilty pleasure like pancakes for breakfast, this recipe is high in nutrient density and cancer fighting properties!