My heart is heavy this morning. Our little Sketchie cat is going through a surgery right now. It broke my heart saying good-bye this morning. He has no idea what he’s in for, what he will wake up to, and have to recover from. I haven’t written much about Sketchie’s bowel problems (most likely because it doesn’t tie into the topic of food very well!), but our vet suspects that he has Irritable Bowel Disease. Many days he is running to get to his litter box in time. I won’t get into details, but it’s so sad to watch. His problems were there as a kitten and have gotten worse over the years. We’ve tried relentlessly to find a cure for his problems – grain-free food, the raw food diet, single protein food sources, pumpkin, probiotics – you name it, and nothing seemed to help for long and he’s also extremely picky with food so that complicates things too. He has had blood work and stool testing galore! I feel so bad for him because he obviously doesn’t understand what is going on with his body.
Our vet recommended that Sketchie have exploratory surgery where they will take a biopsy of his intestines, examine his organs, and look for anything unusual like cancer. If we just put him on medication it might cover up a serious problem that’s going on, so we decided it was best to know what’s really going on inside him. His recent blood work came back that he has low B12 which could be a result of IBD or it could be due to something more serious like lymphoma. The hardest part about this decision is that we don’t know for sure if it will end up finding a solution to his problem, but we figure it’s worth a shot for his long-term health and happiness. We really don’t know what else to do at this point. One thing is for sure; this wacky, quirky little cat has left such a mark on my heart, I can’t imagine my life without him and I would do anything to help him.
The house feels so empty and quiet this morning (there’s no one rubbing his head on my computer screen right now or meowing at me!), but I know he’s in great hands. And he will be spoiled and taken care of 24/7 when he’s home, so hopefully his recovery goes well. I’ll keep you posted on how he’s doing. Hopefully he doesn’t hate us too much, especially with that cone around his head and mystery incision.
There’s no good way to transition into a pancake recipe today, but let’s just go with it. I need a little comfort food right about now! I made these pancakes for Eric and I after the hockey game on Sunday to celebrate the Olympics. It was an event we looked forward to for weeks and I couldn’t think of a better way to treat ourselves. It’s been a LONG time since I wrote about pancakes on this blog…too long, in fact! Hopefully this makes up for lost time.
Easy Vegan and Gluten-Free Pancakes (Strawberry Shortcake + Whipped Cream)
Yield
9 pancakes
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These vegan pancakes are made with raw buckwheat flour, rice flour, and arrowroot flour - making them naturally gluten-free - and chopped bananas are folded into the batter to provide a fluffy, pillow-like texture. You can enjoy them plain (they are seriously really good without anything added!), or you can get fancy and serve them with some coconut whipped cream, fresh berries, vegan butter, and/or maple syrup. The sky is the limit, pancake lovers. They are also fantastic with some finely chopped chocolate thrown into the batter or blueberries! You can tell I’ve made this recipe a lot! One word of caution: The combination of gluten-free flour is sensitive to changes. I don’t recommend subbing any of the flours with oat flour, for example - it tends to create a pancake that cracks, sticks to the pan, and falls apart. I don’t have any issues with this recipe when I follow it as written and use a non-stick skillet though. This recipe is adapted from my Vanilla Blueberry Buckwheat pancakes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw buckwheat groats, ground into a fine flour
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1.5 cups + 3 tablespoons almond milk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or agave nectar)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup diced ripe bananas (about 2 small/medium)
- Coconut Whipped Cream, for garnish
- Chopped Fresh Strawberries, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. A drop of water should sizzle on the skillet when it’s ready.
- In a blender, blend the buckwheat groats on high speed until a fine flour forms. Place into a large bowl. Now whisk in the rest of the dry ingredients (rice flour, arrowroot, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond milk, syrup, and vanilla extract. Pour this onto the dry ingredients and whisk the batter until no clumps remain.
- Dice the banana until it's the size of peas or a bit larger. Fold the diced banana into the batter.
- Lightly grease skillet (I spray olive oil on it). Scoop a heaping 1/4 cup of batter onto the preheated skillet and quickly spread the batter out into a circle. Cook until some bubbles appear and the edge looks deeper in colour and more firm. Flip and cook for another couple minutes until golden. Adjust heat as needed. Repeat for the other pancakes. I spray the skillet with oil before each pancake is cooked and this seems to work well.
- Stack and serve with Coconut Whipped Cream and fresh chopped strawberries, if desired. Or simply serve with pure maple syrup!
Tip:
Notes:
If using frozen blueberries, pour batter onto skillet first and then top with blueberries to prevent bleeding.
I tried subbing the rice flour for oat flour and the pancakes stuck to the pan, so I would advise against that substitution.
If at any time your batter is too thick or if you want thinner pancakes, simply thin it out with a splash or two of almond milk.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Lastly, I want to thank all of you who have let me know you received the cookbook a bit early (Indigo is shipping early and stocking the book in some stores, FYI). I’ve received so many tweets from you sharing pictures of the book in your home, recipes you’ve already made, and the like. It’s really brightened up my week and I’m so grateful for your excitement and support. One week from today, the book will be officially released and out in the world. I feel nervous, excited, anxious, scared, and grateful all at once.
Don’t forget, if you haven’t taken advantage of the Bonus Recipe Bundle with 10 bonus recipes you can still do so until next week. Details here.
Now go on and treat yourself to some pancakes!
They’re just absolutely gorgeous! I mean, THIS is breakfast! Who wouldn’t want to wake up for these beauties! pinned
Can I sub 1 cup of buckwheat flour in place of the groats? I figured it would be the same but didn’t know if I would use less. Thanks!
I was thinking this morning that it’s only 1 week until Shrove Tuesday (pancake day) and I need to get a hang of my recipe – this looks like a recipe I’d like to start *testing* every day until then :-)
and GET WELL SOON Sketchie – praying for you. xx
Oh Angela! I am so sorry to here about Sketchie, I hope his surgery goes well and he is back to rubbing his head on your computer screen! Great way to celebrate the defeat against the U.S. I guess were keeping Bieber :)
Yes, please keep him! lol.
Get well Skitchie.
The pancakes look incredible, but I wanted to say that my thoughts are with you and Sketchie! I hope he gets well soon and that your mind finds some ease while he’s in surgery and recovery!
Poor Sketchie… Hope he feels better soon! I have a bengal also, and at one point she would lick herself so much she was going bald! Vet wanted to put her on steroids, but I wasn’t okay with that. We finally switched from dry food to all wet food, and that has made a huge difference. She’s happy, healthy and more playful, and her coat looks great again…and of course shes sitting right in front of me as I type :). Anyways, just wanted to send some love, from my bengal to yours! Hope he recovers quickly!
Also pancakes look delicious! I will be trying these soon!
Thanks Heather. I’m happy to hear that you were able to resolve the issue! Sketchie is an obsessive cleaner, but thankfully no baldness yet. ;) We have tried him on all wet food diet for the past few months and unfortunately he hates it and has lost a lot of weight. I wish there was an easy solution, but it’s trial and error with all things health I guess!
hi i enjoy ur recipes but i just wanted to reccomend a book for ur kitty its by an old herbalist juliette bairacli levy she reccommends a raw all natural diet, no cat food u can find the book online pretty cheap, maybe try switching to raw chicken or lamb they also do great with fish for food my dog and cats are much better since i stopped feeding them yucky pet food, the problem with it is that they use byproducts like adrenaline soaked blood that they wash off the mats in the slaughterhouses and add it to the food thats just one of many problems with premade petfood i hope the book helps your cat as much as its helped my animals i have followed the book word by word and have gotten amazing results, its my bible pretty much!
I can’t imagine not having my Jack Russell, Roxy, in my office with me, occasionally dropping toys at my feet! When my mom and I went to put her beautiful springer spaniel down, we went for pancakes afterwards, so I totally understand the transition and desire for comfort food at this time – I may have to make a stack in solidarity (pancakes for dinner? I think so!). Hoping everything goes well for your gorgeous Sketchie, and praying for wisdom for the docs to get to the source of the problem.
Aw, Sketchie! Feel better, buddy! We went through a similar experience last year with our kitty Rambo. He was extremely sick, losing weight, having poo issues; lots of kitty ibd/lymphoma symptoms – after what felt like a million poo tests, an ultrasound found a thickening on his colon so they did exploratory surgery on him too. A biopsy found that it wasn’t cancer, just a very bad infection on his colon, for reasons unknown (we think it was because he’s a jerk and eats paper, but who knows). After a very strong course of antibiotics, Rambo is a big healthy guy again a year later, and continues to be the awesomest. It’s so scary and upsetting though to put them through all this, since they don’t understand and you can’t explain it to them. Every time we got him home from the vet though he was just the biggest pile of love – he missed being home! I hope Sketchie has a good outcome and that he feels better! He’ll be happy to be back home with you :)
P.S. those pancakes look amazing!
Aw that is such a sweet story! I’m so comforted knowing that your surgery helped in the end. Hopefully we will have a success story too! Thanks for sharing.
I was also delighted to receive my book early from indigo! It is very well done. Fabulous pictures and inspiring recipes!
Hoping for a quick recovery for Sketchie!
Thank you Deanne! So happy to hear that and thank you for pre-ordering!
I will be thinking of you and Sketchie all day!
Thank you, that’s really sweet!
I’m sending Sketchie lots of positive thoughts…I know how hard that must be both for him and for you, but hopefully this surgery will provide some helpful answers.
Your pancakes look beautiful! I love it when they can stand all on their own – no toppings required. :)
Angela: Sending you and Sketchie good thoughts. My beloved tabby, who I lost in December, had IBD along with many other things, and my little black cat also has either IBD or intestinal lymphoma (We did the X-rays and saw the thickening, but did not have the biopsy because she is 17 and can’t handle anesthesia), so I can empathize with you. Trust the vets, and I’m sure little Sketchie will be fine. I’ll be thinking about you all today.
Thanks Beth, I appreciate your thoughts. Sounds like your Tabby had a long life filled with love!
Sending get well wishes for Sketchie :) :) :) I love your cookbook. It’s beautiful. I am a bit surprised how small the dessert section is since you’re such a dessert lover. It’s really well done :)
haha well I tried to keep the chapters even at around 10 recipes per chapter (with the exception of the entrees chapter which is around 15 and the pantry staples chapter), so one didnt overwhelm. it would be very easy to do an entire dessert book someday given my love for sweets.
Thanks for ordering!
Your next cookbook ;)
yes, maybe!
Maybe we will have to do a vote :)
Ooh! I L<3VE the idea of an all dessert book! my best guess is… you must already be thinking about one ;) Hoping my cookbook comes this week, too as I can't wait to (gently) tear into it. Best energy and healing vibes to Sketchie – there is no substitute for the love and relationships we develop with the creatures who share our lives. I
Hi Angela,
this looks gorgeous! Do you think that I could sub the flours for an all-purpose flour (like Bobs Mill)?
Thank you!
Hanne
I havent tried it, but I can’t see why not! let us know if you try it
I think all purpose gluten free baking mix would work fine, I’ve used it before. (If you mean Bob’s gluten free, I know they sell other stuff too) If you just used Bob’s gluten free pancake mix that would work fine too, I tend to use that as my go to flour mix as it is a little cheaper than plain gluten free flour mix. (No clue why)
Sending lots of positive thoughts for your beautiful Sketchie. I hope all goes well with the surgery and he’s back to his antics in no time! Also, I am ridiculously excited to receive your cookbook!
I’m so sad to hear about Sketchie :( I look at his pictures often and he is just such an impossibly cute and sweet cat. He is lucky he has such caring owners to look after him. I am sure both his surgery and recovery will go exactly as planned and he will be cured. Things have to get worse before they can get better. And he will absolutely get better!! And of course: Congrats your cookbook. You are inspiring as always, and I CANNOT WAIT to get my copy in the mail :)
Awh I really hope your cat is ok! For those of us without kids they really are comparable in terms of the love we have for them, pets in general I mean. Chin up! And yes…gorgeous pancakes!
Best of luck to Sketchie! I can’t imagine what you must be going through. Stay strong <3
I hope your kitty is ok!
I just pre-ordered your cookbook… can’t wait!
I am totally going to try these this weekend if I can find arrowroot. I used to make buckwheat pancakes all the time, I’m not sure why I ever stopped, they are the best!
I hope Sketchie is feeling okay and they figure out what’s going on. My cat, Bella, has been fighting a mystery illness for about 6 months. They thought it was a UTI but they have no idea why or how she got it and why we can’t get rid of the symptoms. Poor thing lost 4 pounds in 6 months (she’s only 8 lbs right now) and it hurts her if I touch her below the shoulders. She’s been recently looking a little better but I hope we can nip it in the bud soon – I adopted her 8 years ago and I know the house would be so lonely without her! Good luck, Sketchie!
Get better soon Sketchie!!! Not knowing what is wrong with our babies (human and fur ones lol) is THE worst!!!
Sending your kitty some love and healing vibes :-)
And I love pancakes, will have to try out this recipe!
My kitty Ludacat & I will be sending lots of positive thoughts Sketchie’s way.
Saying a prayer for the kitty and I know he’ll be fine. Hopefully it’ll give you some answers but regardless the best medicine is love and he’s got a lot of that. ;-)
Perfection, I have been loving gluten free waffles made similar to this, buckwheat is becoming a quick gluten free favorite!
Hi Angela,
Thank you for this fabulous recipe! Sending lots of positive thoughts for Sketchie, hope he gets well soon!
I’d like to ask you if I can use buckwheat flour instead of the groats and what could I replace the banana with (or would they work without banana)? Thank you so much!
I hope Sketchie feels better! I was so happy to receive your cookbook last week. It is gorgeous and I love every one of your recipes. I can’t wait to dig in and cook.
Pancakes are perfect for today! My kids are enjoying Mardi Gras celebrations with pancakes at school today – so this day and pancakes are a natural, and go hand-in-hand for our family.
Mmm, I love pancakes! Would these work if I used buckwheat flour instead of ground groats?
I hope Sketchie is okay! I used to have a cat with chronic urinary tract infections and it was heart breaking.
Amazing photos and I love the ingredients in this pancake recipe! I wonder if I could ground up the buckwheat flour ahead of time and keep and keep a canister of it on the counter?
So sorry to hear about Sketchie’s health issues and surgery – I will definitely be sending happy thoughts your way.
Wow! That picture looks unbelievably good! Pancakes are my favorite meal to enjoy post long run! I have an 18 mile progression run this afternoon….if I manage to work down to the 6:00 pace I hope to by the end, I think I will reward myself with this as a wonderful post workout meal!
Hope Sketchie is feeling better, that sounds horrible :(
Get well soon Sketchie! Having a sick animal is certainly no fun (one of my cats has season cystitis flare-ups every spring… it’s a good thing he’s so cute, because he costs me a fortune every year). Hopefully they will find something and it will be easy to fix or work around. If he’s picky with wet food, the one that I’ve found that my guys love and will actually eat) is Taste of The Wild (the green can is their favourite). It’s grain free and fairly cheap, might be worth a try.
So excited! I received my copy of the “Oh She Glows” cookbook yesterday. Couldn’t stop looking at the beautiful pictures and recipes. Congratulations Angela! I know this sounds silly, but….I’m so proud of you!!!!!
Those pancakes look so good!
Oh poor Sketchie! It’s so hard to watch our fur babies go through something that we can’t explain to them or ask them how they are doing. But I think having the answers is sometimes half the battle. Once you are through the whole thing and he is doing better, it will feel like a miracle! I’m sure you will be hearing meows and getting head rubs before you know it.
Pancakes look amazing as well!
I hope all goes well for Sketchie. My thoughts are with him….
Those pancakes look amazing. I will definitely have to try them this weekend. And as for the book, I’m jealous that others have gotten their copies and I haven’t gotten mine yet, LOL! Hopefully it will be soon. I can’t wait to see it.
Angela, Your beautiful cookbook was in my mailbox this morning!!! I’m so excited to really sit down and enjoy it. My resolution for 2014 is to make 30 new recipes. I’ve already made 8 from your blog and 1 from another. I think your book will make a huge dent in my numbers. Thank you for your good work, and your beautiful gift to the world. Warmly, Andrea
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for Sketchie. I have two bengals and one has had tummy issues since we got her. We finally figured out that she is sensitive to chicken. The only food that she can handle is Acana Lamb flavour. I hope that Sketchie’s problems aren’t a concern for all bengals. Maybe there is a genetic line of bengals in Ontario that have IBS issues?
I hope sketchie will be okay! My cat had this allergy for the longest time and we had no idea what to. He kept getting steroid shots and antibiotics and eventually realized he’s allergic to mainstream proteins like chicken so we switched him to a limited ingredient diet and he’s all better. He’s in my thoughts!
aww, poor Sketchie. Sending positive thoughts and lots of love!
How exciting! As the bananas are diced here and not blended, do you think it would work if I subbed them for something else?
Wishing you and Sketchie the best. He is an adorable cat and obviously well-loved.
Sorry to hear about your baby. :( I’m a lifelong cat lover too, and I couldn’t imagine going through that with my Sophie. I wish him a speedy recovery.
As for the recipe, these pancakes look scrumptious, and as a fellow Canadian, I love seeing the very Canadian colours. :) I’ll probably give them a go next week when the Chilled Chocolate pie (sans strawberry compote — but I’ll definitely make that too next time) is out of the freezer, making me feel less guilty for breakfast involving whip cream within the same day, hehe.
My thoughts are with you and Sketchie today — I hope everything goes well! My boys both suffer from some sort of intestinal issues, and it’s so hard to not be able to explain to your furbabies why they have to eat yucky tasty cat food or make terrifying trips to the vet so often :(
Totally. :( When I bring in Sophie for a shot or something, she just cries and cries the entire way there. It’s really heartbreaking. At least with a kid, you can explain to them, but poor kitties don’t understand which makes it so much scarier for them.
Hi there! I just thought I’d pop in and give an anecdote about our cat’s experience with inflammatory bowel disease. A couple of years ago, our guy suffered through an awful half-year of intestinal distress, with all of the agonizing and unspeakably gross symptoms. We tried everything: numerous dietary changes, probiotics, metronidazole, and even cortico-steroids. Besides awful (and potentially dangerous) doses of steroids, nothing helped.
As a last-ditch effort before going the surgical route, we tried something called Atopica (which is a brand name of cyclosporine). At the time, the drug was only approved for use in dogs, so we had to try it off-label but under the supervision of a vet. The results have been nothing short of amazing. It did nothing for the first two months, but we persisted with treatment. Then, after a few months of treatment, the symptoms began to clear up. It’s now been almost two years, and besides two very short and minor flare-ups, he’s been a 100% normally functioning cat. (As a bonus, it has also massively improved the skin allergies that he has been dealing with since kitten-hood.) It’s been a real wonderdrug for us. I can’t say if it would do the same thing for you, of course. And you might have already tried it. But I thought I’d give you a shout.
I have more details I can share if you’re interested. Feel free to not post this publicly, and also feel free to email me directly if you want to hear more. I know how stressful this must be.
Best,
Dave
Thinking of you and Sketchie today! I hope a solution is found and he goes back to being a happy kitty. I know how precious my kitty is to me so I am sending good vibes you way : )
On another note, I have been LOVING your cookbook and spend whole days cooking from it, I can’t wait to photograph a recipe for the book tour!
Get well soon Sketchie!
Thinking of you and sweet Sketchie.
And looking forward to receiving my book from amazon.com!
(Made the banana bread muffin tops this morning – yum)