banana lime buckwheat pancakes (vegan & gluten-free)

vegan and gluten-free banana lime buckwheat pancakes.

Bananas are cheap again. It's funny, the way price affects how I treat my produce. Now that they don't cost a fortune, I'll buy a bunch and leave them lying around the counter for days, giving them nary a thought. Over time, they start softening, collapsing in a sweet surrender, the yellow skins darkening with an increasingly relentless influx of brown spots.

And then I look over one day and think, oops, perhaps I should start using them before they go bad.

So that was how it came to be that I made these vegan and gluten-free buckwheat banana-lime pancakes three times in a row. There are slight differences in the flavours and textures each time I make them, depending on how ripe the banana is, and how thoroughly I mash them. Invariably, however, they tend to end up tasting like juicy banana bread in pancake form, and you can't go wrong once you give them a good slosh of maple syrup - the magical finishing touch.

vegan and gluten-free buckwheat banana-lime pancakes
(serves 1 - 2)

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 overripe banana, approx. 15cm / 6 inches in length, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
pinch of lime zest (optional)
1/2 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon oil
more oil, for frying
maple syrup and wedges of lime

Mix buckwheat flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, form a well in the middle, and set aside.
In another bowl, mash up banana flesh with lime juice (and zest, if using) with a fork until mushy, then stir in soy milk and oil. You could also use a blender or food processor for a smooth texture, but I like it the rustic way.
Pour the banana puree into the well of the first bowl, then stir gently with a wooden spoon until just combined - do not overmix. At this point, the batter should be thick but still pourable, with a slightly lumpy appearance, resembling a porridge.
Heat up a well-oiled frying pan over medium heat.
Drop 1/4 cup of the pancake batter into the frying pan and cook for approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes, or until the edges set and bubbles pop on the surface. Turn and cook the other side for 30 seconds to 1 minute until golden, then flip onto a plate.
Repeat with the remaining batter. You should end up with 4 fat pancakes.
Serve with lashings of maple syrup and lime wedges to squeeze.

gluten-free and vegan buckwheat banana-lime pancakes in a sinful maple syrup bath.