Hi, friends. It’s been awhile. Since I last posted, my “new” job is now my former job, there’s been this little thing called a global pandemic that has swept the world, we have a new US President, and I’m moving across the country in the coming months. Oh, and I don’t eat dairy anymore (!), which for the purposes of this website, is the most relevant life update to share.

To receive test results indicating a high sensitivity to milk/dairy was simultaneously a shock and a lightbulb moment. While I had long suspected gluten to be the culprit of my years-long digestive problems, it made total sense that dairy was driving that train in the end. I had become mostly vegetarian in 2019(ish) and swapped meat-centric dishes with mostly cheese-heavy alternatives: think a chile relleno burrito instead of carnitas, or a cheese-stuffed mushroom patty instead of a cheese-less burger (looking at you, Shake Shack and Trueburger).

And because I thought gluten was a problem, I gravitated toward flour-free desserts in my baking and teaching…which often relied more heavily on butter/cream/milk than what I had been making before. (Cases in point: an entire series of Sundae Sunday posts!; SF Cooking School’s Pastry Fundamentals II curriculum.) In short, I had inadvertently been making the problem worse, and I was getting sicker and sicker. While I’m not jazzed to miss out on “real” ice cream and many other foods I’d normally eat, I really do feel loads better having cut it out, so I don’t expect that shift to reverse anytime soon.

With that update out of the way, I have spent a lot of this year experimenting with new ingredients: first whole grain and gluten-free alternatives, and more recently, dairy-free and vegan variations of my favorite foods. Instead of Sundae Sundays, I’ve started creating a pancake of the week for breakfast, with varied success. The ones from this week stood out as special, so I’m sharing it here for you (and, selfishly, for me to easily retrieve later).

RECIPE: Buckwheat chocolate chip pancakes

By: Kathleen Hayes; yield: 7-8 medium-sized pancakes

FYI: egg free, dairy free, vegan, refined sugar free

MISE IT

Wet ingredients

• 28 grams coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled

• 250 grams non-dairy milk (I used Oatly low fat for what’s pictured)

• 1 tablespoon honey

Dry ingredients

• 77 grams buckwheat flour

• 50 grams whole wheat flour

• 20 grams all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Mix-ins

• Dark chocolate chunks or chocolate chips, to taste (I used a small handful per pancake)

For cooking

• Neutral oil or coconut oil, for coating the pan (I used sunflower oil)

MAKE IT

• Melt coconut oil and set aside to cool slightly.

• Warm a skillet or large frying pan on medium to medium high heat.

• Combine all wet ingredients together in a mixing bowl and whisk until combined.

• Combine all dry ingredients in another mixing bowl and whisk until combined.

• Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together until just combined. Don’t overmix.

• Lightly oil your preheated cooking surface and ladle pancakes onto your surface. Cook until the bottom is set and browned, flip, and cook for half as long on the second side. Exact cooking time will vary based on your set-up, so use visual cues vs. a strict time to cook these.

• Plate, top with maple syrup, and enjoy immediately!

TWEAK IT

• Swirl Nutella into the batter to make this a buckwheat/hazelnut/chocolate situation

• Leave the chocolate out entirely and top with strawberries

• Use a combination of dark and milk chocolate chips for a variety of chocolate flavor

• Swap the 20 grams of all purpose flour with more whole wheat or spelt flour to make this 100% whole grain