Strawberry Moon + Pancakes

Did you miss the Strawberry Moon last night? Us too! While the full moon didn’t actually look red like a strawberry, it’s interesting in North America that the name comes from Algonquin tribes of Native Americans; it was their sign to harvest wild strawberries, says the Old Farmer's Almanac. We love the idea of how tied the old world was to crop cycles, so we’re featuring a buckwheat pancakes with roasted strawberries recipe, because without a doubt, it’s strawberry season! And if you’re interested in the cosmic implications of this full moon, it seeks to gift us clarity by calling forth the elder within us to rise...read more details via Mystic Mamma, one of our favorite astrological resources.

Cookie and Kate’s Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups buttermilk, shaken*
1 large egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Butter, for the skillet

Roasted Strawberries
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced into bite-sized quarters or halves
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey

Roast the strawberries: preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, gently toss berries with the sugar and maple syrup/honey. Arrange the strawberries in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway, or long enough for the berry juices to thicken but not burn (watch the edges in particular).

Make the pancakes: in a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flour(s), sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, measure out the buttermilk. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

All at once, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter should have some small to medium lumps.

Preheat your skillet over medium-low heat and brush with 1 ½ teaspoons of butter. Give the batter a light swirl with a spoon in case the buckwheat is starting to separate from the liquid. Using a ¼-cup measure, scoop the batter onto the warm skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes (you’ll know it’s ready to flip when about 1 inch of the perimeter is matte instead of glossy), and flip. Cook on the opposite sides for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown.

Transfer the cooked pancakes to a baking sheet and place in a preheated 200 degree Fahrenheit oven to keep warm. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more butter when needed. Serve immediately.

* MAKE YOUR OWN BUTTERMILK WITH DAIRY-FREE OPTION: combine 1 ¼ cups low fat milk (any variety of low fat milk should do—almond, soy, rice, low fat coconut) with 1 tablespoon + ¾ teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes before using.

Photo credit: Brooke Lark
Recipe credit: Cookie and Kate