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The weekend here in Mallorca was absolutely glorious.  We’ve been settling into warmer temperatures (t-shirt weather), breathing in the luscious scent of almond blossoms, and greedily enjoying blue skies and sunshine sans tourists.

In preparation for her 13 km walk for charity at school, KJ and I took our cameras and went for a leisurely 10 km walk just out of the village, down the mountain, through a few rolling hills, and towards the next town over.  It’s probably one of the prettiest trails (in my books) on this island.  If it weren’t for the winding asphalt road just alongside the rustic stone lined path and the occasional zippy car, I’d think that I had stumbled straight into a romance-chick-flick, the kind set in the idyllic foreign countryside where the unknowing American gets swept off her feet by some suave guy (yeah, hubby is my suave guy, though these other elements in my story are a bit convoluted).

Passing almond orchard and huge finca along the walk.

Almond trees blossoming.

KJ decides to scale a tree in search of almonds.

After the day hike on Saturday, I woke up famished the next morning and craving pancakes (and fuel for Crossfit WOD 12.3 later… ouch).  I reverted back to a recipe that I had tried a few weekends ago for a grain-free yet wonderfully fluffy pancake.  That day, the pancakes came out perfect.  Today – not so much.  They looked, actually, rather terrible and burnt as the stove simply didn’t want to cooperate with me.  Fortunately, the disfigured cakes still tasted good – KJ thought even better than the last time – and its ill-fated looks were easily masked by a colorful fresh fruit salad.

KJ suggested that we have breakfast outside.  Sunlight was kind to the food and turned out to be rather good for the soul, as we ended up basking in the outdoor warmth, working on art projects and sneaking the occasional snack, until late afternoon.

Breakfast al fresco... and afternoon ice cream.

Gluten Free Pancakes (adapted from Nourishing Days “Grain Free Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes“)

Ingredients:

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt & 1/4 cup frothed milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon agave syrup
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • optional – 2 tbsp ground flax, 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 banana, mashed
  • olive oil for frying

Combine and mix together dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, salt, flax, and chia seeds.  In a separate bowl, beat eggs until smooth, mix in mashed bananas, vanilla, agave, and yogurt.  Slowly mix wet ingredients into the dry.  I diverged from Nourishing Days recipe by using frothed milk rather than regular milk – with the thinking that some extra air added into the pancake mix would enhance the fluffiness. My Nespresso milk frother, probably one of my all time favorite kitchen gadgets, came in super handy.  Once the milk is frothed, gently fold into the mix.  If the mixture is too liquid-y (very much dependent on the type of coconut flour used and how finely it is ground), slowly add more coconut flour until the batter thickens.  I added about an extra 1/4 cup.

Heat a bit of oil in a non-stick pan over medium-low temperature.  Once the pan is hot, ladle a couple of tablespoons of batter into pan.  Spread out slightly, if necessary, until the pancake is ~2-3 inches in diameter.  Cook for a few minutes, until the edges begin to dry out and the bottoms start to brown. Flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

Top with fruit, yogurt, preserves, honey, whatever the taste buds might crave and enjoy with a side of sunshine!

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