Roadside Gourmet: Jojo’s Quinoa Pancakes with Summer Berries

On my two-week camping trip with Aunt Jojo, I rediscovered my love of cooking with simple, fresh ingredients.  We must have set the record for the amount of time we spent on the road without any fast food stops.  The secret was starting each day with a hearty breakfast.  My favorite was Jojo’s Quinoa Pancakes topped with fresh-picked summer berries from a roadside stand run by a teenage kid.  Real local.

This recipe is easy to prepare on a camping trip or at home on a lazy Sunday morning.  Not just any pancakes, these are wheat-free, gluten-free and packed with an extra punch of quinoa protein power.

Since Shoestring Adventures was born from a food blog, I decided to take advantage of this opportunity to sneak in a recipe post.  I hope hope you don’t mind.   Sometimes you have to step away from the familiar to rediscover what is right in front of you.  I haven’t lost my love for cooking and taking pretty photos of food…  I just forgot.  Enjoy!

Gluten-free Quinoa Pancakes

Recipe adapted from Ancient Quinoa Harvest Organic Flour (back of the box)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup quinoa flour
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp natural sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp safflower  or vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup almond or rice milk
• 1 egg
• Maple syrup (optional)
• Summer berries of your choice

Directions:

1. Mix together dry ingredients.  Add milk, egg and oil.
2. Oil and heat a cast iron skillet or nonstick pan.  Pour desired amount of batter onto skillet.  Flip the pancakes as soon as the bubbles on top start to pop.
3. Top a stack of pancakes with summer berries and drizzle with maple syrup, if desired.  Enjoy beside a campfire or in bed.