Vegan Avocado Buckwheat Pancakes

Yes, it's true.  I decided to replace eggs for an avocado this morning as I made my little girl her breakfast.  It was an accident, but it turned out to be a home run AND I am totally doing this every time I strum up some pancakes for her.  I like to make most everything from scratch.  I have worked really hard to avoid packaged anything in my home....with a few exceptions like nori sheets and superfoods...but those are limited to one ingredient on the package.  :)  Recently I have even stopped buying flour and now mill my own with my Vitamix.  There's something very satisfying about this that makes me feel like She-Ra every time I serve pancakes for breakfast.  I almost want to shout out, FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKULL!"  It's quite simple, really AND you have fresh flour!  It wasn't processed in a factory and sitting on a shelf for who knows how long.  All you need to do is purchase some whole buckwheat, place it in a high-speed blender or coffee grinder and mill away.  Flour in seconds!  I usually like to sprout my buckwheat first, then dehydrate and mill...but let's just start one step at a time.  And I have to tell ya....these pancakes were gobbled up in no time!  Here's the recipe!

Avocado Buckwheat Pancakes

1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
1 2/3 cup fresh almond milk or raw cow's/goat's milk
1 avocado
1/2 of a banana
3 heaping tbsp coconut butter
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. Celtic sea salt - you don't have to use this, but make sure your salt has color....not white!
3 tbsp. raw honey

Place all items in a Vitamix and blend until smooth.  Coat a pan with coconut oil and on low heat, place 4 dollops of pancake mix and brown on each side until done.  Makes about 12 pancakes.  Enjoy!

Benefits of Mushrooms in Your Diet

Why was the mushroom invited to the party?  Remember that joke from your childhood?  Well, the mushroom is always on the invitation list in my home.  We go through them pretty fast around here...but we definitely don't overdo it and I'll tell you why you shouldn't either later on.  But I'd like to go through all of the amazing benefits this little forested wonder holds for the human body.  Are you ready?

First of all, let's look at the common button mushroom...the one that more than likely gets overlooked due to the popular portobello.  Well, for all you meat-eaters out there, this is a great mushroom for you to ingest as it reduces all of the "heat toxins" from the body.  Not only that, but it also decreases the fat levels in the blood.  Okay, you had me at decrease fat.  ;)  This little mushroom can pack a punch against respiratory mucus, tumors and post-surgery cancer metastasis AND it build immunity!  Can I get some Kung-Fu Panda moves on that one?  

The Shiitake mushroom is amazing, too.  So amazing that it is said to be a natural source of interferon.  What is that?  It's a protein that gets set off in the body to protect it against cancer and viral diseases.  Hmm...two mushrooms that protect the body from cancer.  Are you with me?  In fact, the Shiitake mushroom is used in treatment of cancer, especially stomach and cervical cancer.  

There is a caution with mushrooms used by long-term vegans and that is unless you are using it to treat a disease, you should limit the consumption as it can be too cleansing during convalescence.  

I love including mushrooms into my meals whether it be chopped up in a soup, sauteed, dehydrated or eaten raw.  Personally I take a mushroom supplement called Reishi Mushroom.  It's known to prevent cancer, especially ovarian cancer, and it decreases toxins in the liver.  You can find Reishi Mushroom at health food stores or online.

What kind of mushroom is your favorite?