During this last month I developed a serious craving for citrus fruits – Cara cara oranges, grapefruits, limes, Meyer lemons, satsuma mandarines and of course blood oranges! They are so fresh right now in California that my son is able to peel them by himself in seconds.

One morning, I had my little boy asking for pancakes and a bag full of blood oranges over the counter... So I took out a few other ingredients and created this vegan and gluten-free version of my flourless banana chocolate pancakes. These pancakes came out so pretty, delicious and original! Special thanks to the turmeric for that vibrant color!

I love blood oranges. Their bright red colour is just irresistible. The distinctive dark flesh color in blood orange is due to the presence of a antioxydant pigment (which is pretty rare in citrus fruits). They also have a unique flavour ("raspberry-ish") compared to other oranges. And of course they are super high in vitamin C ; extra points for the winter immune system boost! Note that you can still do this pancake recipe with regular oranges if you can't find blood oranges or if they aren't in season.

Since I'm from Canada, I like to serve my pancakes with a LOT of maple syrup. The pancakes themselves are great, but it really is the blood orange syrup that makes the recipe so mouthwatering!

ZEN turmeric pancakes w/blood orange syrup (Gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free)

Yield : around 20 pancakes

Ingredients for the pancakes :

4 bananas
1 cup blanched organic almond flour
1 cup rolled oats (grounded into a flour)
1.5 cup almond milk (or coconut milk)
3 tablespoons psyllium flakes (or ground chia or flax seeds)
1/2 cup fresh blood orange juice (or 100% pure organic orange juice)
1-inch piece fresh ginger (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
1/2 teaspoon ground curcuma
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch sea salt

Ingredients for the blood orange syrup :

1/2 cup fresh blood orange juice (or 100% pure organic orange juice)
1/2 cup maple syrup
Zest of 1-2 blood orange (finely grated)

Squeeze the blood oranges to make some juice for both the pancakes and the syrup. Keep aside.
For the syrup : pour 1/2 cup of the blood orange juice into a small pot with the maple syrup and zest. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Set aside.
For the pancakes : Place the oats in your food processor and process until it turns into flour.
Add all the pancakes ingredients (including the rest of the freshly pressed blood orange juice) in a high speed blender (or quality blender) and blend until smooth. Note that egg-free pancakes have a thick dough. That's totally normal! If the dough turns out too liquid, the pancakes won't hold together. You want a consistency that looks more like a waffle batter.
Oil a non-stick (see note) pancake skillet. Pour one tablespoon of batter in the skillet. Since the batter is thick, you may have to spread it with the back of a spoon to form your pancakes. Cook over medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes each side. If you see small bubbles/holes on top of the pancake, it's time to flip your pancake and cook the other side! Don't cook on medium-high heat since banana pancakes tend to burn fast (due to high sugar content)!

Note : the success of vegan pancakes depends on the recipe but also on the pancake skillet you choose. I've tried a lot of "green" skillets in the past and my vegan pancakes were always a big disaster (if you found a good one... PLEASE let me know!). Nos that I'm using an anti-adhesive skillet, the results are WAY better. To reduce the risk of toxicity, I just make sure I don't scratch the coating by using wooden spatulas and by washing gently with a cloth.