Rainbow Party Pancakes

Hannah Sunderani
Apr 9, 2017
6 min read

Oooh my goodness. This has been a BIG week for TWO SPOONS because it's the week where I hit 5K followers on Instagram! I really can't believe how quickly it all happened. Thinking back to when I first started blogging I was moving along at snails pace trying to reach 1K. But since then the numbers have started to soar. And when Thrive Mags featured a few of my recipes last week things reached a whole new level! 5K partaaaay!

I'm going to open up for a moment, and tell you that along with success comes a pang of nausea. My stomach literally turns knots even as I type this. Is that weird? I think it's because with TWO SPOONS I'm truly wearing my heart on my sleeve; pouring my soul into my recipes, and spending every waking (and sleeping) moment brainstorming new ideas that I hope you'll like - No joke, sometimes I get up mid-night and head to the kitchen to create something I've dreamed of! haha. And I suppose that with all that passion, and time, and LOVE comes the fear that people won't like what I'm doing. Or, that I might make a mistake somewhere along the lines; saying something or doing something that will disappoint. It's hard at times to be in the vegan world because people can be very critical of everything you do; from the clothes you wear, to the car you drive, to how you spend your money. Being plant-based is a bit like opening a can of worms; you attempt to solve one problem, and in the process you discover a whole host of other problems you never knew existed. But actually, one thing I've realized over this crazy year of blogging is that the people who DON'T are the biggest critics. And those who DO, are the most supportive. Those who are trying to make an impact are the most open to others trying to do the same. They're the most willing to learning, and the most proud of the little changes in the right direction.

It's for this reason I love the rawness of blogging. That I can put myself out there and talk honestly about my struggles, transitions, and new learnings. There's no fine tuning, public relations, or marketing team proofing the final products. It's about being honest, and true, and genuine, and leaving it to the world to decide if they'd like to join in the story.

I think as well that I'm INCREDIBLY lucky to be in a field of "work" where people are SO kind and supportive. As I've said A THOUSAND TIMES the plant-based community are all rooting for each other, and supporting each other in our efforts to try and make the world a little bit healthier, greener and more humane. No matter how big or small our "profiles" might be, we respect and care for one another. I remember just one month after launching TWO SPOONS I wrote about my first attempts at making homemade almond milk. I had pretty much given up on the idea of making it entirely, but thanks to Erin Ireland and her Snapchats with step-by-step instructions and a creamy-dreamy end result I decided to try again. I remember her tweeting me back about my post, and me literally falling WEAK IN THE KNEES! She had honestly read the entire piece, calling out parts that she loved and how we had similar life experiences in developing stomach sensitive in our university years. She then added me to Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram and I honestly remember feeling like I couldn't stand. My head was swarming in excitement that Erin Ireland had spoken directly to ME. To this day we still message from time to time. Me commenting on one of her Insta stories and her commenting back about my dog, or saying she hopes I'm well. She is such a role model to me as I work my way through this plant-based blogging world.

I also remember the time where Marie, @Papaya_Sunshine, commented on one of my Instagram photos. I literally had to do a double take of my phone as I jumped out the bed yelling to Mitch that "Papaya Sunshine commented on MY profile!!." He still laughs at the fact that I'll talk for hours at dinner about what "Papaya Sunshine," or "Healthy Belly" posted today, wondering what it would be like if we were all together in a room, introducing ourselves by Instagram handle; "Hi, I'm Luludreamtown, what's your name?" Fast forward to now, where Papaya Sunshine will comment on just about every recipe I post. Or send me private messages to see how my day is going. Yep, that's right, the breakfast queen has opened up a little bit of her busy schedule for me; a little Canadian blogger (of 350K LESS followers might I add) with so much love, kindness and support.

And then there are friendships that are so strong I can't believe they've only existed until now. Meeting Ashley, at Rise Shine Cook, on Instagram; a fellow plant-based Canadian who moved to the Netherlands around the same time I moved to France. Her and I started our blogging journeys at the same time as well, and have so much in common it's silly. I swear if she wasn't tiny and blonde I would think she were my long lost sister. Ashley has come to visit me in Lille, and we've grabbed coffees together in Amsterdam. We message each other almost every day, and I know we will be forever friends with our forever passion for health, food and the environment.

But I can't forget of course all the 5K followers who simply LOVE plant-based food. These are the people who bring me the most pleasure and gratitude with every like, comment and mention that they've tried one of my recipes. To be able to know what I'm doing has merit, that people are enjoying it, and that in some way I have helped them to create a plant-based recipe worth sharing makes it all worthwhile. I take from the girls mentioned above to cherish every relationship as much as the last, to value each conversation, and to give kindness back where it has been received. It's a great honour and privilege to have so many friends. It's a dream come true. I'm beyond touched and grateful to everyone who has shared their kindness with me. And while 5K might be small in Instagram measures; it's the world to me.

So with that long and heart filled rant I'd like to share with you these Spring Pancakes. A pretty rainbow pancake recipe that's naturally coloured using blueberries, raspberries, spirulina and mangoes. To celebrate you and all you've done for me. Thank you for all your light, your support, and your endeavors to make our world more happy, healthy and beautiful.

So go ahead and make a wish, because this ones for you. <3

Rainbow Party Pancakes

Serves: 6-8 | Prep Time: 25 mins | Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

3 3/4 cups (630g) viennoiserie flour (plain white flour)
6 bananas
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp coconut oil, plus more for frying
3 tbsp coconut sugar
3 cups almond milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
frozen rasbperries, for colouring
frozen blueberries, for colouring
frozen mangoes, for colouring
spirulina, for colouring
maple syrup, chia, strawberries, and kiwi for topping

Directions:

In a blender add flour, bananas, baking powder, 3 tbsp coconut oil, coconut sugar, almond milk, salt and cinnamon. Blend until smooth.
Divide pancake batter into four equal portions. Then add first portion back to blender with frozen raspberries. Add as many frozen raspberries as needed until reached desired colour (I used about 3/4 cups).
Bring a non-stick pan to medium heat with a dollop of coconut oil. When hot, cook pancakes for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden, and cooked through. Keep pancakes warm in a low-heat oven as you go. Continue process until you've used all raspberry batter.
Clean blender and add second portion of pancake batter back to blender. Add as many frozen blueberries as needed until reached desired colour (I used about 1/4 cup).
Cook blueberry pancakes for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden, and cooked through. Keep pancakes warm in a low-heat oven as you go. Continue process until you've used all blueberry batter.
Clean blender and add third portion of pancake batter back to blender. Add as many frozen mangoes as needed until reached desired colour (I used about 1/3 cup).
Cook mango pancakes for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden, and cooked through. Keep pancakes warm in a low-heat oven as you go. Continue process until you've used all mango batter.
Clean blender and add fourth portion of pancake batter back to blender. Add as much spirulina as needed until reached desired colour (I used about 1/2 tsp).
Cook spirulina pancakes for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden, and cooked through. Keep pancakes warm in a low-heat oven as you go. Continue process until you've used all spirulina batter.
Decorate pancakes into stacks and drizzle with maple syrup. Sprinkle with chia and serve with fresh strawberries and kiwi.