Overnight Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes (vegan, gluten free, need a VitaMix)

Happy Friday! Lately, Fridays have been for pancakes. Here, I'll show you:

What better way to say hooray!-to-72-hours-free-of-pitch-black-mornings-and-homework-complicated-afternoons? There isn't a better way if your pancakes have chocolate chips in them.

These are another batch of my blender pancakes, this time made with a trio of whole grains, a can of pumpkin puree, some molasses and baking spices to embrace the season (note: Fall 2014 has been an easy season to embrace here in Minnesota), and chocolate chips. Naturally.

Here's what my trio of grains looked like:

And here's the rest of the process:

Ugh! Edith! I don't have a VitaMix and why on earth would I blend whole grains?! 

Fine. Make these equally delicious oatmeal pancakes instead. We had them last Friday. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes (Gluten-Free and Vegan)

Yield: about 20 five-inch pancakes

1 1/4 cup brown rice*

3/4 cup whole oat groats, raw buckwheat groats, sorghum, millet, teff, or a combination*

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

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1 can pumpkin puree (or 1 1/2 cups homemade)

1 cup water or milk/non-dairy beverage

2 tablespoons ground flax seed

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup or other liquid sweetener

1 tablespoon molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or something similar

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2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup mini chocolate chips (optional, I suppose)

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Oil or butter for frying

Day 1: In a large bowl or measuring cup, cover whole grains with water by about 2 inches. Add 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and soak for 8-24 hours.

Day 2: Drain the grains, rinse them in a fine sieve, and pour them into your blender. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the baking powder, and blend until smooth. Pour batter into a large measuring cup or bowl. Sprinkle batter with baking powder and whisk until it's thoroughly incorporated. Add chocolate chips, if using, and stir.**

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Grease skillet with oil or butter. Add 1/4-cupfuls of batter to pan and cook for a couple minutes over medium heat and once bubbles begin to form, flip and cook another minute or two.
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* Note regarding grains: You just need a blend of a bunch of sturdy grains and a smaller bunch of less sturdy grains, totaling ~2 cups. So, if you want to use something like millet or quinoa, which are a little more delicate, try 1 1/4 cups brown rice and 3/4 cup millet, quinoa, or a mix. But if you're using something else chewy and sturdy, like oat groats or sorghum, you could go half-and-half or just use 2 whole cups of oat groats. This morning, I used the following: 1/2 cup ivory teff (only use this if your sieve has VERY fine mesh), 1/2 cup oat groats, 1 cup brown basmati rice. Delicious. All grains hydrate a little differently, so have a little extra liquid on hand to thin out batter as needed.

** Note regarding liquids: Make sure the batter isn't too thick if you don't want overly doughy pancakes. Thinner batter firms up more evenly. Once you've blended everything and stirred in your baking powder and chocolate chips, if the batter needs a little loosening up, add water or milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, until you get a more traditional pancake batter consistency. That's what we're after, but when you're working with whole grains and flax seeds and pumpkin puree and molasses, a little finessing might be in order.