Orange Infused Gluten-free Vegan Pancakes

Every morning I take my dog Zinny for a walk at Edgewood Park.  This is followed by my usual breakfast of gluten-free cereal (Erewhon Organic Crispy Brown Rice is my go-to box) after feeding Zinny and my kitty, Gremlin.  But on the way home this morning I felt in the mood for something a little different... something citrusy.  More precisely, a glazed orange donut.  Alas, since I don't have a donut mold, I was thinking since it was Sunday morning, how about pancakes?  I've never tried making them with orange, so I figured I would test out this combination for breakfast.

I started with my basic gluten-free pancake recipe, but for the liquid I used fresh-squeezed orange juice along with a little rice milk.  I really wanted to boost the orange flavor, so I also peeled some zest which I put in the batter and used as a garnish.

This combination not only proved to be delicious, but it was also light and refreshing, and a perfect way to start the day.  I really liked the sweet and tart flavor profile.  Plus the use of coconut oil made it even more decadent, even though there was only one tablespoon for the whole batter.

I would definitely make these again and again, maybe even adding some chocolate chips next time since chocolate goes fantastic with orange.  Yum... I can't wait for next Sunday!

Orange Infused Gluten-free Vegan Pancakes

3/4 cup all purpose gluten-free flour

1/4 cup rice flour2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp sea salt1/2 tsp xantham gum

1 Tbl orange zest1/2 cup rice milk

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice 2 Tbl agave syrup1/2 tsp vanilla2 Tbl coconut oil, melted and divided

Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together rice milk, orange juice, agave, vanilla, and 1 Tbl melted coconut oil in a separate bowl, then add to flour mix. Stir well to combine.  Let batter sit about 5 minutes while you heat your non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Melt about 1 Tbl coconut oil in hot skillet and drop about 1/4 cup of batter in the pan for each pancake. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side until golden grown. Top with real maple syrup.