Valentine’s sweetness

A Valentine’s poem to set the tone for the day

IMG_8469l

Whether you’re single or married or any which way.

A feast for the eyes and not bad on the heart

The true indulgence is how you start.

With vegan and gluten free pancakes and a pink mimosa or two

These recipes are sure to delight all and you.

Mix your gluten free flour, bananas, apple, and flax

Then cook on your skillet and just relax

These pancakes will cook quick

And don’t expect them to be fluffy

They’ll be quite thick.

Then juice up your blood oranges, ruby grapefruit, and lemons

Add equal parts champagne

It will taste like the heavens!

Now make a nice place setting for one or two

It doesn’t much matter

This dish is for you!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

IMG_8475l

Whether you like Valentine’s Day or not- most people cannot pass up a good mimosa/pancake combo.  I came up with this concoction from my recent juicing and vegan dabblings.

Pink Mimosas with Blood Orange

4 blood oranges

2 ruby red grapefruits

1 lemon

1 bottle of your favorite champagne

Steps

1.  Juice fruits in a juicer and add to glasses with equal part juice mixture and champagne.

The color is amazing and the taste is a great blend of tart and sweet.

blood orange

The first time I had a blood orange I was sitting down to breakfast my first morning in Italy. I sliced into this unassuming orange only to find this deep dark blood red color inside.  I did not know what to do with this thing- the waiter informed me that these blood oranges are very common in the area.  From the first taste, I was in love. They have a much deeper sweetness that normal oranges and I’ve lusted after them ever since.  I just happened to find them at Hannaford during my juice fast so I had to make something special for the occasion.

And now for the pancakes… These may not be for everyone, but I sure was pleased.

Vegan and Gluten Free Pancakes (makes 5 pancakes)

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour

1 banana

1 apple or 1/4 cup applesauce

1/2-1  cup almond milk

1/4 cup ground flax seed

real maple syrup

Steps

1.  Blend banana and apple or applesauce in high speed blender.

2.  Mix mixture with flour, flax, and milk.

3.  Heat skillet to medium-high and spray with cooking oil.  Measure about a cup each for the pancakes.

4.  Enjoy with real maple syrup.

These will be a little more dense than traditional pancakes, but well worth it if you have the dietary restrictions.

Hope you have a great day no matter what you do!  A little self care note to share:  my amazing business leadership coach, Britt Bolnick of In Arms Coaching, is doing a self care workshop on February 9th from 3-6pm.  Learn more here.

Props: from etsy

Paper orchid from Flower Bazaar

Japanese silk from Inji

sig

Lauren Lear

About Lauren Lear

Virginian to Mainiac, I moved to Maine for a photo internship with Aurora Photos and stayed because I met the man I would marry after winking at him on Match.com. My photo business, Lola Studios, is where I pursue my love of fantasy photography using makeup and props to create alternate realities for my clients. I started this blog a little over a year ago to share the wedding prep, diy, food, and family experiences that I had. To bring you up to speed, my husband Alex and I bought a home, got married, went on our honeymoon, hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas back to back (never again ;) ), I turned 30 (never again :( ), we went to London to celebrate our first married year, and we got a puppy, Walter! That’s about it! I hope you’ll join me to see what unfolds next. Enjoy!