Soaked buckwheat pancake with roasted tomato salsa

Easter weekend has always marked the end of summer. Growing up, it was traditionally the last weekend of good weather where it was possible to head away camping for the weekend before the cooler temperatures and rain set in. This year was no different, and we spent quite a bit of time outside enjoying last of the warm sunshine that we were lucky to get. Certainly not swimming weather, but nice enough to be outside in.

B and I headed up to my Dad’s house in the north of the state and spent a few days with family up there. We took Maggie along for the ride, who slept the entire time on both car trips, but was a little confused and upset about having to stay outside once we reached our destination. We have become increasingly more relaxed with rules for Maggie since we got her and she now sleeps inside -on the spare bed which she has claimed as her own – so to be kept outside at my Dad’s left her somewhat bewildered and disgruntled. 

On Saturday we went for a day trip – in the morning we headed off to Derby,  a quaint little town about 20 minutes drive further north-east where we took the dog for a walk and had the most delicious Devonshire tea, something I had been hanging out for since my last trip to Derby about 10 years ago! There’s something about a freshly brewed pot of tea and a warm scone straight out of the oven with homemade jam and freshly whipped cream that I can never say no to. It reminds me of home.

In the afternoon we went on a tour of some of the local wineries with my Dad, which was a very fun way to spend the afternoon. The wine region in the north east of  the state has a temperate best suited to white wines which pleased B who is more of a beer drinker, and only just starting to appreciate some lighter styles of wine, whilst Dad and I both prefer a more full-bodied red. In saying that though we still all found a few wines we liked and shared a few glasses and a cheese platter full of locally made cheese at the finally vineyard we went to – a lovely old restored building overlooking a dam and row upon row of grape vines glowing beautifully in the late afternoon sun. 

While I don’t often spend my days eating scones for morning tea and then wine and cheese in the afternoon, I’m a firm believer that there is a place in a wholefoods, plant-based diet for the occasional treat, and special occasions like Easter are definitely a time for a little indulgence, whether it’s a glass or two of wine or a Cadbury chocolate (or both!) 

One of the things I love about heading up to see my family up north (asides from the actual ‘seeing them’ part of course!) is the bounty of fresh veggies they gift us from my Dad’s amazing veggie garden. This time round we came home with a fair few kilo of tomatoes, some squash, and some freshly foraged mushrooms.

I spent the rest of the weekend cooking the tomatoes any which way I could think of – roasting them, turning them into soup, sauce and a stew. Expect quite a few more tomato recipes on here over the next few weeks!

I had been wanting to experiment with soaked buckwheat pancakes since first hearing about them over at The Briny. The recipe is ridiculously simple and the pancakes themselves are not only delicious but also healthy being made with soaked buckwheat (for more information on the hows and whys of soaking grains head over here). They are thinner than a traditional pancake – more like a crepe – and work great at wrapping up your favorite pancake topping. I’m sharing my favorite topping with you today, as well as a simplified recipe for the pancakes (I used an egg, but for a tried and tested vegan version, head over to see Jaime’s version) which makes the most of the late summer produce around at the moment. The salsa is amazing on it’s own and I’ve made it again since and served with a fried egg on top, and again with some lightly toasted brown rice – even if you prefer your pancakes with a more traditional sweeter topping, the salsa holds it’s own and I definitely recommend you try it too!