Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy's Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
Blini 
Every culinary tradition, if it includes any type of grains or beans at all, has some version of a pancake, a simple batter cooked on a hot griddle, the underside of a wok, or on a large flat stone. Blini originally come from Ukrainian, Belarussian, and Russian kitchens. These diminutive pancakes are often topped or filled like crêpes with flavorful toppings or fillings and served as elegant canapes.  Buckwheat isn't a true cereal grain at all, but a fruit seed cousin to rhubarb and sorrel. High in fiber, antioxidants, magnesium and manganese, gluten-free, and low-glycemic, buckwheat also contain plant lignans, a prebiotic that nourishes beneficial gut microbes. Top blini with homemade soy crème fraîche , capers, shallots, dill, sautéed mushrooms, or Faux Caviar.
 
Prep time 15 minutes 
Cooking time 15 minutes
Make 12 to 15 4-inch blini, depending on their thickness
 
1 teaspoon date paste from ½ cup dates
1½ teaspoons freshly ground chia or flaxseed
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1¼ cup buckwheat flour
1½ cups unsweetened almond milk
½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
 
 
Mix the Batter
To make date paste, place the dates in a small glass or ceramic bowl and cover with water. Microwave for 2 minutes and wait 10 minutes for the dates to fully rehydrate. Use a high-speed blender to purée the dates and their soaking water into a soft paste. The excess date paste can be frozen for up to 3 months or refrigerated for 2 weeks.
Use a coffee grinder to grind the flaxseed or chia seeds into a powder. Transfer to a small bowl.
Use a nutmeg grater or fine rasp to grate the nutmeg.
Pulse the buckwheat flour and freshly ground flaxseed or chia seeds, and grated nutmeg in a food processor to mix them thoroughly. Then add the date paste, almond milk and run for a minute to make a smooth batter.
The batter should be as thin as crêpe batter, not pancake batter. Add up to ¼ cup water, a little at a time, as you blend the batter to achieve this consistency. Transfer the batter to a bowl.
 
Make the Blini
Heat a large, good quality nonstick skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes.  The pan must be well-warmed to prevent sticking. Do not heat beyond the recommendations of your pan’s manufacturer.
Decide now if you want to make thicker 2-inch blini, unfolded, or very thin 4-inch blini to fold in quarters. 
To make thicker, tidy blini pour the batter into several 2-inch disks and cover the pan. Cook for 1 minute, uncover for another minute, then using a nylon or silicone spatula, flip the blini over for a final 30 seconds. Transfer them to a woven grass placemat and cover with a kitchen linen to keep warm.
If you choose to fold blini to fold in quarters, pour about ¼ cup of batter in the center of the pan, tipping and swirling the pan to spread the batter into a very thin 4-inch disk. If the blini is too thick, thin with a spoonful more water for the next one.
Cover the pan for 1 minute. Remove the cover for another minute or until the edges of the crêpe begin to brown and the edges of the blini lift up. Ease a large nylon or silicone spatula under the edges around the thin blini to loosen it. Flip and cook for 40 seconds.
Transfer the blini to a woven mat or wooden board and fold it in quarters, if you like. Cover with a clean linen to keep warm.
Make the remaining blini using either technique.
To serve, garnish blini with homemade soy crème fraîche or soy süzme , capers, shallots, dill, or sautéed mushrooms or Faux Caviar.