Light and Fluffy Vegan Lemon Pancakes

I have been meaning to post this recipe for some time now. I am a pancake junkie. I threw a two hour tantrum once because we could not find an IHOP on our way home from vacation. Once of the first things I looked into when I became vegan was pancake recipes. I was delighted to find that there were countless variations and my Saturday morning pancake ritual continued without a hitch. However, I quickly learned that vegan pancakes are dense and sometimes funky tasting. I tried different binders since I couldn't use eggs.... I tried adding more liquid than called for.....I tried drowning them in pure maple syrup...nothing really helped. Then, I found this recipe and all is right with the world again. These pancakes float and have a light lovely lemon taste. I was worried that the lemon might interfere with some toppings but so far I have found it to complement about anything. Try it with homemade blueberry sauce or strawberries. I love it with sliced bananas and agave nectar. Hope you like these as much as I do.

You will need:

Wet ingredients
1 cup of soy or almond milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice AND 1 tsp fresh zest

Dry Ingredients
1 cup PLUS 1 Tbsp Flour (I use half white/half whole wheat pastry flour)
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
dash of cinnamon

Egg replacers: 1 mashed banana OR 1/4 cup applesauce OR 1 tsp flax seeds (I used flax seeds)
For pan: Additional oil



 Directions:

Add flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon to a medium to large size bowl. Stir together.

Add soy or almond milk, vanilla extract, and oil to dry ingredients. Fold well.

 Add lemon juice and zest, as well as egg replacer.

 

 Heat up your pan on the stove. While it is heating, whip the batter as it becomes fluffy from the acid combining with the baking powder.
 

 Add a small slash of oil to the pan and then add a 1/2 cup or so of batter and allow it to spread. Allow the pancake to slowly cook. When the edges are obviously formed, flip the pancake.

Let it cook on this side for about another minute or two. Most of the cooking is done before you flip the first time. 

Lather, er, I mean apply butter (I use Earth Balance) and whatever topping you can dream up.

Let me know if any of you try this recipe! Tell me what you think!

Food Curiousities

I came across a list of food items that I have been meaning to try now for the past year or two. Not sure why it has taken me so long to get through the list of 50 things but at last count I had tried only 14. Probably because food is so darn expensive and who wants to spend 5.99 on something called Seitan if it tastes like a mix of bologna and hominy. So, here it is! Let me know if any of you have tried something on this list and found it to be inedible.

Broccoli Rabe
Fennel
Leeks
Parsnips
Bulgur
Kasha
Millet
Farro
Spelt
Daiya Cheese
Vegan Parmesan
Hemp Milk
NOW Nutritional Yeast Flakes - (Boy that just sounds so appetizing - WHO are their marketing people?)
Fava Beans
Glenny's Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats
Tofurky Cheese Pizza
Brown Rice Syrup

Some of the things I had tried on the list were:

Eggplant - eh.
Plantain - eh.
Pine Nuts - piney.
Vegenaise - This was alright but it went moldy REAL fast.
Nosaya Tofu - good.
Coconut milk ice cream - eh. AND EXPENSIVE
Ginger Chews - These were spicy and I wanted sweet. Boo.
Van's Waffles - eh.

Happy Weekend to all of you! Hope you have great plans as the summer winds down!

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

This recipe is divine! I am not sure where I found it so I am afraid I cannot give credit where credit is due but I sending out awesome vibes to the one who whipped this up first.

Chocolate Mousse
Yield: 6 servings

1 c. semisweet or nondairy chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli)
12 ounces silken tofu (soft or firm)
1/2 c. nondairy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Give the chips a stir and heat for another minute. They should be melted at this point.

Lick the spoon. For real. It is mandatory.

Pour the tofu into a blender or food processor. Add the melted chocolate, nondairy milk, and vanilla.

Process until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides, if necessary.

Chill the mixture in serving bowls for at least one hour before serving.

Delicious!