Comfort food of Pancakes, Hashbrowns, and... What is that?
Picture it: You wake up one morning and it already feels like a good day. The thought of breakfast tumbles into your mind, accompanied with rarely felt memories of Saturday Morning and Cartoons. Your thoughts gather a bit more, like fluffy white clouds bumping into one another, hearing long ago shuffling in the kitchen as your mother works on breakfast. Saturday mornings sometimes meant golden pancakes with a special crunchy ring on the underside edge. It was like getting dessert for breakfast once you added homemade maple syrup on top of the buttery pancakes. Sitting next to them on the plate is a golden and crispy hashbrown decorated with a blop of ketchup. To complete the mental stroll down memory lane adding an ice cold glass of orange juice and a couple of pieces of bacon...
Wait! That's not vegan!!
This is what my mind went through last Tuesday. The recollection and memory of Saturday morning and cartoons was the strongest I can recall in about 15 years. My husband and I frequently have pancakes, but this particular morning I wanted Mom Pancakes. To me that means instead of using our non-stick electric griddle that I'd use our new cast iron pans and cook them in Earth Balance. Don't get me wrong, I really do like the healthier pancakes regularly, but for some reason today I was really missing not being able to crunch on the 'deep fried' pancake ring on the bottom of the pancake.
I must have been on a good luck streak that day because we also had orange juice in the freezer (I try to avoid premade orange stuff because of a serious bout of hives from some cheap orange juice that didn't state that it contained pineapple) as well as a new bottle of Mapleine flavoring in the cupboard that I previously hadn't bought in years.
Personally I have been very timid at trying tempeh, for one thing it just looks questionable. After doing some research online about how to spot spoiled tempeh and at least felt better about knowing it was supposed to look like that. I read a quote somewhere a few years ago that said pretty much you either like tempeh, or you don't. Fermented soybean patties. Sounds horrifying to tell you the truth. Being well reassured that I did not end up with a spoiled packet I decided to attempt to make tempeh bacon. The tempeh itself was just fine, although a bit crumbly, but the recipe I worked from was really lacking and really needs some work before it's publishable. Perhaps I will just stick with tofu bacon.
Hashbrowns growing up were in their entirety, grated russet potatoes, cooked in a patty shape in a hot cast iron skillet with bacon grease. For obvious reasons that wasn't going to work, but also I've always had the problem of the middles not cooking all the way. So I looked into a recipe that seemed promising, more like latkes, but because of my husband's severe allergy to onions and pepper we had to leave them out. They were mostly alright (although they do look pretty) but I think there was too much flour in them and leaving out the onions and peppers really affected them I think. So I won't be posting those recipes, but here is a couple I will post!
I must have been on a good luck streak that day because we also had orange juice in the freezer (I try to avoid premade orange stuff because of a serious bout of hives from some cheap orange juice that didn't state that it contained pineapple) as well as a new bottle of Mapleine flavoring in the cupboard that I previously hadn't bought in years.
Personally I have been very timid at trying tempeh, for one thing it just looks questionable. After doing some research online about how to spot spoiled tempeh and at least felt better about knowing it was supposed to look like that. I read a quote somewhere a few years ago that said pretty much you either like tempeh, or you don't. Fermented soybean patties. Sounds horrifying to tell you the truth. Being well reassured that I did not end up with a spoiled packet I decided to attempt to make tempeh bacon. The tempeh itself was just fine, although a bit crumbly, but the recipe I worked from was really lacking and really needs some work before it's publishable. Perhaps I will just stick with tofu bacon.
Hashbrowns growing up were in their entirety, grated russet potatoes, cooked in a patty shape in a hot cast iron skillet with bacon grease. For obvious reasons that wasn't going to work, but also I've always had the problem of the middles not cooking all the way. So I looked into a recipe that seemed promising, more like latkes, but because of my husband's severe allergy to onions and pepper we had to leave them out. They were mostly alright (although they do look pretty) but I think there was too much flour in them and leaving out the onions and peppers really affected them I think. So I won't be posting those recipes, but here is a couple I will post!
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Whole Grain PancakesCinnamon and nutmeg added to the batter give the pancakes a very Autumn flavor that I just adore. This recipe looks a lot more complicated than it really is. My husband and I love this recipe and the flax seeds go with it just wonderfully! I often dump other things into the batter (extracts, spices, nuts, fruit) for whatever I'm feeling like that day. Feel free to have fun with it. Very versatile and the additional bonus is that these pancakes freeze really well! This is a slight variation on the one I posted on Vegweb in March.
1 1/2 cup unsweetened Soy Milk
1 1/2 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Flax Egg (2 1/2 tablespoons ground Flax Seed + 3 tablespoons Water whisked together)
1 1/2 cup dry MAM Whole Grain Pancake Mix
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
2 tablespoons Canola Oil
3 TBS Earth Balance
Directions:
1.) In a small cup or bowl, mix together soy milk and vinegar then set aside.
2.) In another small cup or bowl whisk together the ground flax seed and water until thickened (usually takes me 2-3 minutes.)
3.) In a medium size bowl whisk together soy milk, flax egg, dry mix, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oil until combined. Small amounts of dry mix or water can be added to attain desired consistency.
4.) Heat a 10 inch cast iron skillet on medium heat with about a TBS. of Earth Balance to coat the pan.
5.) Measure 1/3 cup batter for 3 pancakes in a pan and cook until the outer bubbles on the raw side of the pancake have popped and not reformed but the inner bubbles are still there, flip, and cook the second side until light golden brown.
6.) Repeat with remaining batter and Earth Balance.
7.) Serve with your favorite toppings!
2.) In another small cup or bowl whisk together the ground flax seed and water until thickened (usually takes me 2-3 minutes.)
3.) In a medium size bowl whisk together soy milk, flax egg, dry mix, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oil until combined. Small amounts of dry mix or water can be added to attain desired consistency.
4.) Heat a 10 inch cast iron skillet on medium heat with about a TBS. of Earth Balance to coat the pan.
5.) Measure 1/3 cup batter for 3 pancakes in a pan and cook until the outer bubbles on the raw side of the pancake have popped and not reformed but the inner bubbles are still there, flip, and cook the second side until light golden brown.
6.) Repeat with remaining batter and Earth Balance.
7.) Serve with your favorite toppings!
Makes approx. 9 pancakes
Veganized from the Make-A-Mix Cookbook by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward, and Madeline Westover
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Low Sugar Maple SyrupI am very well aware of the fact that there is commercial sugar-free syrups available but for this nostalgic Saturday I wanted to see if I could make homemade sugar free syrup to be close to what my mom taught me to make when I was a kid, but with my own twist.
2 c. Water
2 TBS. Cornstarch
1 c. Splenda
1/2 c. Imitation Honey
1/2 tsp. Canola Oil
1 TBS. Mapleine
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
Directions:
1.) In a medium sauce pan whisk together cornstarch and water until all lumps have been removed, then add Splenda, imitation honey, and oil. Stir until imitation honey thoroughly dissolves.
2.) Cook on medium high heat until it begins to boil, cook for 5 minutes, whisking continually to prevent scorching.
3.) Stir in Mapleine and vanilla and let cool for 15 minutes in the freezer. The syrup should thicken up a bit once it cools.
4.) Serve with pancakes, french toast, or vegan danish pancakes!
1.) In a medium sauce pan whisk together cornstarch and water until all lumps have been removed, then add Splenda, imitation honey, and oil. Stir until imitation honey thoroughly dissolves.
2.) Cook on medium high heat until it begins to boil, cook for 5 minutes, whisking continually to prevent scorching.
3.) Stir in Mapleine and vanilla and let cool for 15 minutes in the freezer. The syrup should thicken up a bit once it cools.
4.) Serve with pancakes, french toast, or vegan danish pancakes!
Makes 2 1/2 c. of syrup
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I told my hubby that this is what I want for my birthday breakfast in October! It was one of the best I've had in a long time to trigger so many long buried happy memories. And a special thanks to our baby girl, Dimples, for being so silly. (although she almost looks more like a furry worm with a gaping maw!)
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