Vegan Banana Pancakes

Vegan Banana Pancakes with Strawberry Maple Syrup

A nice banana pancake that can be served with a vegan nut cheese like an omelet.  This recipe only has three ingredients.  My granddaughter helped out.

Banana Pancakes

About 6 medium green bananas
     (I have made these with ripe bananas, I just skip the blanching step and mash.  I think they come out fluffier if you use green bananas)
1/2 cup flour, I used WW pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder

Cut the ends off the green bananas and score up the sides. Place scored bananas in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cook until you can easily poke a fork through them, approximately 15-20 minutes.  Drain and allow them to cool.

Remove peels and mash them in a large bowl.  Add flour and baking powder and knead into a dough.  Divide dough and roll into little balls and form patties.

Fry on hot griddle with a little oil, I used coconut oil, for about three to five minutes. Flip and cook for another three to five minutes.  I usually make a little foil tent to hold in the heat so the insides are cooked thoroughly.

The syrup:  I heated a package of the strawberries I put up last June with about a 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup in a small sauce pan just until warm.

Sunday Brunch for Three

Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes

I made potato pancakes with my sweet potatoes this weekend. Mashed sweet potatoes, some grated raw red potatoes, diced onion, spelt flour, and baking powder. I used ground flax seeds and water as an egg substitute. Served with some curried cherry chutney on top. I received the chutney as a gift. It's not for the culinary squeamish, it's got a really strong curry flavor. It went very well with the pancakes.

Dairy Free Cranberry Orange Bread

I like homemade cranberry sauce, but since I am the only one who will eat it, I decided to make bread out of the fresh cranberries I had.  Everybody at home likes them baked.

Dairy Free Cranberry Orange Bread

2 cups spelt flour
3/4 cup agave
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons safflower oil
grated zest of orange peel from one orange, about 1-2 tablespoons
1 1/2 tablespoons egg replacer
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, rough chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Bake at 350° for about 50 minutes.

Stuffed French Toast - Vegetarian Brunch

I am so glad my granddaughter gets to visit regularly. I spoke to my youngest son on the phone last night and he called her the "Empty Nest Patch."  That makes sense.

This morning the Thanksgiving weekend continues.  My sweetie has to work today, so I greeted him this morning with a nice breakfast.  One of my friends was talking about stuffed french toast at lunch a couple weeks ago.  We don't go out for breakfast very much, I'd not heard of it.  It sounded fun so I've been wanting to try it.  I thought Scott and Kaylee would enjoy it too.

I have some fresh ground peanut butter, frozen strawberries from when they were in season, some nice fresh whole grain bread, and some free range eggs. I whipped up some french toast batter and spread some peanut butter on the bread, laid three large strawberries in the middle of the sandwich.  I dipped the whole sandwich in the batter and grilled about 5 minutes on each side until the edges were brown and a bit crispy.

The batter:

Free Range Eggs
Coconut Milk Creamer
Vanilla
Orange Zest
a handful of shredded coconut
Cinnamon
Nutmeg

The filling is fresh ground peanut peanut butter and strawberries. (The strawberries were stored when they were in season.)

I heated frozen strawberries with about 2 TB of pure maple syrup and added some orange slices when it was hot.

The Flexitarian Cookbook is Here

Although I post mainly plant based dishes and recipes, I am a flexitarian.  That means I eat vegan and vegetarian most of the time with the occasional animal protein which is usually fresh seafood. I've posted some meals I've cooked in the past year and have mentioned I can't post the exact recipe because they are test recipes for an unpublished cookbook.  Well, it's published and for sale now: The Flexitarian Cookbook and I am very excited about it. All the recipes are made with whole fresh foods and are written to be made with and without meat. I only have one original recipe in the book because I could only think of one completely original recipe at the time they requested it.  I have tested many of these recipes and suggested changes though.  It's been a really fun project to be involved with.

It's 100% voluntarily produced and the proceeds go to two great charities, Slow Food USA and Yoga Bear



The Flexitarian Cookbook

It can be purchased at Amazon.com

Stuffed Squash Flowers

The garden is going great.  It provides about a basket a day of a variety of fresh food.  I have lots of herbs drying and really don't have the need to shop for vegetables or herbs right now.  We're only buying fruit at the local produce and farmer's markets and a few things we don't have growing.  I tried to grow some cantaloupe this year and the plants look great, lots of pretty yellow flowers, but so far no fruit. Without a warm spring, most of the plants are producing less and/or later than usual.  I noticed quite a few ears of corn growing and we should have lots of tomatoes ripening soon.

 
We also have lots of squash flowers and I have heard of them being a great treat to eat but haven't tried them before.  I've read some of the nutritional benefits and they are high in potassium, vitamins B and K, and beta carotene.  Thought I'd try it.  Last weekend my friend and I sauteed some flowers in a little oil and herbs and they were delightful.  Yesterday while in the garden, I picked a variety of squash flowers:  summer, zucchini, spaghetti, crookneck, and pumpkin with the idea of stuffing them with a little cheese and herbs and cooking them. The flowers to use are the male flowers, they grow upright on a stem and don't produce squash.  The female flowers have what looks like a little squash at the base.  You can use those, but that will reduce your squash yield.  Leave a couple male flowers so the female flowers can be pollinated.

I used some herb goat cheese, chevre, and a sliced anaheim pepper, also from the garden.  I scooped the cheese with a little tasting spoon, added a couple small slices of the pepper and made a little ball.  I stuffed this at the bottom of the flower.  I dipped them gently a somewhat thin batter of WW flour and homemade soy milk.  Then I warmed a mixture of sesame and safflower oil in a nonstick pan.  I sliced some garlic cloves and toasted them in the oil with a couple sprigs of rosemary and thyme and removed them when they were crisp and set them aside for garnish. Then I sauteed the flowers in the oil until they were just golden brown.

 I added a little black bean corn salsa and the toasted garlic chips I made earlier and it was a full meal for two. These were so good, this plate didn't make it far.  We just stood here after the photo and had dinner.

Dairy Free Blueberry Creme Pie

This is one of Dr. Andrew Weil's recipes from Eating Well for Optimum Health.  This was one of the first books I read when I decided to go head first into cooking for health as well as enjoyment.  I have had it a long time.  I can tell because I have weight watcher's points written in the book near recipes.  I haven't kept track of what I eat like that or counted calories for many years.  I just eat a plant based diet as much as I can and I don't have to count calories or points.

This is a very light dessert, with added protein and less sugar than your average blueberry creme pie. It's made with tofu masquerading as cream cheese and since fresh  blueberries are abundant right now, it's time for pie.  I had great fun watching my husband and granddaughter trying to get just the right picture without eating it.  The model got so small by the end of the second serving at lunch the next day, there was only one small piece left. I did make some changes, as I usually do, reducing the processed sugar where I can.

  Dairy Free Blueberry Cream Pie

1 pound silken tofu

1/4 cup sugar, or more to taste

      I used a few drops liquid Stevia

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

     I used the seeds from half a vanilla bean

freshly grated zest of 1 fresh lemon

1 baked Easy Pie Crust, (follow link to recipe)

1 pound fresh or frozen blueberries

1/4 cup light brown sugar 

     I used a little less than 1/4 cup raw agave

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

11/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

     Agar can be used in place of the arrowroot powder

2 tablespoons water

1. Drain the tofu well and process in a food processor until smooth.  Add the sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest, and blend well.

2.  Pour the tofu mixture into the pie crust and chill in refrigerator.

3.  Place the blueberries in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until they begin to boil.  Boil gently for about ten minutes.

4.  Add the brown sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon, and cook for another 2 minutes.

5.  Mix the arrowroot well with the water, and pour mixture into the simmering blueberries while stirring.  Cook, stirring, until the mixture becomes clear and thick.  Continue to cook for 1 minute.

6.  When blueberry mixture is cool, spoon it over the tofu mixture, and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

TLT with Avocado and Fresh Beet Chips

It's hot and I'm loving it.  I welcome the sun! Here's an easy meal for a hot evening.  A TLT, a  tempeh, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. Grilled lemon pepper tempeh strips marinated in teriyaki sauce on toasted whole grain bread with avocado and garden fresh tomatoes and lettuce.  I served it with thinly sliced turnips, golden beets, and red beets from our garden.  I  called them chips and my granddaughter ate them as if they were her favorite chips.

Breakfast - Vegan Strawberry Scones

I was thinking about what I will do with my strawberries this weekend.  I wanted to make some jam, which I did.  I made some freezer jam with 3 cups of sucanat for ten cups of crushed berries.  Much less sugar than conventional jam.  But what kind of fun, healthy snack can I come up with?  I thought about strawberry scones and when looking through the vegan recipes that came up when I searched, I hit on this one Strawberry-Coconut Scones.  I didn't make many changes to the recipe;  I used sucanat for sugars, plain coconut milk yogurt, and coconut milk creamer.  These came out very nice, firm, but flaky and moist, thanks to the chunks of strawberries.

 I served them with the strawberry jam I made yesterday, a fresh fruit salad made with:  mango, bananas, kiwi, sliced strawberries, and a handful of coconut shreds.  I also grilled some strips of sesame garlic tempeh marinated in shoyu. 

Vegetarian Pizza

 
In the past it was commonly believed that pizza was not really a healthy food. Part of the reason for this is that it was put in the same group as other fast foods, such as hamburgers and fries. This is a major misconception, as pizza can actually be a highly nutritional meal. There are health benefits to pizza, especially home made where I can control the ingredients.

I made a crust with whole wheat flour. Soy, rice, or bean flour can be used for a gluten free pizza.  I brushed a little olive oil on the crust, spread some tomato paste, sprinkled some toasted garlic and oregano, caramelized onions, chopped tomatoes, fresh zucchini and crookneck squash slices, organic mozzarella cheese and chunks of sesame garlic tempeh marinated in shoyu.  I baked it for about 20 minutes at 425º.  Just omit the cheese for a vegan pizza.

Pizza Crust

1 tablespoon yeast
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon agave
1 tablespoon oil
2½ to 3 cups whole wheat flour
cornmeal

Soften yeast in  2 tablespoons warm water in a large mixing bowl.  In about 5 minutes when the yeast is dissolved, add remaining 1 cup water, salt, agave, oil, and 2 cups flour, mixing until dough can be formed into a ball.  Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead in remaining flour as necessary to make a smooth dough.  Knead for 5 to 10 minutes.

Place dough in an oiled bowl, I used coconut oil.   Turn so that entire surface is greased.  Cover with a cloth, and let rise in a warm spot a minimum of 2 hours or as long as 10 hours.  When you are ready to assemble the pizza, punch down the dough, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes to make handling easier.  Divide dough in half and shape.  Bake on a baking sheet or pizza pan dusted with cornmeal.  This dough can be prepared and frozen for use at a later date.

Asparagus Cornbread Pudding with Snap Peas

I've been reading a very fun book I received as a birthday gift, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver.  It's the story of a family who ate only locally for a whole year.  I mean locally, they grew much of their own food and what they didn't they tried to obtain from within their county.  The whole family had a hand in writing this book and the daughter, Camille, has her pieces with a recipe at the end of  her commentaries.  I get kind of hungry reading this book.  Inspired by her Asparagus and Morel Bread Pudding I knew just what to do with the fresh asparagus and the little loaf of jalepeño cornbread I bought at the farmer's market today.  I made a similar bread pudding using her recipe as a guide.

I didn't have the morel's, but that's OK, my husband doesn't like mushrooms much.  (I still cook with mushrooms, but make them in very large chunks so he can pick them out and give them to me.)  I did have the fresh asparagus, the loaf of homemade cornbread which I sliced and toasted in the broiler, the spring onions, fresh parsley and oregano.  I used non dairy milk and omitted the butter used in the recipe.  I gently sauteed the asparagus in a little coconut oil and added some snap peas I had from last week's market.  I did use the eggs, but I do use local eggs.  Eggs are one of those things that appear that I am spending more, I pay from $3.50 up to $5 a dozen for my fresh local eggs, but a dozen will last me a month or more.  The cheese I used is a natural cheddar with wild smoked salmon and chives with a little freshly grated Parmesan.  I thought that would add an interesting flavor.

My husband took the picture and not only ate a piece while trying to get just the right shot, he then ate the piece he was photographing.  This is one of those meals that doesn't look too pretty, but it sure is good, flexitarian, comfort food.

Old Fashioned Tapioca

I always make us something sweet on the weekends, this weekend I picked up some tapioca pearls and made some old fashioned tapioca pudding. Well, it's almost old fashioned. I don't think my grandmother used non dairy milk. But, then the milk she used, she got herself from the cows raised the way cows should be raised eating what cows should eat. The milk was much different. I cut out the processed sugar by using Agave and Stevia powder. I did use eggs, but I get my eggs from a local farm, I know what they feed their chickens and they roam freely in the sunshine, well, I should say in the rain. :-) I was a little worried the egg whites wouldn't stiffen with the Agave. I don't buy eggs but once a month and only had four. If it didn't work, the pudding would have a thicker consistency I suppose. I poured it in very very slowly as the egg whites whipped. It did work and the pudding came out very creamy and thick as it should.

Tapioca Pudding

1/3 cup small pearl tapioca
3/4 cup filtered water
2 1/4 cup non dairy milk
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs separated
1/4 cup Agave
1/4 tsp Stevia powder
1 vanilla bean, scrape inside

Soak small pearl tapioca in water for 30 minutes in large saucepan, 1 1/2 quart.  Add milk, salt, and lightly beaten egg yolks to tapioca and stir over medium heat until boiling.  Simmer uncovered over very low heat for 10-15 minutes. Stir often.

Beat egg whites gradually adding Agave and Stevia until soft peaks form.  Fold about 3/4 cup of tapioca into the egg whites and then gently fold mixture back into saucepan.  Stir over low heat for about three minutes.  Cool 15 minutes then add vanilla.  Serve warm or chilled.  I topped mine with fresh ground nutmeg and fresh fruit.

Buckwheat Teff Pancakes - Vegan Sunday Brunch

While browsing through my Vegan World Fusion Cuisine cookbook yesterday looking for a fun way to use my beets, I noticed a recipe for buckwheat pancakes.   I love buckwheat pancakes, I have since I was small.   They have much more body and flavor than the traditional white flour pancakes.  Of course they do, whole grains have more texture and flavor than over-processed white flour.  I didn't have quite enough buckwheat, but I did have some teff.  I ground some teff and used half a cup of buckwheat and half a cup of teff instead of 1 cup buckwheat.   I didn't have any applesauce, as called for in the recipe, so I just threw a small apple in the blender.  I served them with a drizzle of pure maple syrup and fresh fruit salad made with papaya, kiwi, plum, avocado, and lime juice.

Buckwheat Teff Pancakes with Fresh Fruit

Benevolent Buckwheat Pancakes

Vegan World Fusion Cuisine, page 182

Dry

1 C Buckwheat flour

1 C Spelt flour

3 TB Sucanat

1 TB Flax seed, ground

1 TB Baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp Sea salt

Wet

1 ¼ C Filtered water

¾ C non dairy milk (soy, oat, almond, hemp, rice)

2 TB Sunflower oil

2 TB Apple sauce, unsweetened (chopped fresh apple will work just fine)

Pinch Cinnamon Powder

Place Wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. I used the blender as I used a whole apple. Combine the Dry ingredients in another bowl and mix well.  Combine all ingredients in one bowl.  Grill as you do any pancakes on a lightly greased grill. Flip over as the bubbles form and pop, about 3 minutes on each side.

Serve with warm fruit, jam, almond butter, or whatever you like on your pancakes.

Sunday Brunch - Potato Veggie Bake

I had some potatoes that needed to be used so I made a potato veggie bake. Thick sliced Red Potatoes, about five or six, sauteed slightly until both sides are golden brown with a little oil. Place in glass baking dish. Saute about half of a sliced red onion, chopped garlic clove, one half an Anaheim chili, sliced, asparagus spears in coconut oil until they are tender. I like to begin with the onions and garlic so they cook a bit longer and caramelize. I layered this mixture on top of the potatoes. I dotted the top with some goat chevre, made locally, about 2 TB. Beat about six eggs together with 1/3 of a cup of filtered water. Pour the whipped eggs on top of the vegetables and bake for about 25 minutes at 400°.

I served it with sliced avocado and some fresh sliced pears and kiwi. Brunch is so much better at home.