Basic Pancakes

Basic pancakes are simple. If you want something a little fancier and more interesting, there are some suggestions below. This recipe makes about eight small-medium sized pancakes.

Ingredients & Mixing

1. In your mixing bowl, mash up one banana (preferably ripe).

2. To this, mix in:

• ½ t salt
• ½ t baking soda & 2 t baking powder
• 2 T melted Earth Balance or canola oil
• (Optional: add ¼ t ground cloves and ½ t cinnamon)

3. Add to the mix:

• 1 cup all purpose flour (you can substitute whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1 cup orange juice*, soy milk, or almond milk
• 1/8 cup water (omit for thicker pancakes)

4. Stir slightly until mixed.

5. Stir in ¼ - ½ cup walnuts, chopped.

* I have made these with water ONLY and they're still good. Fruit juice is best. You can also use other fruit juices. Any orange-ish blend such as peach juice will do. I have not used apple juice, but try it and let me know how it works. If it works well, gimme some of that pancake.

Cooking

1. Preheat a non-stick (I use cast iron) frying pan over medium-low heat and add ~2 T olive oil.
2. Once oil sizzles when you add a drop of batter, the pan is ready.
3. Add about ¼ cup of the batter to make each little medium pancake. My pan fits about four:

4. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, until bubbly, then flip for another 2 minutes or until it is cooked as you like it.

Now you will have very lonely, sad, and naked pancakes.

Meanwhile – Hats for your Pancake

Baseball Cap

Certainly you can go the traditional route and pour some of that real or pretend maple syrup on top of these guys. I prefer to cut up some fresh or frozen strawberries and heat them on low with agave nectar or maple syrup.

Top Hat

Spread them with Earth Balance if you'd like, though they are already oiled up nicely from the frying process.

French Beret

You can also grind up almonds, then lightly cook them with agave and earth balance for a most delicious and healthful calcium-y topping.

If I Were You Pancakes

Which I'm not. But if you want to try some other variations, this is for you. My typical pancake includes chopped apples and blueberries.

Try adding to the batter some of the following:

• chopped apple (with skin is great I think)
• blueberries
• peaches
• mangoes
• orange or lemon zest
• chocolate chips
• cocoa powder
• pecans
• black strap molasses (full of iron, calcium, and potassium!)
  

Pantry or Cranky

I get very cranky if my pantry is empty or missing critical players.

Baking

The question to ask is: if you were stranded on a dessert island, yes, dessert, what would you have on hand to keep the island bountiful with your favorite treats?

Earth Balance in all of its spreadable goodness

1) Earth Balance Spread = Butter

Sorry butter! See you later Crisco! Earth Balance sticks and tubs are all I need for good baking … cookies, biscuits, cakes.

I am baking powder.

2) Baking Soda & Powder = Eggs

Sorry egg! A simple substitution of powders readily available in all pantries has voted you off our island. Thanks to Dilip for this chemically natural wonder.

Here is the most simple way to replace an egg in baked goods:

One Egg: With a fork, whisk together:

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons flour
3 Tablespoons water

TIP! For moist baked goods such as cakes or muffins, use the substitution above for 1/2 of the eggs in your recipe, then for the other half use soy yogurt, orange juice, coconut cream, bananas, or applesauce (depending on how subtle you want the flavoring to be — soy yogurt is the most subtle).

3) Coconut Milk

The fat from the can of Thai brand coconut milk can be used to make whip cream!

Fat! (Tip: You don't have to buy a 12-pack)

Not Baking

Following are a host of products that you will find useful and referred to throughout Hortamatic.

Hi! I’m Bragg’s! I like hats!

Think dignified but kooky soy sauce. I use this for soups, gravies, and all sorts of stir fries. In fact, here is a quick gravy recipe:

• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 portobello or other mushroom
• The rest as below.

Saute these in about 1 Tablespoon of Earth Balance until the onion is a little translucent.
Add about 3 Tablespoons of Bragg’s, to taste (more can be added later) and saute for 3 – 5 minutes, stirring often.
Sprinkle with about 1/4 cup flour. Stir all around.
Add about 1/8 cup corn starch to 1/2 cup water. Mix, then add to pan.
Add another cup or two or three of water until desired thickness. Whisk until thick.

I am totally guessing at the measurements here, folks, but the basic idea is here and I think you’ll make a fine gravy. If you don’t, send me pictures of your failed experiments.

2) Nutritional Yeast Flakes or Powder

Friendly flakes.

Usually, when talking nutritional yeast (NY) you know, at parties and such, the first thing mentioned is their nutrition. What a way to kill the conversation! So for you, I am going to first exploit the other point about NY: it’s delicious when used responsibly. I’m talking creamy scrambles, potatoes au gratin, omelets, dips, and more. It’s cheesy and tangy.

And now for the soy whip cream on top: some, but not all, nutritional yeast contain B12.

And lastly, Why replace?