Pancakes, Hold The Dairy.

After our first 4 days of being vegans, Andrew and I were really in need of some comfort food.  I wanted to make something for him that would make this change not quite so drastic and give him hope that he could actually do it.  I knew that he would love my grandmother’s pancakes (“Dad’s Buttermilk Pancakes, February 2011), but they had eggs and buttermilk.  I wondered if there were some way to turn them into vegans too.  I got up early and started researching some alternatives for eggs and found out that there are some really good substitutions.  The key is to know what their function is in a particular recipe.

In pancakes, eggs act as a binder and do not add leavening power as I had expected.  It turns out that 1/3 cup pumpkin puree (the kind you use for pumpkin pies) is the equivalent of one egg when used as a binder.  Having settled that, I switched out the buttermilk for almond milk and hoped that it would provide the right consistency.  Next, I switched the white flour for whole wheat and lo and behold, I had just recreated my grandmother’s pancakes in an all plant-based recipe.  Not willing to leave well enough alone, I decided that a handful of walnuts would be a good fit with the pumpkin.

I was right on all accounts.  The pancakes are dense, but light and really, really good.   And truth be told…  I like these better than our regular Saturday recipe and so does Andrew.  Sorry Grandma!

 

Cornmeal pumpkin pancakes with toasted walnuts

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1 1/4 cups vanilla or regular almond milk

1 tablespoon molasses

1/4 cup corn or canola oil (we use olive oil these days and love it)

3/4 cup yellow corn meal

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Mix almond milk, pumpkin, oil, and molasses together.  Put the rest of the ingredients through a sifter and into the bowl; mix.  Cook in vegan butte