July 2, 2013

vegan pancakes

I am not vegan nor do I plan to be completely but David and I watched Forks Over Knives last night and I found my personal beliefs feeling pretty align with the message. My religion teaches about the Word of Wisdom and when I read this scripture, I felt like eating less animal products and more fruits, vegetables and whole grains is the right thing to do: "And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving." (Doctrine & Covenants 89: 9-10). David also mentioned that he wants to go in this direction and I was glad to hear him say that because I agree. We want to teach our children to eat healthy and hopefully spare them the pain of illness and weight problems. That said, I also don't want to teach my children that food is bad or that it can't be enjoyed because I also think that mindset is damaging.

I honestly feel scared to commit to veganism (haha - that sounds pathetic) because the thought of giving up yogurt and cheese is really difficult for me. I stopped drinking milk almost a year ago and I don't miss it at all. Ice cream I can live without and meat is not a temptation for me. The hardest thing will be yogurt, cheese and butter. I really love baked goods and they're just not the same without butter. Pizza just isn't the same without cheese and, well . . . Yogurtland. But, let's face it, those things don't make me healthy and they do make me fat. I love something that was said in the movie (I'm paraphrasing), "If you can't eat something, just eat something else." Eating healthy isn't about restricting yourself from foods you like. It should be about eating foods that are healthy and delicious. If you don't like vegetables, then learn to love them! There are ways to make delicious foods that are plant and whole grain based that are full of nutrients (yes, even protein! Gasp!)

OK, longest introduction ever! Anyway, I woke up this morning and William asked for pancakes. I immediately thought, "there has to be an awesome vegan pancake recipe on Pinterest". Well, I couldn't find one that looked good on there but I did find a recipe by Gwyneth Paltrow that I modified. I am totally honest here when I say that they were really good. Try these out and if you have any tips for how to eat vegan (though I'll probably be a "modified" vegan) then please let me know!

1 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (my favorite is the Silk brand)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin coconut oil, melted*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour**
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 banana, thinly sliced

In a medium bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients. In a larger bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients  (not bananas) until combined. Make a well in the center and pour in the wet ingredients and stir until fully incorporated.

Lightly coat a non-stick griddle pan with cooking spray (I use TJ's coconut oil spray) and pour on 1/4 cup of the batter. Top with 4 slices of the banana slices and cook for 1 - 2 minutes then flip over. Cook another 1 - 2 minutes until golden brown on both sides (don't flip more than once though or they'll be really flat). Serve with more pure maple syrup. 

* I use EfaGold Pure Extra-Virgin and it is the only kind worth buying, in my opinion. I also use it as my nighttime cream and I swear by it.
** I don't like the idea of using "white" flour but didn't have any fresh ground whole wheat so I did as the recipe suggested and used all-purpose. Next time I make these, I'm going to do whole wheat but if anyone tries it before I do, please let me know how they turn out!
adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow (I feel so fancy saying that)

12 comments:

  1. Yum! These sound delicious. I love all your recipes :) But spelt is not gluten-free just so you know!

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    1. Thanks for pointing that out, Erin! I fixed it. I know nothing about gluten-free so I must have misread that from the original recipe. Thanks again!

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    2. No worries! I wouldn't know either if I didn't have too because of an allergy! I just saw GF and got excited. I think a lot of people are confused about spelt. Thanks for all your great posts!

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  2. Looks yummy... thanks for sharing!

    Will you do a post about your coconut oil regimen?? I've been using coconut oil here and there for my skincare too, but I'd love to know your technique! Do you use it in liquid form or keep it in the refrigerator as a solid? And if you use it in liquid form, do you put it in a dispenser of some kind or use it straight from the jar? Thanks in advance!!

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  3. These look so good!
    I ate soy and dairy free for 16 months when nursing my daughter and it dramatically changed my eating habits in a good way. I don't think I would ever go completely vegan, but we do eat a lot less meat, dairy and soy. I also try to eat exclusively organic. I am finishing an amazing book called "Fat Chance" by a pediatric endocrinologist at UCSF. It is mostly about the effects of sugar on our modern diet and the increase in metabolic disease, but it also talks about the effects of pesticides on animal feed and antibiotics on humans who eat meat.
    Have fun trying new foods!

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  4. Forks Over Knives is SO eye opening! I've read Dr. Campbell's book The China Study and I'm on the library waiting list for his new book called Whole. We LOVE breakfast foods (pancakes, waffles, muffins) and I've found that these are all super easy to adapt to be vegan. Seriously, I improvised a lemon poppyseed pancake recipe to be vegan and it is the best thing ever.

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  5. I became a "modified vegan" 18 months ago after watching Forks Over Knives. I challenged myself to be hard-core vegan for just 100 days at first. I thought this would be the best way to get cravings out of my system and I could tell myself "I can eat whatever I want at the end of 100 days". It wasn't nearly as hard as I expected. I admit that for me the hardest part was no eggs. No scrambled, fried, or hard-boiled eggs or omelets or frittatas was hard. But I found great recipe for a vegan frittata that saved me. I also depended a lot on veggie hot dogs, Trader Joe's meatless meatballs, their veggie orange chicken, and veggie gyoza. Cake is crazy easy to make without butter or eggs and I made a chocolate ganache topping out of melted chocolate and coconut milk (vegans use a TON of coconut milk!). Oh, and that chocolate cream pie that you posted back during Thanksgiving time--perfect vegan pie! Just top with coconut whipped cream and if you don't want to make your own vegan pie crust, Marie Callendar's frozen pie crusts are vegan (not necessarily healthy, but they are vegan).

    After 100 days of being vegan I lost 10 pounds. After continuing, I lost 5 more. I now weigh less than I did on my wedding day (12 years and 4 kids ago!) and I feel like a million bucks. I've been a runner for the last 14 years but I run faster now than I ever have. I call myself a "social omnivore"--meaning I eat vegan at home but I relax the rules a bit when I'm at someone else's home or at a restaurant or at some other social event when I have no control over what is being served food-wise. Good luck!

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  6. I converted to mostly vegan after Forks over Knives over a year ago. Tried a month first, and found my taste buds changed. I think what keeps me going is that besides being healthier, there are the strong environmental and animal cruelty at factory farms. I never was willing to let myself be aware or question the "norm" before. Things are different than they were 40 years ago with population exploding. I do this for my children's future. Anyway, you asked for tips, for me, it's the 3 big reasons that keep me going. And that whole foods are so delicious. Thanks for the great recipes!

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  7. I started a plant-based diet after Forks over Knives over a year ago. My taste buds changed, and there are great recipes out there. I do it for the environmental and animal cruelty reasons as well. Before doing this, I wasn't willing to see this impact. I write about my journey here http://foodblog.baileyandhall.com (started in February 2012). I feel like this is so important for our children's future. I'm excited to try your recipes!

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  8. I converted to mostly vegan after Forks over Knives over a year ago. Tried a month first, and found my taste buds changed. I think what keeps me going is that besides being healthier, there are the strong environmental and animal cruelty at factory farms. I never was willing to let myself be aware or question the "norm" before. Things are different than they were 40 years ago with population exploding. I do this for my children's future. Anyway, you asked for tips, for me, it's the 3 big reasons that keep me going. And that whole foods are so delicious. Thanks for the great recipes!

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  9. I like your vegan/vegi take on recipes lately. We try to eat less meat, too. We made this last week and it was tasty. There are some great looking recipes on this blog, all vegan! I look forward to your adaptations. :-) Keep posting! http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/08/spicy-peanut-portobello-kale-rice-bowl.html

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  10. I like your vegan/vegi take on recipes lately. We try to eat less meat, too. We made this last week and it was tasty. There are some great looking recipes on this blog, all vegan! I look forward to your adaptations. :-) Keep posting! http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/08/spicy-peanut-portobello-kale-rice-bowl.html

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