vegan mofo: blueberry pancakes that actually look as good as they taste

I love pancakes. I think if I had to enter an eating contest it would most definitely be a pancake contest. I try not to make them very often and instead have them as an occasional treat. As great as I think starting off each morning with a plate of warm carbs smothered in Earth Balance and maple syrup would be, I know they’re not the greatest thing for me (yes I’ve tried the low fat whole wheat varieties, but they’re not the same).

Sunday I had a 2 hour kayak class in the afternoon and so I thought that I would treat myself to some delicious blueberry pancakes as I would be sure to burn them off whilst learning to paddle around. Blueberry pancakes have always presented a challenge to me….while they taste great, the batter often gets that unappealing green/blue/grey tinge that is just plain icky looking. I read somewhere on the internet that coating frozen blueberries in a bit of flour would prevent this, so I thought I would try it out.

Behold! Blueberry pancakes that are actually the color pancakes are supposed to be. Yum!

I used the recipe for basic pancakes from Vegan Brunch and just added in some frozen blueberries.

apologies for abseenteeism…as well as more Vegan Brunch

Wow, I haven’t been posting much. Wedding insanity has taken over my life…18 more days. It seems every day we have a meeting with somebody about something wedding-related…at this point I am just looking for the planning to FINALLY be over and to just enjoy the day. We’re keeping it pretty low-key but it seems there are still 1001 decisions to be made that everyone wants your input on. *sigh*

I haven’t been cooking all that much, but here a few things that have made appearances in my kitchen. First up is the puttanesca scramble from Vegan Brunch. If you like olives and capers you will probably like this. The only negative thing I can say is that I accidentally bought unpitted kalamatas so those were a pain to chop up. Oh well.

Secondly, here are the cinnamon buns from Vegan Brunch. I made these with the understanding that they would be taken out of my home immediately. I have a wedding dress to fit into and I don’t need a dozen cinnamon buns hanging around! But I did sneak a bun before they were gone and they are heavenly! Really gooey, which I like. I’d probably put way more cinnamon in the filling next time, but that’s just me.

Finally, I revisited a classic…the snobby joe from Veganomicon:

even MORE vegan brunch!

A few more things to add from Vegan Brunch…

Polenta Rancheros…topped with guacamole and a nooch queso. Avocado makes me quite ill about 50% of the time I eat it (can’t figure out why…) so I don’t normally eat it. However I knew this would be fabulous with guac on top and so I chanced it (I know, I’m irresponsible). It all worked out though and I only got a tiny tummy ache, nothing major. And it was so worth it.

Not the greatest picture ever. I swear it tasted better than it looks! I also made the zucchini spelt muffins…only I subbed applesauce for the oil. These are incredibly moist and I love the texture of them. However, next time I make them I’ll probably add some raisins or something just to give it more of a zip.

I also made the ginger blueberry muffins from Vegan Brunch…but unfortunately I did not snap a picture before they were all devoured.

a lot of vegan brunch

I have quite a few things to share with you, most of which are from Vegan Brunch.

First up, I tried to make English muffins with whole wheat pastry flour. Now I’m not sure if it was my yeast, or if this recipe doesn’t work well with whole wheat, or what’s going on, but mine didn’t really rise at all and didn’t get those delightful nooks and crannies that make English muffins so lovable. Here is one with some jam:

I also made the pumpkin bran muffins. Once again, I used whole wheat pastry flour and I subbed applesauce for all of the oil. These were still really moist and super delicious. In fact, they were too good. I ate way too many of them.

I also tried my hand at the infamous vegan omelets. Even though the recipe clearly states not to use vacuum-packed tofu, I used the vacuum-packed Mori-Nu lite firm tofu. I did have to add some extra water to the batter but they appeared to work out alright. Not that I have anything to compare it to…next time perhaps I will use soft tofu and see if there is a difference. I made the roasted asparagus version with the suggested miso tahini sauce….that sauce on its own didn’t excite me very much, but paired with this omelet it was heavenly!

I also tried the scrambled tofu with greens and yams. I used WAY less sesame oil then called for…I basically drizzled about 1/2 tsp on at the end and that’s it. The flavour was still easy to detect. I loved the mix of sweet with sesame…I ended up really loving this dish when I thought it would just be ‘okay’

I just took these bagels out of the oven so I haven’t tried one yet. They’re made with multigrain bread flour…we’ll see how good they taste later.

Finally I have something that isn’t from Vegan Brunch. Now usually the bf does all of the grilling around here. It’s his ‘thing.’ So I’ve never cooked with a bbq before in my life. Ever. Well, he’s gone on a 5.5 day canoe trip and so I made him give me a lesson in how to turn on the grill. Yes, that’s right, I didn’t even know how to turn it on. Well, last night not only did I turn it on, but I grilled myself up some portobello burgers as well as some eggplant…and grilled pineapple for dessert (why didn’t anyone tell me how wonderful this stuff is??). I doubt I’ll retain my grilling privledges once the bf returns (once again, it’s his ‘thing’) but it was fun to try it out and hey, who am I to turn down getting my dinner cooked for me every now and again?

Trying out Vegan Brunch

My copy of Vegan Brunch arrived last Friday and I was so excited to spend the night curled up with my newest cookbook. I’ve been playing around with a few dishes all weekend. First I made the basic scrambled tempeh. I stuck fairly close to the recipe with the exceptions of uing kale as the green and omitting the oil:

I also made a batch of the chorizo sausages. I didn’t have any pinto beans on hand so I used some kidney beans I had in the freezer. I also used water instead of veggie broth (I was out) and omitted the oil. They turned out SO good! Here is one that the bf cooked on the bbq for me, along with grilled asparagus and a potato piled with pickled peppers (mmm!):

The next day I wanted to use more of the delicious sausages so I made the sausage and collards and sausage dish, but I used kale instead as that is what I had. Once again I omitted the oil, but other than that I stuck pretty close to the recipe. I love kale and I love these sausages so naturally I loved the two together.

Last night for dinner I made the shiitake-dill fritatta…except I didn’t use shiitakes as I don’t care for the texture. So instead I used standard button mushrooms. If you like dill, you will LOVE this dish. It reminded me of dill pickle chips which were the one flavour I really liked. Can you get vegan dill pickle chips? I’ve never seen them, but then again I haven’t been looking too hard. Anyway, I digress. This fritatta was a wee bit crumbly, but it tasted so good I really didn’t care.

The book also has a section of sweeter dishes (pancakes, waffles, french toast, etc) as well as baked goods….there’s nothing I love more than warm carbs smothered in sweet maple syrup but I think I shall leave exploring that part of the book until after the wedding lest my dress not fit, seeing as how moderation of pancakes is not my strongest virtue.

Bridal Shower Goodies

I recently returned from a trip home for my bridal shower. I was absolutely astounded by the number of people and presents there were! I honestly never expected a turn out quite like that.

I did get a bunch of neat kitchen stuff which will keep me entertained for awhile. First up, a griddle. Which makes pancake-making a breeze:

I also received a spring form pan. That called for making cheeze cake…with an Oreo crust and chocolate sauce of course. Two omnivores and myself were amazed at how much this tasted like dairy cheese cake…mmmm…

I also received a George Foreman grill, which makes for lovely looking grilled tofu like so:

There’s more to come…other goodies received include a coffee grinder, an immersion blender (my old one finally broke), tons of bakeware, cooking utensils, and a beautiful titanium pan from my Mom. I’m just really touched by all of this.