Happy New Year! This year I am going to really try to consume much less sugar! I don’t traditionally make new years resolutions, but after this past holiday season, cutting back on the sugar is really necessary. Also, I want to make more baked goods using whole wheat or gluten-free flours. We shall see. This recipe is a result of a near-empty pantry and a hunger for a good breakfast.
Usually we have oatmeal with fruit for breakfast, but the last 2 days we had to have these pancakes (oh dear). I wanted to make them healthy, hearty and satisfying. As a bonus, they are really fluffy, which is surprising for a wheat flour pancake. My secret to a fluffy wheat flour pancake: sparkling (or soda) water. If you don’t have soda water, use regular water, or even more soymilk. But next time you’re out and about, pick up some sparkling water and make these pancakes! They are so good.
The fruit topping is very easy to make, and contains only a tablespoon of maple syrup in the entire recipe! The natural sugars from the fruit and the teeny bit from the maple syrup make it a perfect topping and substitute for syrups loaded with sugars. These are definitely pancakes you can feel good about eating. The topping is also good as a topping for vanilla soy ice cream, or chilled and eaten as is.
Whole Wheat Pancakes
makes 12-15 pancakes
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cup soymilk (or any non-dairy milk)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sparkling mineral water (such as San Pellegrino), or soda water
1 tablespoon melted vegan butter (such as Earth Balance)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
a few teaspoons of vegan butter (or cooking spray).
Preheat a cast iron skillet to medium heat. In a medium bowl, sift together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the soymilk with the apple cider vinegar and leave alone for one minute. Then, add the sparkling water, melted vegan butter, maple syrup and vanilla – and whisk together. Gently fold in the flour until just combined.
Add a teaspoon of vegan butter to the skillet and using a high-heat spatula, spread it around to coat the skillet. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop and pour pancake batter on the skillet. Cook until you see several tiny bubbles appear on the top of the pancake (about 1-3 minutes) and flip over; cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Repeat until batter is gone.
I made this fancy compote while I was cooking the pancakes. It’s very fast, easy, and delicious.
Apple-Berry Compote
1 large gala apple, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries (consisting of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries).
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vegan butter (such as Earth Balance)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a small sauce pan on medium-low heat, add the diced apple, frozen berries, maple syrup, vegan butter and cinnamon. Mix and cook for about 5-10 minutes.
This is a great recipe to add to your vegan breakfast or brunch menu. I hope you enjoy them, and hey if you do, let me know!
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