vegan pancakes | lots of nice things

You better believe that is it more than possible to make delicious pancakes on Pancake Day, without using eggs. Vegan pancakes are quick, simple and effective to make and something I do sometimes once a week!

My little boy and I love to eat them stuffed with savoury fillings such as spinach and mushroom for lunch, as well as for a special weekend breakfast treat, with lemon and sugar. So I thought I’d share my two favourite recipes.

Vegan Pancakes with Lemon and Sugar

Vegan Savoury Pancakes with Spinach and Mushroom

Vegan Pancakes
Serves 2-4

175ml/6fl oz plant milk
175ml/6fl oz water
175g/6oz plain flour, sieved
2 tbsp chickpea flour (also known as gram), sieved
1 tsp baking powder, sieved
1 tbsp plain vegetable oil
Pinch of salt
Additional oil for frying

Method:

1. Place all of the ingredients, except the oil for frying, in a blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively whisk by hand until there are no lumps.
2. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan until piping hot. Drain off any excess.
3. Pour enough of the batter mixture in to the frying pan to thinly cover the bottom. Fry on one side for about a minute. Loosen the edges with a spatula and flip. Fry the flip side for another minute or until done.
4. Remove from pan and keep warm in the oven on its lowest setting.
5. Add more oil to the pan if and when necessary. Repeat steps 3 to 6 until all of the mixture is used up. Serve with your chosen accompaniments, sweet or savoury.
This recipe is taken from the Viva! Cookbook.

Canadian Pancakes

Canadian Pancakes
Makes 12

200g/7oz plain white flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g/2¾oz vegan yoghurt
2 tbsp maple syrup
200ml plant milk
1 medium banana, mashed (optional)
2 tbsp sunflower oil

Mix together the plain flour with the salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
Mix together the plain yoghurt, maple syrup, plant milk and mashed banana (if using) and pour this into the flour, whisking well until you have a smooth, thick batter.
To cook the pancakes, heat a drop of sunflower oil in a frying pan, swirl the oil around to cover the whole pan.
Drop 2 tablespoons of batter into four places in the pan and cook over a medium heat until the underside of the pancakes are golden and bubbles have appeared throughout (about 30 seconds).
Loosen the pancakes by shaking the pan and then flick each one over and cook for a further 20 seconds. Continue until you have finished the mix.
Serve with fresh fruit and more maple syrup.

So what’s the problem with eggs anyway?
Some people say, why on earth don’t you eat eggs? Chickens just lay eggs don’t they? It doesn’t hurt them? Well I’m sorry, but they are wrong. At the very worse and most cruel are battery or caged eggs (usually the cheapest ‘value’ kind), where hens are crammed into inhumane, dirty, prison like conditions. And at the other end of the scale, undercover investigations by groups such as Viva! have shown, that even ‘happy eggs’ are no such thing, with lots of sick birds never seeing the light of day. You can read more about Viva!’s Happy Egg Company investigation here.

The difficulty that all these ‘types’ of eggs share, (and yes this includes Organic), is that all the males chicks born into the industry are surplus to requirements. Thousands of tiny baby birds are either gassed or macerated everyday, so you can enjoy that boiled egg.. whichever way you look at it, the main elements of this ‘food’ are cruelty and a complete disrespect for the value of life.

: Canadian Pancakes

Last week I was lucky enough to spend a wonderful afternoon at The Vegetarian Cookery School in the historic city of Bath – run by Rachel Demuth, of the award-winning Demuths vegetarian restaurant. If you are in the South West of England and looking for somewhere really special to dine, I recommend it.

I have to confess, somewhere along the line, I’ve always put creating sweet dishes a quiet second to savoury ones. It’s left me with a massive and flamboyant repertoire of starters, main courses, sides, dips, salads, bakes, you name it – but a much smaller range of desserts and puddings. I always tend to stay safe, with chocolate cake, mousse, ‘cheese’ cake and basic pancakes.

So I thought attending a course at The Vegetarian Cookery School focusing on V egan Puddings, Cakes and Treats, was exactly what I needed for some fresh inspiration.

I wasn’t wrong! Canadian Pancakes were first on the menu – and honestly – my favourite dish. They were simple to make and boasted a glorious texture.

While the dough for Cinnamon Rolls was chilling, 10 students were guided through preparing stages of other dishes, which included Orange Almond Cake, Empanadillas (savoury), Saffron Rice Pudding and Roasted Rhubarb and Cashew Custard filled Fruit Tartlets with Sweet Almond Pastry. The food we created was truly beautiful and I enjoyed every minute and mouthful!

The school has given me kind permission to share the Canadian Pancake recipe – and I implore you to give them a try! using ingredients most of us will already have in our cupboards and fridges – they make for a tasty after dinner treat or late breakfast. I just couldn’t resist also showing you pictures of the other dishes too.

If you would like to step up your own veggie cooking a notch and fancy treating yourself – The Vegetarian Cookery School has a whole range of courses suitable for everyone, no matter what your cooking experience. Visit their website for more information.

Canadian Pancakes from The Vegetarian Cookery School
Makes 12 pancakes

200g/7oz plain white flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g/2¾oz vegan yoghurt
2 tbsp maple syrup
200ml soya milk
1 medium banana, mashed (optional)
2 tbsp sunflower oil

Mix together the plain flour with the salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
Mix together the plain yoghurt, maple syrup, soya milk and mashed banana (if using) and pour this into the flour, whisking well until you have a smooth, thick batter.
To cook the pancakes, heat a drop of sunflower oil in a frying pan, swirl the oil around to cover the whole pan.
Drop 2 tablespoons of batter into four places in the pan and cook over a medium heat until the underside of the pancakes are golden and bubbles have appeared throughout (about 30 seconds).
Loosen the pancakes by shaking the pan and then flick each one over and cook for a further 20 seconds. Continue until you have finished the mix.
Serve with fresh fruit and more maple syrup.

Here are some of the other things we made: