Vegan Pineapple Banana Pancakes - A Redemption Story

My disastrous experience with meatless balls had me questioning my commitment to this Vegan thing. I can handle a meal falling flat because I didn't follow the recipe, but I'm just not sure how to make bad food taste good. I saw my sweet friend Jennifer today and she was understandably perplexed as to why I continued on after I opened the bag of Tofurky and had to suppress a gag.  Because I'm not a quitter (not when it comes to this anyway...at least...not yet).

So I got a good nights' sleep and woke up ready to try again (not with the meatless balls). On the menu this morning:  Vegan Banana Pineapple Pancakes.  

I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to pancakes. My oldest son goes to those chain breakfast joints and orders pancakes that are loaded down with cinnamon and sugar and chocolate and whipped cream...with syrup on top. And the little twerp is skinny as a rail. I almost can't wait until his metabolism catches up with him. Anyway...I've never ventured too far off the beaten path when it comes to pancakes. I truly love them plain, and occassionally spice them up with fresh blueberries. That's about the extent of my pancake expertise. But I ran across a non-Vegan recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes and was intrigued (in my heart, pineapple upside down cake competes with cheesecake for the title of World's Most Perfect Food). By combining a recipe for Vegan banana pancakes with the non-Vegan version referenced above, I came up with the following:

• 2 - 3 Ripe Bananas (2 large or 3 small)
• 2 ¼ Cups Almond Milk (I use regular, unsweetened but you can use Vanilla flavored or Soy)
• 1 ½ Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• ½ Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Pineapple
• Canola Oil

Start by mashing the bananas with a fork or potato masher. You don't need to mash too much because you're going to put them in a food processor to get the right consistency.

Put the mashed bananas and about ½ cup of almond milk in the food processor and blend until smooth. Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir banana mixtue and remaining almond milk into dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Sit this aside and turn your attention to your pineapple.

There are hundreds of videos on YouTube telling you how to properly cut a pineapple. No matter what I do, or what direction I cut, I never get a clean pineapple (free of divets). I ALWAYS have to go back and cut those little suckers out. But my carnivore and I both LOVE pineapple, so it's definitely worth the extra effort. After your pineapple is clean, cut it into thin slices (this is key) and remove the core.

Add a little canola oil to an electric skillet on medium heat (any pan works, but I love my electric skillet for pancakes) and cook the pineapple for 2 - 4 minutes (one side only). This is where I started getting excited:

Turn your pineapple rings with a fork and immediately pour pancake batter right into the center of the pineapple, allowing it to spill over the edges to form a circle which extends about ½ inch beyond the edge of the pineapple.

Cook for 3 - 5 minutes, or until you see the outer edges starting to brown lightly (this batter won't bubble like regular pancake batter). I added a little extra canola oil right before I poured the pancake batter in the skillet because I wanted my pancakes to be a little crispy on the edges. Once you see the edges start to turn brown, flip your pancake to cook the other side.  This was tricky!  After the first one practically split in half, I realized that I needed both a spatula and a fork. I slid the spatula under the pancake and then used the fork to work the rest of the pineapple all the way up onto the spatula (from underneath). This helped me get a more even turn. Cook another 3 - 4 minutes on this side, or until you feel like the pancakes are the right consistency.

Can you even stand it? I was almost giddy by the time I got to this part!  

At last...Vegan redemption! They were amazing!!! I'll definitely make these again, and learned a couple things along the way that I'll try to improve upon next time. My pancakes had more of a "crepe" consistency, and I think it was because I used too many bananas. But let me tell you...eating these right off the griddle, with fresh maple syrup...pure heaven!  

Meatless Ball Disaster

Vegan life took an ugly turn in my house last night. Let me start by saying that no Vegans...or Carnivores...were harmed during the making of this meal.  

I've always considered it a great injustice that I wasn't born in Italy...or in Indiana by way of Italy (that would have been fine). I LOVE Italian food. Pasta, pizza...CANNOLI. So when I was thinking about meals that would satisfy the budding Vegan in me, AND the carnivore in the rest of the household, I thought of spaghetti and meatballs. I've been using the same recipe for sauce and meatballs for the past 15 years (thank you, Linda). It is always a crowd pleaser and has never let me down. We'll start with the sauce, which is naturally Vegan:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
2 28-oz Cans Furmanos Crushed Tomatoes (feel free to buy and puree fresh tomatoes...I didn't have time)
Basil to taste

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add with tomatoes and basil to crock pot, turning to low.

First I made the meatless balls. Rather than listen to my friend Andrea, who advised me to stick with foods in their "most natural form", I decide to try to make meatballs with Tofurky.

I knew I was in trouble as soon as I opened the bag. I suppress a gag as the smell of dog food Tofurky hit me. What have I gotten myself into? I can salvage this with enough "other" ingredients...right? I press on. Tofurky has a strange consistency. It looks like chili (mmmmm...chili dogs) in the pack, but it's only slightly moist and crumbly. Did I mention it smells bad? I add bread crumbs, chopped garlic, chopped onion, basil and oregano. The balls actually form easily...I somehow manag to get the consistency right on the first try! My nostrils have become immune to the smell, so I'm starting to get a little excited. I mean...they're meatless balls...and they are gloriously vegan. I can do this! I put a little organic olive oil in the pan and put my meatless balls in to cook.

Not bad, huh?

It suddendly occurs to me that I have no idea how I'm supposed to know when they're "done". Is this meatless concoction already cooked? Can I get sick from eating undercooked meatless? Do I just wait for it to go from brown to...browner? It dawns on me that I might be in over my head. I press on.

While the meatless balls are cooking, I turn my attention to what I know...the real deal meatballs. Linda's recipe is as follows:

1 Pound Ground Beef (I used grass-fed)
1 Egg (cage-free for this girl)
¾ Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
¼ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Splash of Milk

Mix all ingredients and form into balls.  Brown in skillet until all sides are cooked evenly, then carefully drop in crock pot (sauce will be hot by now), cooking on low for at least 2 hours.

While the real deal is cooking in the crock pot, I put my cooked (I hoped) meatless balls in the sauce I've already set aside, and turned the heat to WAY low. I'm not completely sure they were cooked, so I want to let them marinade in the sauce for a while. I turn them off while they were still meatless balls, feeling less confident than earlier, but still thinking "I can do this". About that time, my carnivore walks in the house and pronounces "Mmmmm...something smells GOOD". In my heart, I know it's not my meatless balls. But they look good...or ate least edible.

Dinnertime arrives. The youngest boy has his cute as a button girlfriend over for dinner, and she bravely offers to try a meatless ball. Our financial planner is badgering us to have our Wills written up. Right now, everything I own is going to this sweet girl who is offering to choke down a meatless ball. My son better not screw this up...I don't care if they're only 16.

Unfortunately, my meatless balls have fallen apart and I'm left with something resembling bolognese sauce. And it's not what my husband smelled when he walked in the door. It smelled bad...my confidence was waning.

The rest of the family dives into their whole wheat pasta with perfect meatballs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I sit and stare at the mess on my plate.

It LOOKS good, right? I'll just say this: if your computer had a scratch and sniff function, you'd be walking away from it right about now. This concoction is festering sitting right under my nose. I manage to choke down a few bites, but I have a tornado of questions swirling in my head. What on earth is IN it? Tofu is white...how did this stuff get brown? Why does it SMELL so bad? Why didn't I just make meatballs out of black beans and oats and other good stuff I have in my pantry? Why did I waste $6 on something I bet even pigs wouldn't eat? Even the sweet girl who is now my soul heir is looking at my plate sideways...probably silently praying that I won't ask her to make good on her offer to try a meatless ball. 


Honestly, at this point, my appetite is shot. Cooking homemade goodness is a labor of love, so I'm happy that the rest of my family is happy. My carnivore asked what I want to do with the leftover "bolognese sauce", and I instruct him to put it down the garbage disposal...but not before I get a picture for the blog.

Lesson learned: keep it real and keep it fresh. I'm not saying I've ruled out tofu altogether. But I won't be asking the Tofurky folks to sponsor my blog anytime soon...or ever. Alas, tomorrow is a brand new day, and I am super pumped about a Vegan pancake recipe I found on Pinterest (aka Mecca). Stay tuned!

A snack that gets me through

My carnivore is a snorer.  Not your average, run-of-the-mill snorer...no sir-ee.  MY carnivore can raise the roof with his snoring.  There are some nights when I'm so tired that I just sleep right through.  Other nights, I can gently nudge (okay...it's a punch) him and he'll roll over to his right side and stop.  Then there are those nights when I wake up and realize he's already on his right side, but his snoring is so loud I expect a knock on the door from the neighbors (I exaggerate slightly).  A "nudge" is useless at that point, so I crawl out of bed and head for my comfy couch on the other side of the house.  Last night was one of those nights.  But there's more.  To add to the sleeplessness, my dog decided that there was SOMETHING in the house that she needed to protect us from.  I have no clue what it was...all I know is that she was perfecting her low growl...next to my comfy couch...for about 45 minutes.  This is why she's so exhausted today.  See?

So I've been up since 3:45 this morning.  And I actually feel pretty darn good!  I started my day with basic oatmeal, but the day is long when you get up before the birds, so I needed a little pick-me-up snack around 10:00 a.m.  If there are two things I love (besides sleep), it's (1) smoothies and (2) peanut butter.  A few months ago, I was turned on to RawMeal...an organic (and vegan) meal replacement powder.  Please don't send an email telling me that a powder is no way to get my nutrition...I am well aware.  I never ever use it as a meal replacement. For a healthy snack that keeps me satisfied until meal time I add things I love...like peanut butter and bananas and chia seeds.  The first time I tried this wonder powder, I just about gagged.  Some poor, misguided soul suggested I mix it with water.  It was disgusting.  So I doctored it up a bit!

The secret to success with RawMeal is almond milk.  Water + RawMeal = torture.  If you don't enjoy drinking cardboard, try this:

8 - 10 oz almond milk
1 scoop RawMeal
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 banana
1 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 squirt liquid Stevia (raw peanut butter isn't sweet enough for me)
1 ½ cups ice  

I simply throw everything in my blender (best gift my kids ever gave me), pour and enjoy.  I'm not even ashamed to admit that I sometimes drink this so fast that I get brain freeze!

One serving of RawMeal is LOADED with 26 superfoods, 34g of protein (that's almost half of my daily protein intake), 9g of fiber and only 2.5g of fat.  Don't even get me started on chia seeds!  I was a little late to jump on the chia seed bandwagon, but only because I COULD NOT for the life of me find them in the grocery store. My requests for help from the clerks in the store were met with blank stares, until one day I finally asked the right person, and they led me to the pharmacy section (who knew). I've been a fan ever since! One tablespoon gives you another 4g of Fiber (hello regularity), plus necessary Omega-3 and Fatty Acids.  An added benefit is that they swell up in my stomach like tiny litte blowfish...which keeps me satisfied longer.  You know...until I can get to my beautiful, fresh, organic salad that I'm TOTALLY going to scarf down as soon as I'm hungry again (just so you mother hens out there know I'm getting three squares a day).

There are a ton of other ways to make the RawMeal tasty.  Organic strawberries are fantastic and add the sweetness I need, so I can eliminate the Stevia.  The RawMeal comes in other flavors (vanilla and chocolate), but I prefer to add those flavors myself, keeping the base of the smoothie as generic as possible.

For those of you keeping count, I'm 4 days in and haven't compromised at all. I'm staying full, I feel great, and my carnivores are happy!  Time to start planning dinner...

Night one dinner - Everyone is happy!

I am totally overwhelmed (in the best possible way) by the support and love I received since my first blog post. From concern over my health (I got it...I promise) to the deluge of suggestions...I am definitely feeling the love! I received a few questions that I will address before I tell you about our fabulous Vegan Carnivore Love dinner last night.  

No...I'm not giving up leather. I have serious love for animal lovers...moreso if that love extends beyond pets.  And those of you who know me know that I love my dog more than I love most people.  I mean...look at that face.

But my desire to transition to a plant-based diet isn't a protest against the slaughter of animals.  I saw Food, Inc. I swore I would never buy from Smithfield again (and I won't).  It is sickening to me what our government is condoning in these farms and meat processing plants.  Because of that, my pledge to the carnivores in my home is that when I do give them meat, it will be Organic, grass-fed goodness.  I will no longer pump extra hormones and antibiotics into their bodies.  MY decision to transition to a plant-based diet is based on the fact that I often feel like garbage after I consume animal products.  Pork, in particular, has me running to the nearest bathroom in less than 10 minutes.  The grease from fried chicken?  Forget it...the stomach cramps are unbearable.  As I mentioned yesterday, my body is changing as I age.  I'm thrilled about some of those changes!  Not so thrilled about others.  I truly believe that transitioning to a plant-based diet will improve my mental clarity and help me shed that layer of subcutaneous fat that has been creeping up on me for the last few years (if you're in your 40's, you know what I'm talking about).  Don't tell me I'm skinny enough...I hate it when people say that to me! I have a mirror, so I know what I look like to you. I know how I feel in my clothes, and I know this is the right decision for me.

On to last nights' dinner.  

It was just Dean and me for dinner, and that always makes it less stressful.  He's willing to try new meals, whereas my youngest is not so open.  But I also had a crazy busy day yesterday and didn't really have the opportunity to dive into finding an awesome recipe, so I kept it basic.  Baked potatoes!  I can't remember when exactly, but at some point in my life I discovered that slathering a baked potato in butter and garlic salt was the way to go.  I'd probably be embarrassed if someone had a tally of how many I've consumed over the years.  For a time, it was a comfort food for me...like mac & cheese is for others.  I'd pop a potato in the microwave, wait 5 minutes, and dig in!  Of course, I often overcooked them, so they'd be shriveled and chewy on one end, but you could fix that with enough butter and garlic salt.  

Last night, I fired up the oven and rubbed organic olive oil all over two beautiful taters.  While they were cooking, I mixed together 1 cup of artichoke hearts, ¼ cup of the oil from the artichoke hearts, ¼ cup of diced kalamatta olives and about 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest.  This was for my meat-free dinner.  

It was fabulous!  The oil from the artichoke hearts soaked into the potato, so I didn't even need the Vegan butter I scored (on sale) at the store yesterday.  On a side note, I did try the Vegan butter, and it was fantastic!  This was a filling and satisfying meal for me!

For the carnivore, I marinated some grass-fed strips of steak in a sesame ginger sauce and seared both sides in my piping hot iron skillet.  I had lite sour cream and reduced fat cheese on the table for him, but darnit if he didn't have blue cheese crumbles squirreled away in the refrigerator.  So his baked potato was just like mine, but with steak, sour cream and blue cheese crumbles.  He was a happy camper!  I told him while he was loading his potato that I needed a picture, but we started talking about something and I totally forgot.  Sorry about that!  By the time I realized it, his plate was half empty. 

The upcoming weekend is going to be a challenge.  We are kid-free again for dinner tonight, so we'll probably head over to our favorite Friday night hangout. I know my carnivore will eat chicken wings, but I'm going to have to order something new to stick to my Vegan commitment.  I'll keep you posted!

Why my husband thinks I've lost my mind

Ice cream.  Seriously...that's his answer.  "How can anyone give up ice cream?" was his knee-jerk response.  And I totally get it...I mean, we make after-dinner runs to Dairy Queen for crying out loud.  We are serious about our dairy goodness (heaven is when I find bags of cheese are "buy 2 get 3 free").  But I feel like crap.  And my next big birthday (albeit a few years away) has a 5 and an "oh" in it, and my waistline isn't where it was when my birthday consisted of a 4 and an "oh".  For lack of a better expression, insert a big fat "ugh".

How did I go from zero to Vegan, you ask?  It all started two years ago when I read an article about pigs.  Do you know why they hang out in the mud?  Because they have no sweat glands.  Sweat glands are the body's way of getting rid of toxins, so pigs cannot eliminate toxins.  You get what that means, right?  Their "meat" is full of toxins.  And pigs will eat ANYTHING.  Their own urine, maggots, rotten produce, cancerous growths off their friends (insert gagging sound).  And bacon is a hot topic right now!  I have a small group of friends with whom I share bacon jokes (you know who you are).  But I don't eat the stuff.  So yeah...it started with pigs and it's been very gently snowballing since then.  I gave up dairy when one of my bacon joke friends lent me a book that talked about puss from cow udders (more gagging sounds).  I completed the Fed Up Challenge earlier this summer by eliminating processed sugar from my diet for 2 weeks (there were no trips to Dairy Queen).  I've been inspired by a Facebook friend who beat ocular cancer JUST by switching to a plant-based diet (I'm not even kidding).  The testimonials blow my mind.  If someone can cure their cancer, surely I can feel less like crap.  Right?

At the end of the day, I am a realist.  While I'd like to think I have the willpower to commit 100% to this Vegan thing, I'm shooting for 85% right now.  So don't you judge me the next time you see me walking out of DQ with a peanut buster parfait, ok??? 

And there is no way on God's green earth that my husband is going to go on this journey with me.  He is a meat and potatoes kind of guy.  But he is also my biggest fan, and he's been very patient while I've incorporated healthier ingredients into meal planning.  He didn't even theaten to divorce me when I used tofu instead of chicken in the stirfry one night (it was gag-tastic).  Bless his sweet heart.  Then there's the kids!  We are a blended family, and the four youngest (of 6) are still in and out of the house on a regular basis.  From the teeny tiny 20-year-old girl who could eat sweets 24/7 to the 16-year-old boy who could live on pizza and chicken wings...they're not with me on this.  And I don't expect them to be.  This is a personal decision that people will come to (or not) in their own time.  

Why a blog?  Because my challenge lies in creating meals that check all the boxes.  Meat for the hubs and the kids - check!  Animal free for me - check!  As any reasonably technology-savvy person would do, I immediately took to the internet for recipes to get me through the first week.  I found dozens of blogs and websites that MENTION meals that satisfy both..but none that tell me what those meals are.  I'm new to this...I need a road map...an instruction manual...is a cookbook too much to ask for?  Why not a blog?  I can't be the only one in this animal free boat.  I should share what I learn along the way.  And help...I will ask for help!  I need help figuring out how to make my blog pretty.  I need help finding recipes that check all the boxes.  I need someone to tell me why nutritional yeast is so prevalent in vegan recipes.  Heck...I'm seeing vegetables I've never even heard of!  So please...share this blog with your friends...ESPECIALLY if they're Vegan!  Tell them to help me!