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.
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!
