I Have a Weakness...

...and that weakness is pancakes. I love them. I think they should be eaten at all hours of the day, not just breakfast. In my mind, a plate of pancakes with melted butter and syrup is the perfect end to a night out. I guarantee the chocolate-chip variety topped with vanilla ice cream is the best dessert you'll ever have. And what can I say about blueberry pancakes? I don't think I've ever loved anything so much.

I'm still on a quest to find the perfect pancake recipe, so I anticipate many endeavors on this blog. I've been making this healthy vegan version for a couple years. While I'm the furthest thing from I a vegan, I love the subtle banana flavor in this recipe and the whole wheat flour makes me feel not so terrible about eating five...or six. I substitute half a banana for one egg (which works well in lots of baking recipes, by the way) and use soy milk instead of regular milk. You can use any kind of milk you like though. I've even made this recipe with half and half when we're out of milk. In any case, these are delicious and good for you - and, like all pancakes, delightful day and night.


I always put blueberries in these pancakes. When I'm craving something sweeter, I put chocolate chips in the batter. I recommend letting a bag of frozen blueberries thaw while you prepare the batter, then placing them in the pancakes after you've poured the batter into the skillet. Don't worry about them being frozen - they'll defrost in the pan. I find chocolate chip pancakes turn out best when the chips are directly mixed into the batter before the batter hits the skillet.


Whole Wheat Vegan (or not) Pancakes

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of cinnamon
1 cup soy milk (more if needed)
1/2 banana (very ripe and mashed)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Blueberries (optional)

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, combine all other ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir well. Add more soy milk by the splash if batter is too thick.

Scoop batter with a ladle and add spoonfuls to a skillet on medium-high heat. If you're adding blueberries, place them in the pancakes individually. When pancakes begin to bubble, flip with a spatula. Cook until browned on both sides.

Makes about six pancakes - which you can share, or eat alone.

Serve with maple syrup, butter (if you're not a vegan) and jam.