Although my stint as a vegan was short-lived, I gained some invaluable skills from the experience. I learned to be resourceful and find alternatives to the unhealthy and cruelty-ridden foods that permeate the standard American diet (cheese, milk, red meat or chicken). I also learned to cook creative and fun recipes that essentially vegan-ized dishes I already love.
Perhaps my most successful vegan-ized recipe was my coconut oil vegan pancakes. Traditional pancakes call for eggs and milk in the batter, but I substituted with extra dry ingredients and almond milk to make mine. I fried them in a pool of coconut oil, which added a delicious, subtle coconut-y taste to the breakfast staple. In all honesty, I enjoyed my vegan pancake recipe more than the non-vegan original.
Here’s the recipe I used. I found it on cookieandkate.com. Bon appetit!
Ingredients:
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup almond milk or dairy-free milk of choice
2 tablespoons olive oil or melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup or sugar of choice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid mix into the dry mix, and stir until the resulting mixture is only mildly clumpy. Let the batter rest for about five minutes for maximum fluffiness.
Heat up your pan or skillet with medium-low heat. Add a few drops of coconut or olive oil to grease your skillet. You’ll know you’re at the ideal pancaking makin’ temp when your coconut oil sizzles upon contact with your skillet’s surface.
Scoop ¼ cup of your mix onto the skillet per pancake, and fry your delicious, cruelty-free treats ‘til you just can’t pancake no mo’. Don’t be shy with your oil of choice: add more with each pancake to keep your skillet oiled and ready to go.