My second pandemic post.. Anyone else initially thought they would get a whole lot more done during self-isolation than they have so far? 😀 I pictured myself trying out more recipes, posting more, doing at-home workouts every day … but I quickly realized that what I felt like doing most when not working (from home) was just going with the flow, unwinding, reading (I’m loving reading more again!), journaling, talking to friends and family, and going for mindful walks. And while I’ve been cooking as much as ever, I’ve also been relying a lot on meal prep so as not to require too much time for preparing food during the work week.

Part of me is definitely appreciating the slow, intentional, mindful pace of this unusual time, when there’s a lot less to coordinate, plan and decide. And I consciously resisted any self-imposed pressure to reach targets in my free-time that I didn’t feel like working towards. For me it feels as if, outside of work, I’m focusing on just being and becoming even more in tune with myself and what makes me feel good.

But now, let’s get to what really matters: These fluffy pancakes, which are my favourite homemade pancakes so far! Taste-wise they’re similar to the cakey-ier ones I usually make, but they fluff up nicely while cooking and remind me a lot more of the pancakes I had as a child. This change in texture is due to: less banana, more baking powder and the addition of baking soda.

I find them sweet enough as they are but if you prefer you can add some sweetener (sugar, maple or rice syrup, for example).

Fluffy Vegan Pancakes with Chocolate Sauce

Makes: 6 medium pancakes + 1 taster 😉

Ingredients: Pancakes

• 140g flour, I used wholemeal spelt;
• 10g ground flaxseeds;
• 1 pinch salt;
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder;
• 1/2 banana, mashed;
• ca. 230 ml plant mylk, I used rice mylk;
• 1 tsp baking soda (Natron in German);
• drop of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice;
• oil for cooking, I used cacao butter.

Optional extras: some ground vanilla bean and, if you have this, some ground tonka bean (only just discovered this as an addition to baked goods).

Ingredients: Chocolate sauce

• 1 1/2 tbsp cacao powder (I used 1 tbsp cacao and 1/2 tbsp carob powder to experiment, which is why the sauce looks so dark);
• 2 tbsp runny hazelnut butter (can be subbed for another runny nut butter);
• 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup;
• ca. 1 1/2 tbsp plant mylk / until you reach the desired consistency.

Method

1. Add the baking soda to the mylk, along with a drop of apple cider vinegar and set aside while you mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, flaxseeds, salt, baking powder, ground vanilla and/or tonka bean, if using).
2. Stir the mashed banana and mylk mixture into the dry ingredients, gently stirring until combined. The mixture should be slightly lumpy, i.e. not very runny. Leave the mixture to rest for ca. 10-15 minutes – you should see some bubbles on the surface when you return.
3. Heat up some oil on high heat in a non-stick pan. When melted add the batter with a large spoon, roughly shaping into circles. Reduce to a medium heat and cook on both sides until golden brown.
4. While the pancakes are cooking you can prepare the chocolate sauce by simply mixing all the ingredients together.
5. Serve your pancakes with the chocolate sauce and anything else you desire. As you can see we had ours with the rest of the banana, some fresh berries, an extra dash of maple syrup and a sprinkling of hemp seeds.

Enjoy!

Feel free to tag @blueberrysmiles22 if you share your creations on Instagram, so I can share in the joy 🙂