Easy Vegan Pancakes: Banana and Classic

I’ve made a number of plant-based pancakes in the past few years and have enjoyed experimenting with different ingredients, ratios and combinations. At the end of the day, these delightfully simple recipes (with banana and “classic”) have established themselves as my ultimate my go-tos that I love to come back to. They don’t have a lot of ingredients and are incredibly quick to make – perfect for both a lazy weekend and a regular weekday breakfast, if you’re working from home.

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Vegan Waffles (oven-baked)

If you’ve been following my insta stories, you may have already seen my latest craze: forget pancakes – right now I’m all about the waffles. There’s something about the honeycomb-like structure that adds a special touch to this delicious breakfast treat. Maybe it’s the glorious little pools of maple syrup and perfect pockets of blueberries and other goodies that it creates? Whatever it is, I am fully here for it and happy to spread more waffle love with this quick recipe.

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Carob Crepes

Since no longer working from home I tend to start my mornings with my usual matcha mylk and have my actual breakfast in the office. This means it’s something easy to transport like energy balls (these Cinnamon Raisin Energy Balls are a firm favorite). While I could happily eat dates in any shape or form all day every day, I do enjoy a proper “weekend breakfast”. Besides the satisfaction of actually eating something more special, the process of whipping up the batter and cooking in my pjs has its own sense of comfort to it.

The inspiration behind these crepes was, unsurprisingly, carob powder, which is a delicious alternative to cacao powder. It’s made from large bean-shaped pods that grow on trees (in Croatia I was able to pick and munch on them directly from the tree – doesn’t get much better!) and the powder itself has an almost caramel-like aroma.

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Cinnamon Raisin Instant Oats

Some decisions are so automatic that they don’t require any thought – like, for me, that breakfast means a berry smoothie bowl with peanut butter. Last weekend, though, I was uncharacteristicaly in the mood for something different. I started running through the options in my head. Pancakes? Crepes? Peanut butter and jam on toast? Dates dipped in almond butter? Nothing felt quite right. Until, that is, I had a vision of a bowl of smooth, cold oats, topped with banana and nut butter.

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Super Simple Vegan French Toast

French toast is one of those dishes that may seem as if it must be inherently illusive for plant-based eaters. A truly saddening thought for any lover of this sweet breakfast treat that potentially dates back to Roman times. Thankfully, vegan French toast is not only feasible but just as tasty, as I realized on the rare occasions I stumbled upon the dish at vegan eateries (the best French toast I ever had was at Veggie Galaxy in Cambridge Massachusetts, near Boston – not to be missed if you’re in the area!). I’ve seen various versions of vegan recipes out there, some including chickpea flour, banana or tofu. When the irresistible French toast craving struck I finally ended up mixing together quite a basic concoction, which I later simplified even further.

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Chickpea Cookie Dough Bars

Most people will agree that cookies are delicious, cookie dough is even better and that cookie dough bars may just be the portable pinnacle of a seriously satisfying treat, steeped in childhood sentimentality and a true party for the tastebuds. Combining the indulgence of cookie dough bars with nutritious ingredients like chickpeas, oats and dates is the ultimate win in my opinion – the pursuit of which is how these bean-based babies were born.

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Mini Vegan Breakfast Donuts

I was tidying up the kitchen cupboards when I came across a mini donut tray that I desperately wanted and then only ended up using twice in the almost year since I got it (familiar story for anyone?). But that’s ok, because we’re here to right the wrongs and show the donut tray the appreciation it deserves, because there’s something about donuts that just makes you so intrinsically happy.

This recipe combines all the fun of cute and colourful donuts with the respectability of a wholesome, nutritious breakfast. The oaty base is the donut-version of baked porridge, sweetened largely by applesauce and fragrant from the vanilla. The silky cashew butter-based icing is where the party’s at, due to the punchy colours and flavours. I’ve started with three (berry, matcha and saffron-turmeric), but might expand the range by a chocolatey-/peanutty version. The icing is also pretty wholesome, with only a splash of maple syrup as added sweetener and no artificial colouring or flavouring. A true feel-good breakfast bake that takes ca. 30 min to prepare and bake.

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Banana nut muffins

You’ve only really moved into a new place once you’ve baked muffins… anyone agree? ๐Ÿ˜€ It’s been over a month since I’ve moved flats and while I’ve done a lot of cooking, made a memorable lasagna and baked scones, there’s nothing quite like the smell of muffins baking that evokes an uncomparably cozy feeling of utter homeliness.

The inspiration – and by that I mean the urgent trigger – for these muffins were the overripe bananas that I’d subliminally assumed my boyfriend would eat and could suddenly ignore no longer. I had to act.

The result: these incredibly easy, nourishing and versatile muffins that kept me going in the afternoons and provided an easy breakfast option – plain or sometimes with a dollop of peanut butter.

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Fluffy Vegan Pancakes with Chocolate Sauce

My second pandemic post.. Anyone else initially thought they would get a whole lot more done during self-isolation than they have so far? ๐Ÿ˜€ 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.

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Healthy Vegan Pancakes

I’ve had a wonderful weekend filled with workouts and lots of good food with friends, enjoying the gorgeously golden autumnal weather here in Zurich. It’s a beautiful time of year and I’m feeling very mindful and satisfied with enjoying the little things, like the yellow and orange leaves on the ground, the smell of chestnuts in the air and lighting candles in my apartment while catching up with friends or cooking my Sunday meal prep.

One thing that is always part of a good weekend, if you ask me, is some soul-satisfying brunch food. And while my go-to is usually a smoothie bowl, I also have a never-ending love affair with  pancakes… They remind me of childhood and taste super indulgent, while actually being really nourishing (well, these ones at least ๐Ÿ™‚ ). They’re also very quick to mix together and only take a few minutes to cook – perfect for when you’re hungry after a weekend workout or just in the mood for something comforting.

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