Banana Pancakes

"I'll make you banana pancakes, pretend like it's the weekend now." Oh, Jack Johnson. The high schooler in me still swoons to hear that song. Aaron and I both had a snow day from work a couple weeks ago so we did pretend like it was the weekend. We went to the beach and played on the frozen landscape, but not before I made us banana pancakes. At the risk of exposing how cheesy I can be, I did manage to play the song and open the door to the bedroom carrying two plates of pancakes. Aaron would say that we woke up too early and that maybe we should sleep in, but it's hard to complain when your wife brings you pancakes in bed I guess ;).

Banana Pancakes (serves 2)

2 tsp. plain unsweetened non-dairy yogurt
1/2 ripe banana
2 Tbls. coconut milk
1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 Tbls. apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup flour
2 Tbls. oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbls. white sugar
1/2 Tbls. brown sugar
2 Tbls. walnuts and/or chocolate chips (optional)
Vegan butter

In a blender combine the yogurt, banana, and milks. Stir in the vinegar and let sit for a minute while you prepare the dry ingredients.

Combine the rest of the ingredients, except for the butter.

Stir in the wet ingredients and the walnuts or chocolate chips, if using.

Heat a large pat of butter in a skillet. When hot, drop heaping tablespoons of batter and cook until bubbles start to form on top. Flip and cook a few more minutes until golden brown.

Serve topped with additional butter. We also topped it with some leftover granola from this recipe.

Spicy Cauliflower with Peanut Dip

Thug Kitchen posted a recipe similar to this a while back (I think it was a recipe from their new book that they showed as a preview), and I made it and was generally pleased. It was a little too spicy for my liking and the sauce could have been a bit better, so when making dinner the other day I decided to reinvent the wheel and try a similar recipe on my own. We will definitely be making this again! It's a great side dish or appetizer and is super easy to make.

Spicy Cauliflower with Peanut Dip (serves 2-4 as an appetizer or side dish)

2 cups cauliflower, chopped into florets (about 1/2 head)
1 Tbls. peanut oil
1-2 Tbls. siracha
Smoked paprika
Sea salt
3 Tbls. peanut butter
2 Tbls. water
1 Tbls. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbls. brown sugar
1 tsp. liquid smoke
2 tsp. Bragg's liquid aminos (or tamari, or soy sauce)
Generous shake of garlic powder
Generous shake of onion powder

Preheat the oven to 400 F. While it is heating, chop the cauliflower into florets and place in a large roasting pan.

Toss the cauliflower with the peanut oil, siracha, and a generous amount each of smoked paprika and sea salt. 

Roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring once. While the cauliflower is roasting, make the sauce by whisking together the remaining ingredients.

Cauliflower is done now!

Serve the cauliflower hot or at room temperature with the peanut dipping sauce.

Lentil Blueberry Salad

This may be my favorite grain salad I've ever made. I love winter but I was feeling a bit dreary and wanted to bring in some fresh flavors to my lunch. So yes, it was totally not eco- or budget-friendly to include blueberries in a February salad but it was totally yummy. There's not much more to say about this...so let's get cooking!

Lentil Blueberry Salad (serves 5)

3/4 cup wheat berries, cooked according to package directions*
1/2 cup bulgar, cooked according to package directions*
1 1/4 cup lentils, cooked according to package directions
4 cups baby kale, chopped
2 cup baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup + 2 Tbls. chopped hazelnuts
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 large bulb fennel, chopped**
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup basil, chopped or shredded
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 tsp. sea or pink himalayan salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder

*I just cooked them in the same pot. Laziness for the win.
**The first time I chopped fennel I had to YouTube how to do it

While the grains are cooking, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and onion powder to make the dressing. Set aside.

Chop the rest of the ingredients and combine with the grains when cool. Toss with the dressing and serve.

Cinnamon Apple Parfait

I feel like yogurt parfaits were all the rage about 10 or 15 years ago. Didn't McDonald's even have one at one point? Sunday mornings are usually pancake mornings at our home but I changed it up a bit this morning and made this yogurt parfait. I actually made it yesterday too but it was not so great, so I tweaked it today and it is much better. It's pretty simple to make and is full of lots of good-for-you stuff.

Cinnamon Apple Parfait (serves 2)

2 cups of your favorite non-dairy yogurt (I love Whole Soy & Co.)
1 apple, diced (I used pink lady)
1/2 Tbls. vegan butter
3/4 tsp. cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup oats
2 Tbls. chopped walnuts
2 tsp. flax seeds
2 tsp. slivered almonds
1 Tbls. hemp seeds
1 Tbls. chia seeds
1 Tbls. shredded coconut
1 Tbls. brown sugar
1 Tbls. maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 375 F and heat the butter in a small pan. Saute the apple with 1/4 tsp. cinnamon over medium heat for a few minutes until the skins start to fade in color and the apple is very sweet. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

While the apple is cooking, combine the oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, sweeteners, and remaining 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. This will be the granola.

Spread in a single even layer onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for a few minutes until it is toasty brown. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn! Set aside to cool.

When the apples and granola are at least at room temperature, start assembling the parfaits. Into each glass layer 1/4 cup of yogurt, 1 heaping tablespoon of apple, and 2 tablespoons of granola. You may have some granola leftover. Dig in!

Taverna 750 Grain Salad

This weekend I went to Taverna 750 with some friends for dinner. It's a tasty, modern, small-plate restaurant with an incredible cocktail list. Their menu changes quite frequently and while they don't usually have vegan-specific items they are super vegan-accommodating. To the point that this time when I was there the chef offered to make me a special dish! He modified one that they have on their Restaurant Week menu and my friends and I enjoyed it so much that I was inspired to turn it into my lunch salad for the week. If you're in the Chicago area, I definitely recommend Taverna 750 - and check out their original salad during Restaurant Week if you can!

Taverna 750 Grain Salad (makes 5 servings)

1 1/4 cups Israeli couscous, cooked according to package directions and cooled
1 bunch asparagus
1/2 lb. haricots verts
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup hemp seeds
Juice of 1 lemon
Large splash white vinegar
Large splash balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste (use pink Himalyan or sea salt if you have it)

Start cooking the couscous. Then blanch and shock the asparagus and green beans (not sure how? Check out this recipe for instructions).

Chop the tomatoes and add to a large bowl along with the chick peas and hemp seeds. Chop the asparagus and green beans into 1/2" pieces and add, along with the cooled couscous.

Toss with the dressing ingredients and serve.

Lentil Lunch Salad

The other day I wasn't in the mood to make something elaborate for lunch but luckily we had a bunch of random ingredients in the fridge just begging to be put into a salad. So that's what I made and it was so. good. I've made it a few times since, and in fact I'm eating it right now as I blog about it. Part of the reason this salad is so good is that I used pink Himalayan salt. We recently invested in it and if you don't mind spending a little but more than you usually do on salt, your taste buds will be mighty pleased. The salad ingredients can easily be increased to make a larger salad for more people.

Lentil Lunch Salad (serves 1)

2 handfuls baby kale leaves, coarsely chopped
5 cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup cooked lentils, chilled
1/4 avocado, diced
1 Tbls. chopped parsley
1 Tbls. hemp seeds
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Drizzle of olive oil
Pink Himalayan salt, to taste (or use sea salt)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and eat!