Raw flaxseed pancakes

Yep, more rawness! I’m following up my savory chilly chili with a sweet raw breakfast duo of flax pancakes ("flaxjacks," if you will) with blackberry-date sauce, both recipes adapted from Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen. This meal is way (way WAY) faster to put together than the chili, so if you found that a bit intimidating, you’ll appreciate the preparatory brevity of this dish. These are obviously pretty dissimilar to real pancakes ("breakfast patties" may be a more apt moniker, but the method by which you eat them – with a knife and fork, drizzled with a syrupy fruit concoction – earns them the "pancakes" label), but they’re delicious in their own right.

This post was made possible by the munificent people at Pizzey’s Nutritionals. Pizzey’s is the only company on the market whose flax contains all three Omega-3 fatty acids (ALA, EPA, and DHA), and its shelf life is blessedly long (2 years without refrigeration!). Awhile back, they offered me "samples" of some of their high-quality flaxseed products—imagine my surprise when two 2-lb. bags (milled golden flax and SmoothOmega milled flax) arrived at my door, followed some time after by two more 2-lb. bags (organic milled golden flax and – get this – blueberry milled golden flax!) plus a box of individual-serving flax singles! WOW. I was blown away.



You can order Pizzey’s flaxseed online at FlaxMatters.com and get free shipping on all orders over $50! They’ve got numerous varieties of flax to choose from, plus some cool accessories like a flaxseed grinder and this cute lil flax scoop. I also think their flaxseed starter kit is a great idea. Thanks again, Pizzey’s, for your generosity!

Ok, I’m done flaxing poetic; on to the recipes!

For the pancakes:
1 1/2 cups ground flaxseed
1/4 cup (raw) agave nectar
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp water

For the sauce:
1/2 cup blackberries
2-3 pitted dates

I recommend prepping the sauce first, so it can chill and thicken as you make the cakes. Just combine the blackberries and dates in a blender or food processor...



...and blend until smooth, adding a splash of water as necessary. Transfer to a small container and place in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. (It’ll keep for several days in there.)



For the flaxseed in this recipe, I used Pizzey’s milled golden flax with blueberries to give my cakes some fruity pizzazz. (Of course, regular flax will work just fine. If you’re grinding your own, start with one heaping cup whole flaxseeds, which should amount to roughly 1 1/2 cups when ground.)



Combine all the pancake ingredients in a bowl.



Mix well with your hands or a wooden spoon.



Divide the mixture into eight portions. Roll into balls and, somehow or another, form the balls into flat medallions.



I greased a half-cup measuring cup and used the back of a spoon to press each ball into a patty. A biscuit cutter would work even better for this, since you wouldn’t have to bang the cup on the counter each time to free the cake.



Place the cakes on a platter, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to eat. They’ll stay good for up to a week, so you can just take out one or two each morning for breakfast.



Serve the cakes with the blackberry-date sauce, and feel free to add other toppings (like maple syrup, agave nectar, or vanilla yogurt) in addition or instead. You might not guess it thanks to their diminutive size, but these babies are filling. They’re pleasantly mealy and mildly sweet, plus you’ll get a day and a half’s worth of Omega-3s in each cake! If breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, these cakes give it the respect it deserves.



(Pancakes) Yield: 8 pancakes. Per pancake: 157 calories, 10.6g fat (2g sat), 14.1g carbs, 6g fiber, 3.8g protein.
(Sauce) Yield: 8 servings. Per serving (about 2 Tbsp): 21 calories, .1g fat (trace sat), 5.5g carbs, 1g fiber, .2g protein.

If you like this, you might also like...
Maple cinnamon pecan milk
Quick blueberry compote
Raw pecan pie cookies

Quick blueberry compote

After the novel that was Tuesday’s post, I’ll keep this short and (literally) sweet. Years ago, I saw a recipe in Health Magazine for a blueberry pancake sauce, and this compote is loosely derived from that. I never actually saved it or wrote it down, so ever since I first tried it, I’ve winged it, and permutations along the way have been inevitable. I don’t know if it even resembles the original anymore, but I DO know that it’s fast, easy, and so tasty that I used to eat the leftovers out of my fridge with a spoon between classes in college.

1 lb. frozen blueberries
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
3 Tbsp [raw] sugar
Pinch of salt
2 Tbsp warm water
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Orange zest (optional)



In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, orange juice, sugar, and salt.



Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries begin to burst, about 10 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the warm water and cornstarch. Add to the saucepan and bring the mixture back to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 more minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and orange zest, if using. Serve warm.



I made this blueberry compote along with French toast for brunch one weekend morning, modeling it after the Floridian French toast platter Matt ate at First Watch (which I showed you in the last entry). Blended lite silken tofu, soymilk, vanilla, and a dash of cinnamon comprised the batter in which I soaked whole grain bread slices, then pan-fried them until golden. I topped them with sliced bananas and fresh raspberries, dolloped pools of blueberry sauce around the edge, and dusted the whole thing with powdered sugar. Matt devoured his just like that, while I added a drizzle of maple syrup to mine. This is just one way to use this versatile sauce—try it with pancakes, waffles, crêpes, or oatmeal at breakfast; with grilled tofu or fake chicken at dinner; over ice cream, shortcakes, or cheesecake for dessert; or simply eat it with a spoon.



Yield: 4 large servings. Per serving (about 1/2 cup): 106 calories, .8g fat (2g sat), 26.1g carbs, 4g fiber, .6g protein.

If you like this, you might also like...
Overnight steel-cut oatmeal
Blueberry cornbread muffins
Homestyle blueberry cobbler

Tofu-veggie breakfast scramble

I admit, this is one of those all-vegan-food-blogs-have-one recipes, but everyone needs a good scrambled tofu in their repertoire. The only way I ever liked eggs was scrambled, but considering I’m a tofu fiend, I find scrambled tofu to be even tastier. There’s also something incomparably satisfying to me about a savory breakfast (I think I eat too much cereal), so this really hit the spot after a hard morning workout.

2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small (or 1/2 medium) onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 celery stalk, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup frozen edamame
1/4 cup frozen corn
5-6 white button mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg. (12-14 oz.) extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Black pepper to taste

Combine the cumin, thyme, turmeric, and salt in a small bowl. Add 3 Tbsp water, mix, and set aside. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add all remaining vegetables...



...and stir to combine.



Break the tofu apart into bite-size pieces, add to the pan, and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring often. You want to make sure the tofu doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. It should be at least partially browned, but you don’t need to be too precise about it. Add splashes of water if it does start to stick.



Add the reserved spice mixture and stir to combine. Add the nutritional yeast and pepper. Cook and stir for about 5 more minutes, then serve while still warm.

The spices in this really sing to me (I looove cumin), but you can change them up if you’d like. Same with the veggies; choose your own adventure. Scrambled tofu is a vegan classic; you have to try it at least once!



Yield: 4 servings. Per serving: 175 calories, 9.6g fat (1g sat), 12.5g carbs, 4g fiber, 13.2g protein.

If you like this, you might also like…
Overnight steel-cut oatmeal
Roasted potatoes w/garlic-cumin aioli
Vegan biscuits and gravy

Overnight steel-cut oatmeal

I’m going to step away from my blogging backlog for a moment and present to you something not from last year, but from last night. I want to post this while there’s still plenty of cold-weather time left in the winter, so that you can enjoy this on a few upcoming chilly mornings.

Oatmeal! What could be simpler, right? Well, unless you have 30+ minutes free to prepare breakfast on weekday mornings (and if so, lucky you), you probably don’t get to enjoy steel-cut oatmeal very often, if at all. Steel-cut oats are toasted oat groats (the inner part of the oat kernel) that have been removed from the husk and cut by steel into two or three pieces, rather than being rolled. This means they are less processed than old-fashioned or quick oats, which is beneficial in a number of ways. The texture is better, for one—steel-cut oats are chewier and nuttier than rolled oats. As such, they are heartier and more substantial, thanks to the higher concentration of complex carbs (which are soluble-fiber-ful and therefore heart-healthy!). Not only will they keep you fuller longer, but they have a lower glycemic index than regular oats (42 vs. 66, respectively), so your blood sugar will stay steady.

The only bad part? They take forever to cook. This is easily remedied, though, with a slow cooker and a little advanced preparation. Substitute any nuts or dried fruits you want; I just used what I had in my pantry.

2 cups steel-cut oats
7 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup soymilk (vanilla or plain)
1/4 cup maple syrup
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed

The night before, gather your ingredients. Chop the pecans, apricots, and cherries. Set everything aside for the next morning.



Line a 5-6 quart slow cooker with a plastic liner (highly recommended!) and spray the inside generously with cooking spray. (Alternatively, just spray the slow cooker bowl itself very very well with cooking spray.) Add the oats, water, soymilk, maple syrup, and salt. Stir to combine.



Cover and cook on low for 8 hours overnight. My slow cooker automatically switches to warm after a set number of hours, but if yours doesn’t, it won’t hurt if you cook it a little beyond the 8 hours.

The next morning, uncover and add all remaining ingredients.



Stir to combine, re-cover, and cook on low for another 10-20 minutes.



I enjoyed mine this morning with an additional splash of vanilla soymilk and an extra glug of maple syrup. Again, customize to your heart’s content—use agave nectar or brown sugar in place of maple syrup, include diced apples and ground cinnamon instead of the dried fruit, or pump it up even further with a scoop of protein powder. This is an energizing, stick-to-your-ribs, power-packed breakfast if there ever was one!



Yield: 8 servings. Per serving: 274 calories, 6g fat (.5g sat), 53.1g carbs, 6g fiber, 7.6g protein.

If you like this, you might also like…
Blueberry cornbread muffins
Very berry "green" smoothie
Oat crumble jam bars

Roasted potatoes w/garlic-cumin aioli

I love breakfast potatoes. (Though I’ve told the story before, I’ll remind you again that I’ve even sleep-talked about them.) Hash browns, O’Briens, home fries—any non-mashed spud served in the A.M. is a winner with me.

That said, they certainly don’t have to be served only in the morning. Inspired by a dinner at La Bodega, a KC tapas restaurant at which I have only had the pleasure to eat once (so far), I cooked up the roasted potatoes from Vegan Brunch and topped them with a made-up-on-the-spot aioli tinged with cumin and garlic. The restaurant meal was so good that even I, a mayo-hater, fell in love, and my homemade version totally lived up to the original.

For the potatoes:
2 1/2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste

For the aioli:
6 Tbsp Vegenaise
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic paste (or 1 garlic clove, minced)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste



Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line an 11x17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper (or grease with cooking spray). Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and then cut into 3/4-inch pieces. Place on the baking sheet and drizzle with the oil. Use your hands to toss and coat the potatoes in the oil, then sprinkle with salt.



Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove and flip the taters with a spatula (no need to be perfect, just get most of them turned over).



Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, till lightly but thoroughly browned outside. Season with black pepper and additional salt to taste.



Meanwhile, make the aioli.



In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Easy! Add a teaspoon or two of water to thin it out if you want.



Serve the potatoes hot, drizzled with the aioli. The spice and zing of the sauce plays perfectly off the earthy potatoes. Now that’s what I call breakfast (or lunch, or dinner)!



Yield: 6 servings. Per serving: 270 calories, 13.8g fat (1g sat), 29.7g carbs, 3.5g fiber, 4.7g protein.

If you like this, you might also like…
Roasted potato wraps w/black bean hummus
Chickpea lentil slow-cooker stew
Curried tempeh-mango salad

Blueberry cornbread muffins

With a bounty of summer berries at my fingertips, it was about time I baked with them (something besides my famous blueberry cobbler, that is). I turned again to Vegan with a Vengeance, and reduced the fat a little bit in the sunny blueberry-corn muffins. I took these to my friends’ 4th of July cookout, so I made them red-white-and-blue (er, more like pink-yellow-and-blue, but it’s the thought that counts) by crowning each one with a plump little raspberry.

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup soymilk
2T soy yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
Zest of one lemon
1 1/4 cups blueberries
12 raspberries, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flours, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, applesauce, soymilk, soy yogurt, vanilla, and lemon zest. I also tossed the berries in another bowl with a couple spoonfuls of the dry mixture.



Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring with a wooden spoon until just combined. Carefully fold in the berries. Sorry for the blurry photo here...



Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Gently press a raspberry in the center of each, and sprinkle with a little sugar if desired.



Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.



These muffins are not too sweet on their own, so they’re great with a little Earth Balance or butter for spreading, and/or jam or jelly for smearing, and/or agave nectar or honey for drizzling. They’ve got just the right amount of crumble, and I like how each burst of blueberry complements the coarse, almost crunchy nature of the cornmeal. They’re perfect as handheld snacks, a light dessert, or (my personal choice) breakfast. No matter when or how you eat them, they make a summery, guilt-free treat.



Yield: 12 muffins. Per muffin: 155 calories, 5.4g fat (trace sat), 24.4g carbs, 2g fiber, 2.8g protein.

If you like this, you might also like...
Cherry almond muffins
Banana wheat germ muffins

Very berry “green” smoothie

I truly do mourn the fact that I don’t like greens. I just can’t stand the taste or texture of anything leaf-like. I’ve wanted to find a way to incorporate greens into my diet despite my aversion, but I admit that my complacency had me in a state of inertia. Now, however, it’s time I make a move on this desire of mine, and feed my body what I know it’s long hungered for.

You're not going to see me munching on salads or anything like that, but I was inspired by Kati’s post about "green monster" smoothies. I resolved to take the stealth approach, and sneak some greens into me. Reassured by the promise that I wouldn’t detect any leafy taste, I took a deep breath and bought my first ever bag of spinach last Wednesday. Go me! On Thursday and Friday, this was my breakfast.

6-8 strawberries, hulled
1/4 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 1/2 cups (2 big handfuls) spinach leaves
1/2 banana, frozen
1/2 scoop protein powder
1T ground flaxseed
1/3 cup vanilla or plain soymilk
1/4 cup crushed ice or ice water

Watch out; this’ll go fast. Put all ingredients in a blender.



Pulse to combine, then purée completely. You can add extra water a spoonful at a time if it looks too thick.



Pour into a tall glass, and enjoy! I’m thrilled to report that you cannot, in fact, distinguish one hint of greenery in there. I looove my berries, and all I could taste were their sweet, tart, fresh flavors. And it’s so very healthy—just look at those nutritionals! This made a fantastic post-workout, pre-work meal, and it’s made me eager to find more ways to slip spinach and other greens into my diet. Look forward in the next couple of weeks to a post about how I used the remainder of that bag of spinach to craft a mouthwatering, savory…well, you’ll see.



Yield: 1 serving. Per serving: 252 calories, 4.6g fat (trace sat), 38g carbs, 14g fiber, 20.4g protein.

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Watermelon agua fresca

Cherry almond muffins

Yes, more muffins. Sorry for the lack of variety, but read the muffin chapter of Vegan with a Vengeance, and you’ll understand why I’ve had muffins on the brain. (If I ever buy Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, you guys are in trouble.) These muffins are part sweet, part hearty; part fruity, part nutty. I altered the original recipe in quite a few ways, most notably by using dried cherries instead of fresh. My version is chock full of chewy cherry chunks, and the mild accent of the almond extract makes them taste, to me, a little like the holidays.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup soymilk, plain or vanilla
6 oz. (1 container) soy yogurt, plain or vanilla
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1/2-1 cup sliced almonds, toasted if desired
3/4 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Sift the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Chop those cherries if you haven’t already, and feel free to munch on some as you do so.



Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the oil, soymilk, yogurt, and extracts.



Mix gently with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the cherries and all but a couple spoonfuls of the almonds...



...and fold those in just till they’re distributed. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full. Partially crush up the last couple spoonfuls of almonds, and sprinkle them on the tops of the muffins.



Bake for 18-22 minutes (mine were done in 16, though!).



Let them rest for a couple minutes in the pan, then move them to a rack to cool, and admire them prodigiously.



Be sure to eat your first one while it’s still warm – you only get one chance!



Yield: 1 dozen muffins. Per muffin: 221 calories, 8.8g fat (.7g sat), 32.5g carbs, 3g fiber, 4g protein.

If you like this, you might also like...
Banana wheat germ muffins

Vegan biscuits and gravy

I am so freaking proud of this one.

I got home from work on Monday thinking I would make the scrambled tofu in Vegan with a Vengeance, but I didn’t have the necessary vegetables. I browsed through the adjacent pages instead, and was hit with a bolt of inspiration when I realized I had tempeh in my fridge. Three recipes, a truckload of dirty dishes, and an hour later, I emerged from my kitchen flour-dusted, sweaty, and triumphant.

As it turns out, making vegan biscuits and gravy is quite an endeavor. But despite the fact that I wrecked my kitchen, and even though some things came out imperfect, this is SO worth making. My modifications were minor, but as always, I’ll show you how I made it. First up: from-scratch vegan baking powder biscuits.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3T shortening
2T Earth Balance
2/3 cup plain soymilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut the shortening and Earth Balance into the flour with a pastry blender (or two knives, or your fingers).



Add the soymilk to form a soft dough, and scatter some flour on your countertop. Mix well and pat out until it’s roughly 1/2 inch thick. Flour the rim of a glass (or use a biscuit or round cookie cutter) and cut out 2-inch rounds. Keep smooshing the dough back together to get as many biscuits as you can out of it.



Place the biscuits on your cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.



But hold it right there! Be very, very careful here. Remember how, in my last entry, I told you that I always forget that my oven runs hot? Well, in this case, it ran SUPER hot. I ended up kicking myself for not checking on them at the 10 minute mark. I had them in there for 12 minutes, and they burned :( There’s no getting around it, I have to use a sad face to express how I felt when I pulled them out.



But you know what, not everything always goes according to plan in cooking. Imperfection comes with the territory. So I figured, hey, they’re a little too brown on the outside, but so what? Inside they were still soft, and I’ve never minded my bready foods a little overdone. No use crying over spilled (soy)milk. They were tasty, and that’s all that matters.

Meanwhile, I was making tempeh sausage crumbles.

8-oz. pkg tempeh
1T fennel seeds
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried sage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2T soy sauce
1 tsp olive oil
Splash of lemon juice

In a small saucepan, crumble the tempeh and add enough water to just barely cover it. Over medium-high heat, simmer the tempeh until most of the water is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes. Drain the remaining water, if there is any, and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.



This recipe is incredible. The sausage flavor is duplicated impeccably, and goes amazingly well with the chewy tempeh. The smell will blow you away. It is just too good—and versatile, too. There are so many possibilities for usage: in pasta sauce, on pizza, in casseroles…my head swims. It made quite a bit, so I actually set aside about 1/3 cup to add to my spaghetti the following day.

While that simmered on the stove, and as my biscuits baked, I was ALSO making gravy.

1 can cannellini/navy beans, drained and rinsed
1T olive oil
1/4-1/3 cup water (or vegetable broth)
1/2 tsp salt
A few dashes of black pepper
A dash of dried sage

Puree the beans with the olive oil and water in a blender (or a food processor, which I probably should have used instead) until relatively smooth. I found that I had to add more water to get it liquefied, about 1/3 of a cup total in the end.



Not very appetizing at this point, I gotta tell ya. But it will be: pour the gravy into the saucepan with the tempeh crumbles, and add the salt, pepper, and sage. Heat through on medium-low for a few minutes. At this point I had to add a little extra water again to thin it out. But oh, baby...



Overbrowned biscuits couldn’t ruin this; no way. I gratefully sat down to comfort food at its finest, with that added ray of satisfaction that can only come from toiling in one’s own kitchen.



Healthy, homemade, and vegan—if you ask me, it’s the best triptych in the culinary world.

PS—I'm running my first marathon tomorrow- wish me luck!



Yield: 10 biscuits. Per biscuit: 150 calories, 6.6g fat (2.3g sat), 19g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g protein.
Yield: 4 servings gravy. Per serving: 240 calories, 9.5g fat (1.7g sat), 23.5g carbs, 7.6g fiber, 18g protein.

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Tempeh bolognese