Banana Pancake (vegan but you won't notice)

I made the following banana pancakes for today, using half of the recipe for myself and my husband. I pretty much followed the recipe for the pancake but did not serve it with the cream cheese glaze!!! I also did not have soy milk and hence used 1% milk. They turned out very delicious.

Vegan Ginger Cream Cheese Glazed Banana Pancakes

makes about 12-15 pancake balls

*you can also use you own favorite pancake mix/recipe and add banana/walnuts to the batter.*

dry:
1 cup white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
a few dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg
wet:
1-2 mashed ripe bananas (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (fold in last)

for sauté: safflower oil (use as needed to coat bottom of pan)

Fold in:
1/3 cup crushed walnuts (optional)

Ginger Cream Cheese Glaze
1 cup tofu/vegan cream cheese (softened to room temp)
2 Tbsp vegan butter, softened
1 Tbsp vegan mayo (gives a tart accent similar to sour cream)
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp ground ginger powder
light grind of orange zest (or a few drops orange extract)
optional: 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
pinch of salt
soy creamer as needed – to thin out to desired consistency/
*remember that the glaze will firm up a bit in the fridge! Reheat or bring to room temp to soften back to pourable texture

To Make:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients.
2. Fold in the wet ingredients – use a light beater if you’d like. Mix until smooth. This batter will be thicker than a normal pancake batter.
3. Fold in the optional walnuts.
4. Mix up your cream cheese glaze by simmering in a sauce pot until all the ingredients soften together. Use a blender for ultra smooth glaze. Remove from heat, pour into serving dish and place in fridge to chill.
5. For the pancakes, heat a large nonstick skillet. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan completely. Wait until oil is hot. Drop spheres of batter into pan and cook about 2 minutes on each side. Reduce heat if oil is too hot – you do not want to burn, but only crisp the outside of the pancakes.
6. Cool on paper towel. Add chilled glaze over top pancakes to serve.

Cirilʻs momʻs crepes

(Ciril is from Croatia)

Pour little less than 1 cup (200 ml) milk) in a bowl. Add 2 eggs. Then add 200 ml of lime soda and a pinch of salt. Add enough flour (unbleached white and whole wheat) to make a crepe like batter which is thick but a bit runny!! You need a blender or a hand beater and some muscles to make it little frothy and get rid of all the lumps!

Heat a pan till it is HOT but not smoky... Wipe it with a little canola oil. Make your crepes as thin as you can.

Serve with Nuttela.. That is how Ciril likes it.. How does not like any bananas or anything else like it....

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancake)

Tastes great.. Easy to make and looks nice.. It is not necessary to have all the ingredients listed to make it....The word means "bake to your taste"..

Ingredients:
1/2 lb cabbage
1 carrot
1 leek
1/2 green pepper
1/4 lb tofu, drained
vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/3 cup flour (white or whole wheat)
1/2 cup dashi (soup made with dried fish) [skip it if you don't know how to make it]
2 tsp light soy sauce

Garnishes
sweetened soy sauce
dried nori seaweed, toasted and crumbled
toasted white or black sesame seeds
red pickled ginger

Method:

Wash trim and shred the vegetables and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes. Prepare the garnishes. Over low heat brush a heavy pan with oil. Combine the vegetables and tofu with eggs, flour, dashi and soy sauce in a bowl and pour half the mixture into the frying pan. Smooth and sread it with a pancake turner. Cook for 5 minutes or until browned, carefully flip and cook this side too. Repeat for the rest of the mixture.

Serve with garnish.

Any firm vegetables like corn, peas, green beans are delicious in this pancake.

Source: Downer, Lesley. 1986. Japanese Vegetarian Cooking. Pantheon Books New York