Weekend Pancakes

I am such a breakfast person. Nothing starts my day better than getting breakfast at a little hole in the wall place that looks a little sketchy out front with my good friends. Breakfast isn't very vegan friendly unless you are down to eat dry toast a lot of the time. My new favorite vegan place to eat breakfast is Wayward Vegan Cafe in the University District of Seattle. Since its a little far to get breakfast everyday I decided to make my own pancakes.


I am not sure what I did but they didn't quite turn out for me. Mine were really thick and not quite cooked the way I wanted. So it didn't really satisfy my breakfast fix. Here is the recipe I used from Vegan Yum Yum.

1 1/2 cups soymilk
1 cup spelt flour (or sub for all-purpose)
1/3 cup all-purpose
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon extract ( any flavor, I used almond)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 tablespoons water, to thing batter if need
Earth Balance margarine, to serve
Maple syrup, to serve


I got this recipe from the book "Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent ( But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaing and Every Day" (c) Lauren Ulm 2009

Crispy Sesame Kale

I will let you all in on a little secret most people don't know about me. I HATE VEGETABLES. Carrots, peas, lettuce, etc. I've just never been a big fan. For example, when I order vegetable dishes like stir-fry, I go for the broccoli and only touch the other vegetables so I can move them aside. One type of vegetable terrifies me more than all the others: Leafy greens! I despise them!

Recently I have been making an effort to try and enjoy my vegetables more and their benefits. So when I was deciding what to make for dinner tonight I was faced with a decision: Baked Mac and Cheeze or the Crispy Sesame Kale. It was not an easy one. I went back and forth in my mind for a solid hour but I finally decided to face my most formidable enemy and make the kale dish. And it worked! Doubtful thoughts were raging even as I was making the dish. I halved the amount of kale so I didn't waste any, assuming I would hate it. However, when that Kale came out of the oven I was so surprised by how crispy the kale had turned out after baking it. It really had the perfect balance of salt and sesame.

So here is the recipe that I got out of the Vegan Yum Yum book:

1 head of kale, washed and deveined(deveined kale below)
1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
1 pinch of salt



1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Tear the kale into bite-size pieces then spread it out evenly on a cookie sheet that is covered in foil. Drizzle oil on top, then scrunch kale with your fingers until the oil is evenly distributed over the greens.
3. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and salt over the top.
4. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, until the leaves are crispy but still dark green and serve.

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I ate mine with some rice and it was a perfect little meal. For once I ate all my vegetables! Make your parents proud and eat your veggies!



I got this recipe from the book "Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent ( But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaing and Every Day" (c) Lauren Ulm 2009