Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes {vegan}

Oh sweet, sweet, Saturday mornings.

As hard as I try not to, I can’t help beginning the countdown to Saturday sometime around Tuesday afternoon. Saturday is like the more regularly occurring, adult version of Christmas. It isn't literally related to  morning time; Saturday morning is whenever you physically awake, which, depending on what activities occurred Friday night, might not be in the morning at all. Saturday morning can be 1 p.m. or six at night. It really doesn’t matter, it’s the weekend. This is why I only work Monday to Friday: the whole world is lazier on a Saturday, and there is no judgment for sloth and general indolence. Everyone is doing it.

 We have sort of accidentally started a weekend routine that involves pancakes. I’ve been making them every weekend. Maybe it’s because breakfast food is one of the things we can agree on: the union of an individual whose tastes in food were admittedly weird even before the vegetarianism thing and a meat- and junk food-loving carnivore don’t exactly make for intersecting menus. But pancakes? Pancakes are always right. 

 What’s more right than a plate of pancakes on Saturday morning? Pancakes with chocolate chips. And bananas. And honey.

 So that’s what I did this today. It was already a lovely morning—Jack and I took the dog and went walking around Greenfield Lake, where Cami met some other friendly canines and Jack and I honed our turtle-watching skills. (Little-known fact: I’m basically a professional turtle watcher at this point).

    When we came home, I made these delicious pancakes, somewhat improved by the use of vehicular Star Wars pancake molds.

  
  Do they work all that well? Absolutely not, but it’s the idea that really matters.

Vegan Pancakes

Adapted from this recipe

1 tbsp flax + 3 tbsp water, mix and let sit in fridge

2 tbsp brown sugar or honey

2 tbsp coconut or canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

¾ cup almond milk + 2-3 tsp vinegar

1 scant cup whole wheat flour

½ cup oats

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2-4 tbsp water

Chocolate chips to taste

1 banana, sliced

Additional toppings: honey, syrup, coconut whip, coconut shaving, etc

 Directions:

Whisk together flax mixture, oil, vanilla, and sugar/honey. Stir in almond milk. Now add the remaining dry ingredients, thinning mixture with water as necessary. Pour batter by ¼ cupful into heated and greased pan. When bubbles form and pop in pancakes, flip. The pancakes should be golden brown at this point. If scorching before bubbles appear, lower heat.

If needed, put oven on 350 for 3-5 minutes, turn off and keep finished pancakes on a plate in the warm oven until all are done. 

I decked mine out in honey and coconut milk drizzle, and ate them while reading and listening to this and this, the obvious banana pancake playlist.

The pancakes, the walk, the morning, the music - it was all pretty delicious.

Have a lovely weekend.