WORLD'S BEST VEGAN PANCAKES

Hold up, hold up…Vegan pancakes that are actually delicious?! YES my friend. They are not only delicious, but super easy to make to! 

You might be wondering why wouldn’t I just make a regular pancake batter, I mean…what’s wrong with eggs, right?? Well, did you know that it is illegal to call eggs nutritious, healthful/healthy or safe? The Egg Industry simply cannot use these terms to describe eggs. Why? Because for a food item to be labeled healthy under FDA rules it has to be low in saturated fat (1g or less per 100g) and have less than 90g of cholesterol per serving - eggs fail that test. In fact, even half an egg fails that criteria. 

If you don’t care that much about the nutrition, you might want to re-consider buying eggs anyway. Why you ask? Did you know that the industry crams 6-10 birds in cages the size of a file cabinet their whole lives? But when providing footage to the media the American Egg Board instructs: “Do not show multiple birds in cages- they look crowded and open us up to activist criticism.” or “Make sure the farm doesn’t look huge and very commercialized. That would be an open door for activists and critics of large animal agriculture operations and business.” Another thing worth mentioning is that baby male chicks get ground-up alive and are fed to their mothers, or get thrown out in the trash, left to suffocate or starve to death. 

Alright, let's make some delicious cruelty-free pancakes!

WORLD'S BEST VEGAN PANCAKES

What You Will Need*

-1 Cup Whole Grain Flour

-1 Cup Non Dairy Milk (I use flax milk)

-1 Tablespoon Baking Powder 

-1/4 Teaspoon Salt

-2 Tablespoons Agave Nectar / Maple Syrup / or 3 Tablespoons Vegan Sugar

-1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract 
-2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

*double for the amount shown in the picture. 

I just throw everything in a medium bowl, mix it, pour 1/4 cup on a small non stick pan (no oil), fry each side for two minutes or so on low-medium and voila! 

I’ve had many people message me after posting this one on my Instagram and telling me how much they love it, so it’s not just me! 

Enjoy!

EASY VEGAN TOFU ALFREDO SAUCE

Why in the world would you want to use tofu instead of heavy cream? Well, heavy cream is made from cows milk. You probably think of it as your go-to source of calcium.You might be surprised to know that calcium from any animal milk is not absorbed as well as that from plant-based sources. In fact, animal milks actually increase calcium loss from the bones! It also contains hormones which are not meant to be in the human body. When you consume a product made out of any animal milk, your body goes into complete inflammation since our antibodies don’t understand what these hormones are. 

Still not enough to leave that heavy cream off your plate? How about this: Cows get artificially re-impregnated while they are still lactating from their previous pregnancy with frozen sperm which was obtained by, well, raping the bull. After 9 months or so, the cow gives birth to a beautiful baby calf. The calf is taken away from the mama cow usually after two hours. It is then chained to a wooden crate (6ft long, 2ft wide), tight enough so that the calf can only stand or lie down. No turning around or walking is allowed. They are also purposely fed an all liquid milk substitute, which is deficient in iron as well as fiber in order to produce anemia, which results in the pale colored flesh- veal. 

How about that delicious dairy-free Alfredo Sauce now? 

VEGAN TOFU ALFREDO SAUCE

WHAT YOU WILL NEED 

-14 oz package extra-firm tofu

-2 cups non-dairy milk

-1/2 cup nutritional yeast*

-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

-3 tablespoons garlic powder

-2 tablespoons onion powder

-1 tablespoon arrowroot powder/ or cornstarch

-pasta of your choice 

-salt and pepper

*optional:

- 8 oz. mushrooms & 1 cup spinach

1.Combine the tofu, non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, olive oil, garlic, onion and arrowroot powder in a blender, blend until smooth. Set aside.

2.While your pasta is boiling, chop the mushrooms and spinach. Cook them in a medium sauce pan on medium heat, stirring frequently. 

3.After 15 minutes or so, pour the sauce into the sauce pan. Wait for the bubbles, remove the pan from heat and pour over your pasta. 

  Thats it! Enjoy!

*What the heck is Nutritional Yeast?

Nutritional Yeast is made from a single-celled organism, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, it's grown on molasses and then harvested, washed and dried with heat to deactivate it. Because its inactive, it doesn't grow or froth like the baking yeast does. It's a great source of vitamin B12 and it tastes like cheese! 

*No animals are harmed in this process because yeasts are members of the fungi family, just like mushrooms.  

CHIPOTLE PINTO BEANS

I used to hate beans, it didn’t matter if they were black, kidney or any other beans really. I just hated them. Then, years later I decided to go vegan and started trying different recipes. I enjoy food so much now, the flavors are mind-blowing. I’ve heard this from several vegans, that once you stop eating something that used to live, or something that came from a living being the world becomes a rainbow of colors you never saw before.

Over the past few months I realized that not many people know about the benefits of eating beans. They are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering fiber (fun fact, vegan diet does not contain any cholesterol). Pinto Beans actually prevent blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, which makes them a great choice for diabetics. Plus, if you like to eat them with whole grains, they provide virtually fat-free, high quality protein. They are also a great source of Vitamin B1 and B6 as well as minerals like iron, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. 

CHIPOTLE PINTO BEANS

It took me a little while to perfect this recipe…it was completely worth it. I make it at least once a week!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 

-1 lb dried pinto bean, soaked overnight*

-2 cups chopped tomatoes / or a medium can of tomato paste

-4 oz tomato paste

-1 cup chopped onion

-2 tablespoons garlic / or 3 cloves

-2 flat tablespoon ground cumin

-1 teaspoon chili powder

-1 tablespoon paprika

-1 teaspoon soy sauce

-1 small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1. Soak the beans overnight*.

2. Put beans in a big sauce pan, add just enough water to cover the beans. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes.

3. Now, if you like your beans spicy, throw all the remaining ingredients in a blender and create your sauce. If you would prefer a non-spicy version, blend everything but the chipotle pepper. 

4. If you chose to go spicy, just pour the sauce in the pot. If not, put the whole chipotle pepper in the pot along with the sauce. Bring to a boil and take the pepper out. 

5. Stir the beans frequently, if it seems like the water is evaporating too quickly, turn the heat down just a bit and add more water. 

6. Simmer for another 20 minutes or until the beans are soft. 

Salt and pepper to taste, serve with rice, guacamole, lettuce and whatever you like. 

They taste the best after you let them cool in the fridge for a few hours.

*Why should you soak your beans? 

Soaking your beans increases digestibility. Different beans have different outer coatings which contain sugars called oligosaccharides. If you don’t soak your beans, these sugars bypass your stomach as well as your small intestine without being fully digested. Once they reach the large intestine, bacteria break them down, producing intestinal gas in the process. When you soak your beans, you dissolve the membranes covering the beans and release their oligosaccharides, you are also removing residue from pesticides. Make sure to discard the water and rinse the beans before cooking to remove the sugars. 

*veggie smart dog