Sheet pan pancakes

Hello again! I've stopped all my online activity for a while. Never stopped cooking and trying new things though. 

I've missed writing and being accountable so I'm gonna try and give social media and recipe development (with writing and everything that entails) another go. 

And the first recipe in this new year and new chapter is a breakfast one. 

Why breakfasts? Because I love it and also, it's a meal many people skip because they don't have time to or they think they don't have that time.

This recipe is easy to make, fast and you can double it and then freeze some for later.

I used to make a lot of pancakes, but never sheet pan pancakes before. Until this year. 

I've seen a recipe for some sheet pan pancakes that I veganized and (hopefully) made it healthier a few days ago. And guess what? I tried this once and I am hooked.

My recipe uses less than 10 ingredients, it tastes like peanut butter pancakes and it's ready in less than 40 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients:

Loaded veggie cups

Taking care of a toddler who doesn't really like to eat and finding new foods and new ways to present ingredients can be very time consuming and can really damage one's self esteem.

This is one of the reasons I barely post anymore... If my own child barely tastes the food I make (or any food, really), how can I confidently share my recipes? Oh well... I finally mustered the courage and wrote down, filmed and photographed a few things that I personally love and my toddler may or may not like right now.

I present you these loaded veggie cups, high in protein and calories so they are perfect for those who don't eat too much (or enough) in one sitting.

This recipe is really tasty, easy to make, loaded with veggies, high in iron and choline too.

It takes less than 1 hour to make and you can use it for meal prep too. They freeze beautifully and keep well in the fridge too.

Ingredients:

* 1 package puff pastry

* 3 cups of veggies (I used 1 cup zucchini, 1 cup sweet peppers, 1/2 cup cauliflower, 1/2 cup onion)

* 200 g (1 small block) tofu

* 120 g (1 cup) chickpea flour

* 1/3 to 1/2 cup plant milk (I prefer soy milk)

* 2 tsp paprika

* 1.5 tsp garlic powder

* 1 tsp ground black pepper

* 1 tsp turmeric

* olive or avocado oil for cooking

* salt (omit if you cook for babies)

Lactation oatmeal

Why do I consider this "lactation oatmeal"? Because it has ingredients that are galactogogues (aka promote lactation). And it's delicious and easy to make as a day to day breakfast. Also, it's really easy to customize.
Also, it's great for anybody, not only for women who breastfeed :)

Ingredients:
* 90 g (3/4 cup) oats
* 190 ml (3/4 cup) plant milk of choice
* 65 to 190 ml (1/4 to 3/4 cup) water
* 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
* 4 - 5 dates, chopped (or raisins)
* toppings: nut butter of choice, berries (fresh or frozen), chia seeds, coconut flakes etc...

Method:
Fast method (microwave):
In the microwave I use only 65 ml of water (1/4 cup)
Mix the oats with the flax seeds, dates, plant milk and water and microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix again then add your toppings.
On the stove:
On the stove I use 190 ml of water (3/4 cup)
Mix the oats with the flax seeds, dates, plant milk and water and cook until the desired consistency. Place in a bowl and add your toppings.

Galactogogues: oatmeal, flax seeds, dates, nuts and nut butters

ingrediente:

* 90 g (3/4 cana) fulgi de ovaz
* 190 ml (3/4 cana) lapte vegetal de alegere
* 65 până la 190 ml (1/4 to 3/4 ml) apă
* 2 linguri de semințe de in macinate
* 4 - 5 curmale, tocate (sau stafide)
* toppinguri: unt de nuci de alegere, fructe de padure (proaspete sau congelate), seminte de chia, nuca de cocos etc...

Metodă:
Metoda rapidă (cuptor cu microunde):
În cuptorul cu microunde folosesc numai 65 ml de apă (1/4 cană)
Se amestecă ovăzul cu semințele de in, curmalele, laptele vegetal și apa și se pun in cuptorul cu microunde timp de 2 până la 3 minute. Se amestecă din nou apoi se adaugă toppingurile.

La foc:
La foc folosesc 190 ml de apă (3/4 cești)
Se amestecă ovăzul cu semințele de in, curmalele, laptele vegetal și apa și se gătește mixul până la consistența dorită. Se pune într-un bol și se adaugă toppingurile.

Galactogoggi: fulgii de ovăz, semințe de in, curmalele, nucile și untul de nuci

Make ahead breakfast ideas (EN/ RO)

Are you a breakfast fan? Because I didn't used to be... before I discovered meal prep. Why?
Because I was lazy most of the time and I preferred to sleep half an hour than make something to eat. And because I didn't have something already prepped, I used to make not so healthy choices when I would finally eat something. And now that I'm vegan, nothing changed. I mean I still prep my meals and I absolutely love doing this. It helps me a lot and saves a lot of time in the morning. Plus, I know that I have something delicious and healthy ready to go if I'm in a hurry (which is most of the mornings, let's be real!)
That's why I wanted to share some of my easy make ahead go to recipes with you!
They're ready in minutes the night before, and you can grab them from the fridge and enjoy! I love knowing that I have something so easy to make, customizable and ready to go when I need to.
Did I mention that they're also healthy and delicious?
Let's see what I made!

Berry delight wake-up smoothie

Ingredients (1 smoothie):

Buckwheat cacao nibs waffles (EN/ RO)

I still love to experiment with waffles! And now I thought I would share with you another delicious waffle recipe, made with buckwheat flour. It's fluffy on the inside and a bit crunchy on the outside.
I prefer to top it with fruits, some peanut butter and a drizzle of maple syrup or agave. Delicious!

Ingredients:

Fluffy carrot cake (with a coconut frosting) (EN/RO)

I love cakes and breads made with vegetables, like carrot cake or zucchini bread because they are delicious and you get some veggies with your dessert too :)
And why shouldn't I love them? I make them quite healthy, full of nutrients and deliciousness. So I can nourish my body as well as my soul :)
And this is a recipe perfect for spring, because carrots are delicious, crunchy and fresh. And if you celebrate Easter, I believe that this recipe deserves a try!
And you can make a coconut frosting to top the cake if you want. Or you can eat it plain, or with some plant yogurt. Delicious!
Also, it's perfect for morning or for a breakfast or snack on the go if you bake it into mini loaves or muffins.
Let's see the recipe now!

Ingredients (EN):

Coconut and rice flour pancakes

For some time now I started experimenting with gluten free recipes, because I know some close people that are gluten intolerant and I love cooking for friends and family.
And I like sharing my recipes too! But you already know that :)
It occurred to me (with the help of my husband 😊) that I didn't post breakfast recipe for some time now, so here it comes.
This time I made some coconut and rice flour pancakes.

Here comes the recipe:

Ingredients:

Savory tofu and pineapple cups

I really love challenging myself and I wanted to put up some breakfast/ brunch recipes for this "Vegan Holidays" series.
I also wanted to make this recipes easy, different and in advance, because I really don't want to cook on a holiday morning.
So I came up with 2 recipes tofu and pineapple based - one sweet and one savory.
Both of them are so good! I can barely restrain myself from not eating the entire tray in one sitting.
They are husband approved also, and this is really important, as he isn't really a big fan of tofu. But this breakfast cups disappear so fast (he prefers the savory one)!
Ok, enough with the chit chat, let's see the savory recipe now - Vlad's favorite!

Ingredients (makes 12 cups):

Sweet tofu, pineapple and cranberry cups

I really love challenging myself and I wanted to put up some breakfast/ brunch recipes for this "Vegan Holidays" series.
And I also wanted to make this recipes easy, different and in advance, because I really don't want to cook on a holiday morning.
So I came up with 2 recipes tofu and pineapple based - one sweet and one savory.
Both of them are so good! I can barely restrain myself from not eating the entire tray in one sitting.
They are husband approved also, and this is really important, as he isn't really a big fan of tofu. But this breakfast cups disappear so fast!
Ok, enough with the chit chat, let's see the sweet recipe!

Ingredients (makes 12 cups):

Chickpea flour omelette

If you used to love omelettes and scrambles before you went vegan, then I understand you.
I used to love them too. And I love them still. But now I don't use eggs for my scrambles and omelettes. I use tofu or chickpea flour. Because I get the same feeling of comfort food (ok, not the exact same taste, but the feeling is the same) without the cruelty, fat and the heavy feeling in the stomach.
If you ask me, I love this way of life a lot! I still have foods that I loved before, but I don't have the guilt and all those heavy feeling as before. Which is so much better!
Ok, I think that this is enough rambling for just one post :)
Let's go to the recipe now

Ingredients:

Coconut and chickpea flour pancakes

Who wants some pancakes that are delicious and healthy? I know that I want them!
Maybe you know that I'm in love with two types of flour: coconut and chickpea. I combined them and I made some coconut and chickpea flour pancakes.
They're still fluffy, hearty and really delicious!
You have to keep in mind that the combination of chickpea and coconut flour (at least the ones I have) creates a pancake that is quite fragile if you want to make them big. The solution? Make them smaller and funnier :)
Ok, let's go to the recipe now :)

Ingredients (2 servings):

70 g (2/3 cup) chickpea flour

55 g (½ cup) coconut flour

480 ml (2 cups) plant milk

30 g (2 tbsp) brown sugar

10 g (1 tbsp) ground chia seeds

5 g (1 tsp) baking powder

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients then add all the wet ingredients.

Mix until you have thick batter. Let everything sit for about 10-15 minutes.

Heat a nonstick pan (even lightly oil it) an make pancakes  Cook them for about 3-4 minutes on medium-low heat then flip them and cook them for about 1-2 minutes.

Enjoy!

I have a video for this recipe too :)

If you want to see it, then go here: 

Vegan french toast 3 ways

As I said before, I love french toast, and I didn't have it for a long time. For the first few months since I became vegan, actually...
Now I have 3 recipes for it :)

First recipe:  Flax french toast 

Vegan french toast

I really love french toast. Before I went vegan I used to make it quite frequently on week-ends...
And I didn't have any since I became vegan. Until today. And I really don't know why I didn't make it sooner. It's just an egg replacement, plant milk, a sweetener and some spices.
And I decided to post my version of the recipe too, even if I think that you can find a ton of similar recipes online. But it's my version, and I'm proud of it :)
So, here it goes.