Yields 8 medium pancakes
About a decade ago, my best friend and roommate at the time (hi, Candice!) loaned me the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. Although I’d adopted veganism and couldn’t eat almost anything in the book, I did learn about deceptively, deliciously packing food with vegetables. To get her children to eat healthier, Seinfeld would grate or purée veggies and add them to their favorite foods. That’s where I got the idea to do that in my own food. Adding grated zucchini gives a nutritional boost without adding a veggie taste.
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
1 mashed banana
¼ cup grated zucchini (about 1 small zucchini)
1 cup plant-based milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon agave, brown sugar, or maple syrup
Optional Additions:
½ teaspoon cinnamon added in step 2
½ tablespoon flaxseed meal added in step 2
Optional Toppings:
Sliced bananas
Vegan butter
Maple syrup or maple agave
Directions:
1. Preheat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. If you don’t have a nonstick pan (or your nonstick pan needs a bit more slip), you can lightly oil the pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Gently mix until the batter is smooth, but there’s no need to remove all the lumps.
3. Scoop out the batter with a ¼-cup measuring cup and pour onto the preheated pan. Once bubbles begin to form, flip the pancake over and cook the other side until light brown. Remove from the heat and repeat until all the batter is cooked.
TONI’S TIPS:
>>Pancakes are tough to get right. Make sure you start off with a preheated pan; if you don’t, it will be difficult to flip the pancake and your first one or two will look funky. Try not to overmix the batter—the more you mix, the tougher they’ll be.
>>To keep the pancakes warm while you’re cooking, place the finished ones on a baking sheet in a warm oven set at 200 degrees.
MY TIPS:
