Vegan Oat & Spelt Pancakes

Saturday morning calls for home-made pancakes, right? Of course right. These are so hearty, healthy, and delicious too.

You can substitute whole wheat flour for the spelt flour. Just decrease the milk to 1 1/4 cup.

Vegan Tip: Have you used a “flax egg” before? It makes a great egg substitute for some recipes, mainly baked goods where you’d want to use flax anyway (such as muffins, breads, pancakes, etc). In place of one egg, simply combine 1 tbs ground flaxseed with 3 tbs water, and let it sit for about 5 minutes. It forms a gelatinous blob that mimics the texture of an egg! In addition to making your baked goods animal-free, flax is a much healthier (lower cholesterol, higher fiber and Omega-3) substitute.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cup soy- or almondmilk
• 1 cup whole rolled oats
• 1 tbs unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tbs ground flaxseed + 6 tbs water (see vegan tip above)
• 1/2 cup spelt flour (or whole wheat. See above)
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, or to taste (optional)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Directions

Combine the oats and milk, and let them soak for about 5 minutes. Combine the flaxseed and water, and let that soak for about 5 minutes too.

Then combine the oats +milk, flax+water, vanilla, and applesauce. Stir. Then add in all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon). Mix well.

Scoop the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot griddle or greased saute pan. Cook until browned and firm around the edges, and bubbly on top. Flip and cook until both sides are golden brown.

I served it with fresh fruit, coffee, and a berry kale smoothie. Scrambled tofu or (if you’re not vegan), Greek yogurt would be great too!