Perfect Fluffy Oat Pancakes

Venturing into egg-free baking and cooking can sometimes be a bit of an intimidating process. Eggs are used as a binding agent in many baked goods, and sometimes for leavening. When you subtract eggs from a recipe that calls for them, often the result is a crumbly or gummy mess, or completely flat.

Pancakes are a simple way to start incorporating egg-free options in your weekend baked treats. I’ve made some pretty flat, sticky textured pancakes over the last 8 years of vegan baking – so I know how they can pretty easily go south for satisfaction value.

These pancakes were born from a desire to make something that is:

  • Healthy
  • Whole grain
  • Fluffy and light
  • Vegan (free from eggs and dairy)
  • Quick to throw together

My son is a “pancake monster” and routinely inhales four pancakes, PLUS additional breakfast foods. Given his love for pancakes any day, I wanted a mix that was already put together, and could easily be measured out without following a recipe every time I make them.

To prepare as a “pancake mix” – just stir all the dry ingredients together and store in a zipper bag or container. When ready to make, Measure out 1:1 ratio of dry ingredients with your choice of milk. (I.e. 1 cup of dry mix + 1 cup of milk + 1/2 T. ACV, 1/2 tsp vanilla.)

Let me know if you try these and what you think! The AP flour could probably be subbed for simply oat flour or GF AP flour to make these gluten-free, but I haven’t tried with these ratios to say if it affects the fluffiness/lightness of the texture.

Perfect fluffy oat pancakes

1/2 cup organic AP flour

1/4 cup oat flour (ground whole oats)

1/4 cup quick oats (or old fashioned)

1 T baking powder 

1/4 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

1 T monk fruit sweetener or xylitol 

2 T coconut (optional)

1 cup nondairy milk (such as unsweetened almond)

1/2 T apple cider vinegar 

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients (can be mixed in advance like a pancake mix to store for later!).* Whisk ACV in milk and let sit a moment to curdle. Mix into the dry and add vanilla. Let the batter rest 5-8 minutes while your skillet heats. Measure by 1/4 cup fulls onto the skillet flipping when golden browned. Top with your choice of favorite toppings! 

*I routinely quadruple this recipe and then store as a dry-mix for a quick prep on a weekend morning. Measure out by 1 cup dry + 1 cup milk + 1/2 T. ACV + 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Healthy cashew queso dip

Whitney Werner, Certified Holistic Health Coach, featured on Keloland Living, May 19, 2020

One of the most versatile skills to master in your plant-based cooking is incorporating cashews to your dairy-free sauces. Including cashews in your diet is a great way to get some extra protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, and phosphorous. Cashews are also one of the only food sources high in copper – which is great for supporting elastin and collagen in your muscles and bones.

Cashews have a beautiful silky consistency when blended – mimicking the creamy texture we all know and love from dairy creams and cheeses.

The key in a quick cashew sauce is soaking your cashews! Buy raw cashews (pieces are fine), and place in a bowl of water for a few hours, or overnight. Alternatively: you can quick-boil the cashews for 10 minutes, although this method may destroy some of the nutritional benefit to the raw cashews. Soaking your cashews makes them soft and easier to blend into a silky smooth sauce. They are also more easily digested! Important: Do not try to make cashew sauces with roasted cashews – the flavor does not turn out right! It will have a distinctive roasted-nut taste (trust me, I’ve made this mistake! Ha!).

FUN TIP: If a nut-allergy is a concern, RAW SUNFLOWER SEEDS can be used in many if not all of the same ways! Soak in advance, and use in place of cashews. The flavor is still very similar – but the seeds take a little longer to blend.

Cashew Queso – recipe by Whitney Werner

In this recipe, feel free to play around with spices to your particular liking and preference. I rarely measure exactly when I throw together a sauce or queso. Use it as a springboard to get creative!

¾ cup raw cashews, soaked several hours or overnight

1 ½ cups broth (or unsweetened plant-milk would work)

4 T. nutritional yeast

2 cloves of garlic 

1 T. tomato paste

½ tsp red pepper flakes (to taste, add more for spicier!)

½-1 tsp pink salt (to taste, I prefer 1 tsp)

1 T. tapioca flour or cornstarch (add more to yield a thicker, stickier gooey cheese, or omit for thinner consistency)

Hot sauce, optional – to taste

2 T. to ½ cup of salsa (to your taste preference)

Blend all ingredients except the salsa in a high speed blender until smooth and no grit remains. (It may take a few minutes if using a food processor or not a high speed blender.) It will be watery/thin. Transfer to a small spot and heat on medium, stirring constantly. As the mixture thickens, add salsa to taste (I use about ¼ cup). Cheese will thicken very quickly, so do not leave unattended. Adjust spices to your preference, and remove from heat. Serve with tacos, nachos, quesadillas, or just as a dip for veggies or tortilla chips!

Interested in learning more about cooking with cashews? Check out my coaching offerings and individual cooking lessons, where I have a three-part series on making several varieties of cashew sauces and cheeses!

Did you try this recipe? Let me know what you think by dropping a comment below. Happy healthy eating and living, my friends!

Skillet Chili with Spaghetti Squash

 

IMG_3773I am a big fan of meals that work together lots of my favorite vegetables and spices into one skillet, and provide for delicious “planned over” meals for lunches later! In my coaching clients, we work through many quick and easy meal ideas that build on this concept of combining existing fresh vegetables you enjoy with new flavors, and using previously prepared staple ingredients to make the process fast and simple!

Tonight’s meal was not quite as fast as many others I make on a weeknight, simply for the fact that I had to cook the large squash first, which made it a perfect Sunday dinner when I’m busy preparing other things around my home. Roast the squash in advance to make this a super fast weeknight meal!

[yumprint-recipe id=’3′]Let me know if you try this “template” for a dinner – and how it turns out! Be creative – mix it up, and try new vegetables and combinations weekly. 

 

What to do when your partner or family eat differently

 

Over three years ago, I started transitioning to a healthier diet and lifestyle. This was my choice–  it wasn’t a decision made in tandem with Paul. I told him things were changing, and I was going to start cooking healthier meals, and then I did. Thankfully, Paul was quite supportive and went along with the flow as I flopped through some pretty mediocre meals to start. But gradually, as my confidence grew in the kitchen, my cooking improved, and Paul had very few complaints. Occasionally, he would buy some junk food I didn’t want in the house, or make brownies when I did NOT want them around, but overall he was really supportive.

Things were a little trickier when I made the shift to a vegetarian diet. We had some pretty heart-to-heart conversations about what it would mean in our home, and though it was hard initially, things got easier with time and practice. Again, it was a transition time with food, trying lots of new types of meals and omitting the old basics. Now, having transitioned yet again to a vegan diet, Paul has been on board with the changes. Although he does not consider himself vegan and will still occasionally eat animal products, he does primarily eat plant-based and has no problem with it in the home.

That being said, it was a lot about communication, honesty, compromise, assertion, and willingness to respect each other through the process. It wasn’t just a “snap of the fingers” and everything is easy peasy. 

Any change you make in diet or lifestyle is going to affect your loved ones. Spouse, partner, children, and even extended family will notice a difference in you — both in what you’re physically choosing to put into your body and how you THINK. (The “how you think” change is, I’d say, the most challenging for others to adapt to.) Like it or not, there will be challenges associated with the change, particularly if you are lacking the support from those with whom you live. Since every relationship and family dynamic is unique, there is no “one size fits all” nugget of advice that works across the board in dealing with this challenge. But today, I wanted to offer a few thoughts on how to deal with differing views on diet in your household.

Today’s vlog topic comes from Jackie, who asked, “How do you create balance in a home where you have different eating preferences?”

Thanks for the question, Jackie! I hope this vlog is helpful.

How do YOU personally work to create balance when your family isn’t so keen on changing? Do you have any additional words of wisdom to share? Please do so below!

What should I talk about next week? Pick my brain! Comment below.

How to Break a Coffee Addiction (Vlog)

 

If you’re like most other Americans, you may enjoy a certain beverage every morning as a daily “pick-me-up.” The ol’ cuppa Joe. 

I’m not exempt from the majority on this one. I LOVE my coffee, and enjoy it in many ways: just black, espresso, Americano, cappuccino, latte, sweetened, unsweetened, creamer, spices, and even iced.

Yes, I enjoy coffee.

But I don’t enjoy it every single day. And I’m not addicted anymore!

At the early part of last year, I used to think I wasn’t addicted but just LIKED my coffee and could quit anytime. After going cold-turkey for a bit, subbing green tea even, I had the most brain-splitting headaches and was super tired and crabby. Ha! NOT addicted? I was totally kidding myself there.

Since breaking the addiction, I still enjoy my coffee a few times per week, but don’t feel horrible without it. (I do feel like I can FLYYYYYY when I drink it, though! LOL.) Over the past year, I have found several things helpful in replacing this addiction with healthier and happier habits. 

I hope you find this video helpful if you’re a coffee addict! 

Here is a link to the brewed cocoa I mentioned: http://www.criobru.com

What topic should I talk about next week? Share your thoughts and questions below, and I may choose your topic to discuss in the future!

 

What do I eat on a daily basis? (Vlog)

 

Last week I posted my first video blog and asked for YOUR questions for me to talk about. The question I chose for today’s post was from Briana Kiefer, where she suggested, “How about one vlog about how you eat in a day?”

Excellent! I love talking about food (although now I’m feeling kinda hungry… going to sip my orange-colored-juice [with no oranges in it]). 

I hope you enjoy today’s vlog and glean some new ideas for daily eats! Also, please enjoy this week’s video-bombing star: my cat Nina. (If you remember in last week’s post, my husband and my dog both video-bombed while I was recording [at 6:33]. LOL!)

What do YOU eat on a daily basis to feed your healthy happy life?

As with last week, I would love your questions for future topics! What should I talk about next week? Ask below, and I may choose your question for the next topic! 

First Video Blog (Vlog) – Health Coaching Principles

 

Greetings, friends!

Today, I got a wild hair and decided to try something new (well, newish for me): a video blog! I used to post an occasional vlog on SparkPeople when I was blogging regularly there, and would now like to get back in a routine of doing vlogs and blogs here on my own website. Sometimes it’s just better to hear things face-to-face, ya know?

My hope with these vlogs is to help generate conversation, and give you an opportunity to ask questions and possibly get them answered by me! I work on lots of different concepts with my clients, and would love to give you a little glimpse of what it would be like to work with me as a client.

In today’s vlog, I talk about my guiding principles in health coaching — the basic philosophies I have while working with clients toward healthy lifestyle changes. I hope you find it interesting, and that it gives you a better insight into what health coaching entails.

I would love to hear your thoughts, feedback, and questions in my comments below! Do you agree with my principles? 

What would you like me to talk about next week? Any burning questions you’d like me to share my thoughts on? Ask away, and I’ll choose one to answer in my next vlog!

Healthy Homemade Snickers Bars

 

If you’re not already allured by this blog post title, let me get you just a bit more interested with a [mediocre, but still] tantalizing photo…

IMG_1234

Ooooooohhhhh yeeaaaaahhhhhh!

Since making the switch to a vegan lifestyle, I have become even more aware of the ingredient labels on any packaged foods I buy. (I don’t buy many, or very often, but when I do, rest assured I’ve read the label.) To my dismay, most of my favorite chocolate candy bars and treats I would rarely indulge in contain dairy, so they are no longer appealing to me in the same way they once were. 

But the good news is that it’s got me feeling creative when it comes to making healthier and even more delicious versions of my treats at home! Nice!

Last night, craving inspiration struck when I was wanting a creamy and gooey sweet treat, and really longing for a Snickers bar. So, drawing upon some of the recipes I’ve tried before (like Angela Liddon’s healthier Twix Bars – you must make these, too!), I concocted my own sweet treat in the matter of 10 minutes. 

Yep, 10 MINUTES! That’s how quickly you can get these made (well… plus the freeze time, but that’s just agonizing wait time, not active). 

These healthified candy bars will conquer any sweet craving you have! But I warn you… it’s also hard not to eat the whole (small) pan at once. ;)

[yumprint-recipe id=’2′]I hope you try these bars and enjoy them! I’d love to hear if you do, especially if you have a major sweet tooth like me and really value a good chocolate treat now and then (*ahem* daily). 

Favorite Fridge Foods: Staples for My Healthy Kitchen

 

A couple days ago, I posted a question on facebook about what you might like to read on this blog. Many of you seemed interested in reading about my favorite foods and kitchen staples, and since a kitchen and pantry stocked with healthy items is key to living and eating well, I thought it would be a good topic to cover.

When working with clients on healthy changes in their nutrition habits, I am often surprised (even though I shouldn’t be) by what foods people have not tried and do not use on a daily basis — foods that I consider pretty “common” in my life, and that I utilize all the time. It is easy to forget that only a few short years ago, this “normal” of mine was completely different, and I would have written a staples list that looked something like this: pasta, cereal, bread, cow’s milk, Chef Boyardee, Kraft Mac N Cheese boxes, hamburger, chicken breasts, creamed soups, cheetos, lunch meat, cheese, and a family size gallon of ice cream (chocolate chip). 

YIKES!

While I do still admittedly stock pastas, some cereal (mainly for my husband, the Cereal Eater), and sometimes bread (fresh baked whole grain, or Ezekiel – frozen), the rest of my list has changed dramatically over the past few years. I rarely shop in the middle of the grocery store, and when I do, it’s generally for something which I can’t find an organic or health-market version. 

When I’m introducing new clients to healthy foods, or walking them through a pantry raid (buh-bye Cheez-Its!) or a grocery shopping tour, I will often give them a list of my pantry and kitchen staples. This list is categorized by type and section of my kitchen (pantry, baking goods, vegetables, condiments, etc), and covers pretty much everything I could think of that I routinely stock. 

Since I don’t want to lose your attention, I’m going to break down just a FEW of my staples into a couple blogs to give you an idea of the kinds of things I routinely turn to in my cooking and eating on a regular basis! This blog will cover a few favorite items from my fridge (fruits, veggies, etc). Please excuse my first item from qualifying in the “fridge” list, but it couples well with the fruits/veggies. ;-)

Favorite Fridge Foods

Bananas

Okay, so I don’t store bananas in my FRIDGE, but I figured I’d include them with other fruits and veggies I always keep on hand in this list. I always have bananas in my kitchen. I will often intentionally buy the brown/spotted ones, or wait until they get really ripe at home, then peel and break them in half to store in a bag in my freezer. Always always always have frozen bananas. It’s great for emergency “banana ice cream,” adding great texture and natural sweetness to smoothies, and coining and dipping in chocolate shell (mmmm). For a fun snack idea, slice a fresh banana lengthwise  and spread with almond or peanut butter and a few chocolate chips. Banana split!

apples_orangesApples & Oranges

Pretty standard fruits, but I always have them as well. They’re easy grab-n-go snacks, and have a long life in the fridge! I use oranges a lot in my juices, and love apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon and dipped in peanut or almond butter for a snack. Peel and chop up an orange and throw it in a raw kale salad for a delightful citrus flavor with a strong green.

Kale

Kale is my all-time favorite green vegetable! I almost always have kale on hand… and if I don’t, it’s because I’ve just eaten it all up and need to buy some soon! I put kale in everything from smoothies, raw salads, on top of pizza, stuffed in wraps, thrown in stir fries, torn into soups, and as a big steamed or sautéed pile on my plate. Kale chips are also a favorite snack of mine!

Spinach & Romaine

Spinach_SaladThese are pretty standard greens in my fridge. Believe it or not, I don’t use them primarily for salads (although yes, I do make delicious salads with them, too – like the one in this picture)! Primarily, I use both these greens in smoothies and juicing (spinach more for smoothies, romaine for juices). They’re so light and fresh and leave me feeling fan-freaking-tastic every time.

 

Unsweetened Original Almond Milk

This is my go-to milk. I use it in everything! Smoothies, gravies, baked goods, shakes, dressings, soups, and just as a cold glass with a cookie! I love how creamy almond milk is as compared to other milks, and the store-brand (HyVee) around here is only $2.49/half gallon. Compare that to $4.99/half gallon for “good quality” (organic, hormone-free, “grass fed”) cow’s milk, and it’s a considerable savings. Sometimes, I freeze almond milk in ice cube trays and then use for blending up deliciously thick and creamy shakes – combine with some silken tofu and you have a thick “Frosty” treat.

almond_milkI have tried other nondairy milks — like soy, rice, hemp, coconut “beverage”, and oat  — and like the texture and taste of almond best. Soy has a slightly sweet flavor (even unsweetened), and should be used moderately, rice milk is kind of watery but has a mild taste, hemp milk is thick and creamy but very expensive, coconut milk “beverage” (the kind in the carton) is very coconutty and thinner than almond milk, and oat definitely has a strong OAT taste, which may not be great in all dishes. Almond wins my vote. :)

Natural Peanut Butter & Almond Butter

I use nut butters in smoothies, on whole grain toast, swirled into oatmeal, in baked goods, blended into dressings/sauces, as a dip for fruits and veggies (apples, carrots, and celery are common for me), and of course by the spoonful. If you’ve never tried almond butter, you seriously need to go buy some (or make some) immediately. Seriously. Go. Now. ;) 

Nuts & Seeds (stored in the freezer)

Nuts_seedsKeep raw nuts and seeds fresh by storing in the fridge or freezer — the Omega fatty acids in nuts go rancid on the shelf after a few months, so its important to keep them cold in airtight containers and they will last for upwards of a few years! I always have these raw nuts and seeds on hand for baking, cooking, and snacking: walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, hemp seeds, and sesame seeds. When I first starting cooking and baking more plant-based, I didn’t have this variety in my kitchen all the time! So, it seemed like an uncomfortable (and expensive) shift to start stocking these regularly. However, now that they are “staples” in my kitchen, I use them often and buy intermittently, so the price doesn’t seem as shocking all at once. 

 

I know it can seem overwhelming trying to transition to a healthy kitchen and pantry all at once, so make changes as you can, with foods that you enjoy. Try new recipes each week that may utilize foods or ingredients you don’t typically stock, and then set a challenge to use those unfamiliar foods or ingredients in another way later on that week or next! These items would not have become staples in my life if I only depended on them for the occasional recipe that calls for it. Familiarize yourself with fresh foods, and get creative. 

After all, if you have healthy foods on hand (and DON’T have the crap food — like Cheetos or cream-of-mystery-stuff soups) then you won’t turn to the old patterns for comfort and ease. You’ll have to eat the good stuff, or it goes to waste (which really pisses me off when I waste food, so it’s a good motivator to eat it!). 

Watch and subscribe for my next post which will continue the theme of this one — Favorite Pantry Foods! You’ll get some insight into the things I regularly keep on hand to throw together healthful meals and snacks on a regular basis.

What are you favorite fridge foods? Do you share any of mine? Share your thoughts below!