Category: recipe

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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.

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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!

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A Recipe for Health and Happiness

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a perfect “recipe” for your health and happiness?

Something like: 10,000 steps in the clean fresh air, 2 ½ cups of kale, 3 tsp of spirulina, 1 cup of brown rice, 1 apple, 8 oz. of celery juice, and 30 minutes of yoga per day. Consume daily, and add 1 supportive spouse, 2 respectful children, 1 well-cleaned home, 1-week tropical vacation, and a lifetime of empowering and lucrative work to round out the happiness factor. Voila! 

I jest of course, but wow, that would be nice.

It would be nice if there was a simple equation to ensure you could do and have all that you want in your health and happiness… that if you eat juuuuuust the right combination of things, and earn juuuust enough, and have juuuust enough skills in stress-management, you can somehow successfully manage your weight, internal health, physical fitness, financial security, relationships, and mental wellbeing all at once.

It’s a fools game, really. 

I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out that magical balance, both in my own life and for others whom I have coached. And the reality is that it shifts infinitely through life as you grow, as situations change, relationships fail and rebloom, and bodies age. There isn’t a perfect fit for everyone that will lend to that ever elusive “health and happiness” balance we all strive for.

So what on earth could I be offering, now that I’ve said no “one thing” can work to make it happen? 

What I can do is offer you a chance at a step in a direction that brings you joy. A lifestyle transition that resonates with the peace you long to feel, and the pleasure of foods your body craves. 

We are always in transition in this life. We are always in a process of “becoming”… evolving into a slightly different and more wisened version of ourselves. Through our experiences, our wins and failures, we are always tweaking that “recipe” for health and happiness – taking a little of this and that, and making it work for whatever we are going through. 

As it looks right now, in the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all experiencing an upheaval of our “recipes”. So for many, now may be the time to adapt to what a new normal may look like… and to begin including new healthy habits and foods to your recipe. 

Here is wishing you a most beautiful, healthful, and enriching new recipe. 

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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. 

 

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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…

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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). 

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Easy Orzo Salad

 I love orzo. I love it’s strange texture – a cross between pasta and rice – and that it’s such a quick, easy dish to cook up.

At Pomegranate Market, there is an orzo salad that I’ve tried and enjoy, but there are a few downsides to it: 1) it is loaded with black olives, and I’m just not a fan; 2) it uses white orzo (refined grain). So last night for a quick dinner, I wanted to experiment with a dish that could be eaten warm from the pan, or cold as a summer salad. You can experiment with this idea and use any vegetables you have on hand or enjoy. You can also skip the water sauté and simply add all the veggies raw for more crunch (massage the kale first and let it soften with a little oil), or cook all the veggies instead. I am sure halved cherry tomatoes would be lovely in this salad, too. Make it more substantial by adding a cup or two of beans (white beans, yum!) or by crumbling in fried tempeh.

I’m a big fan of flexible cooking. Have fun with your meals, mix it up, and enjoy!

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