Whole Wheat Vegan Pancakes Fruit - A Nice Alternative to Syrup

Light and healthy whole wheat pancakes.

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Pancakes
Pancakes always seem like a special meal to me. Maybe because they are generally served on weekends when we have a bit more time. I used to love making little silver dollar-sized ones when the kids were little. And I'll admit that I occasionally still make the little guys for myself. 

Pancakes themselves can make a light and healthy meal. But when weighed down with butter on every layer and drowned in sugary syrup, not so much. A great alternative to that is to smother the pancakes in fresh berries and fruit. One of my favorite combinations is raspberries and chopped mangos. Bananas and strawberries or peaches and blueberries also make great toppings - the combinations are endless!  

A touch of powdered sugar goes a long way and makes a nice presentation. Place one half teaspoon of powdered sugar in a fine mesh strainer and shake over each serving of pancakes. One half teaspoon of powdered sugar only adds 5 calories.

Low sugar jam is another good alternative to butter and syrup. Low Sugar Strawberry Jam is delicious on pancakes or French toast. My eBook has an entire chapter dedicated to making healthy jam. 

But if you do use butter (or a vegan buttery spread) and syrup, use it sparingly. A little will give you the flavor you need. This stack of pancakes has only a single tablespoon of maple syrup over the top. 

Pancakes also make a great dinner when served with vegan sausage!

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Whole Wheat Pancakes
Vegan
[makes 4 servings]

1 cup King Arthur white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus some for griddle
1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar

Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a 1-quart pyrex pourable glass container. Stir to combine.

Mix the milk, oil, and maple syrup (or agave) in a 1-pint container.

Heat a large, lightly oiled griddle on medium heat.

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour pancakes onto the griddle using about 1/4 cup for each pancake.

Cook until you see bubbles on top, about 3 minutes or so. Flip over.

Cook another few minutes until done and brown on both sides.

Serve immediately. Top with fruit, low-sugar jam, or syrup.

Per serving (pancakes only): 153 calories, 5 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g protein, 21 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, and 597 mg sodium.

Fruit Salad With Avocado, Hemp Seeds And English Walnuts - A Healthy Breakfast Or A Food Combining Faux Pas?

Must I always eat fruit alone?

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Food Combining
Back in the mid-80's I read the book, "Fit for Life" by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. This was my first introduction to what is known as "food combining". I am mentioning this not because I'm endorsing or denying the benefits of carefully combining certain foods, but only because this recipe would be frowned upon by those who follow the strict guidelines of food combining.


For example, the number one rule of food combining is to eat fruits alone. Since fruit takes little effort to digest, they say that they should not be combined with more concentrated foods which stay in your stomach longer. There is a lengthy list of other rules on the order in which you should eat or combine foods. To follow these guidelines, one would have to quit their jobs and focus all their attention on how to properly plan their meals.


Here's my bottom line on this. If you are fairly healthy and eat a plant-centric diet of easily digestible foods, I don't think you have to pay that much attention to this. Eating shouldn't be this difficult. Of course if you are ill and your body has little energy to properly digest foods, then one should do everything possible to facilitate digestion. But when health conscious individuals ask me if they should food combine or eat according to their blood type or follow some other complicated food plan, I usually tell them not to stress out about it. Eat sensibly, listen to your body and adjust accordingly.


Back to the Fruit Salad
Now the number one problem with eating fruit by itself is that within a very short amount of time you'll be hungry again. You might even get a bit shaky from all the sugar in the fruit. Adding some healthy fat and protein to the salad will make you feel satisfied longer, even if it flies in the face of proper food combining. 


One delicious way to add good fat to a fruit salad is to add an avocado. Another way of adding good fat to the fruit salad, in addition to protein, is to add raw hemp seeds and English walnuts. Hemp seeds are one of the best sources of vegetarian protein with 5 teaspoons of hemp seeds providing as much protein as a hard boiled egg! And, of course, hemp seeds and English walnuts are excellent sources of ALA omega-3 fatty acids. Put them all together and you have a satisfying fruit salad that delivers 6 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and 1.7 grams of omega-3 fatty acid. And you won't be hungry in 30 minutes!


Here's an example of a fruit salad with avocado, nuts and seeds but feel free to substitute apples with pears, mango with peaches or papaya and grapes with a banana or strawberries.


Mixed Fruit Salad with Avocado, nuts and seeds
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
Makes 4 servings


1 cup diced mango
1 apple, cored and diced with skin
1 cup seedless red grapes
1 California avocado, peeled, pit removed and diced
1/4 cup raw hemp seeds
1/4 cup English walnut pieces


Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.


Per serving: 232.8 calories, 14.6 grams fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 1.7 g ALA omega-3 and 6.0 g omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 6.1 g protein, 22.7 g carbohydrates and 4.8 mg sodium.