Some of you may be hurriedly buying confectionary and treats for a special someone in time for Valentine's Day tomorrow, but that isn't the only festive food occasion occurring this week.
No, in England, and no doubt many other countries in the world it is Shrove Tuesday, most commonly know as Pancake Day!
Now, I'm sure most of us don't need a special day set aside to acknowledge how awesome pancakes are, nor are they (or should they be reserved for strictly one day a year), so what is this day all about?!
Well, like a lot of other modern festivities in Western cultures, it's origins are entirely religious and this one is directly related to the Christian festival of Lent.
The word shrove means:
impose penance on (a sinner).
to grant absolution to (a penitent).
What is Lent?
Lent is a Christian Festival where people try to replicate the suffering of Jesus as he journeyed through the desert for 40 days and 40 nights.
To this day, people use Lent as a means to test their willpower by giving up things like alcohol or chocolate before Easter.
So what do pancakes have to do with it?
Well actually, there is a logical explanation!
Regardless of what you choose to have on, or in, your pancake, the traditional ingredients are usually the same; eggs, flour and milk - UNLESS YOU'RE VEGAN 😁
In days gone by these key ingredients were once very common things to give up for Lent, so it made sense to use them all up in one handy dish the day before Lent started. Enter Pancake Day!
So basically for centuries people, even the non- religious have been using Lent as an excuse to binge on pancake once a year!
And on that note, here's how to make your very own delicious vegan pancakes!
Ingredients (Makes about 10 small pancakes):
- 1 1/4 cups of plain flour
- 2 very ripe bananas
- 2 Tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup of blueberries
- 1/4 Tsp salt
- 1 cup of rice milk ( or other milk alternative of your choice)
- 1 Tsp chia seeds
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Tsp Agave Syrup
- 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup/ agave syrup for garnish
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, add your milk and apple cider vinegar. Stir well and leave to one side for 5 minutes.
- Cut 1 1/2 bananas into small pieces and mash using a fork. Save 1/2 of a banana for garnish.
- Add everything apart from the mashed banana to your flour mixture, mix with a hand blender until smooth.
- Add the mashed banana to the mixture and stir well. (If you want a smoother consistency without lumps of banana blend the mixture until it is smooth.)
- Heat a little coconut oil in a pan on a medium heat.
- Once hot, pour a little pancake mix into the pan. I used a small ramekin to help to portion the mixture and retain shape- Pour the mixture into the ramekin, flip it upside down onto the hot pan, leave for 2 seconds then remove.
- Put a lid on the pan and cook until bubbles stop forming on the surface of the pancake.
- Then flip, continue to cook until both sides are nicely golden.
- When the pancakes are almost ready, add the blueberries and a little agave syrup to a separate pan on a low heat and warm for 2 minutes.
- Serve the pancakes stacked, adding the rest of the sliced banana, blueberries, a sprinkle of chia seeds and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.
There you have it, yummy perfect little golden pancakes!
This is the best vegan pancake recipe I have tried, it seems practically fool proof!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe, if you did please upvote, comment and follow me on @lolzwithlisa for more travel and vegan food posts.