Vegan Hotcakes

I recently shared with you my Mexican Hotcakes recipe but I really wanted to create a vegan one for my vegan followers.  So today I present you with my Vegan Hotcakes!

These Vegan Hotcakes will be full of flavor, soft, and fluffy!  I know it sounds too good to be true but trust me even my non-vegan husband was not able to taste the difference; he is kind of a pancake snob.  His exact remarks “They are very good in flavor just a tad bit less fluffy than your regular pancakes.  I would have never known they were vegan.”

There is not much trick to them, except the way I substitute the banana and milk. I blend the banana and milk so much that it becomes frothy.  That gives me almost the same consistency as beating the egg whites, not exact but some air goes in it.  The second trick is using coconut oil (use organic, raw, unrefined coconut oil please) it works just like butter because they have the same cholesterol level, an important piece to a good pancake.

I hope you enjoy them!

Makes approximately 4 large pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 very ripe banana
1 cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

- In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Mix together well.

- In a blender, mix the coconut milk, banana, and vanilla.  Blend until it froths.  I used my nutribullet with the flat blade, which causes more froth.  The froth is very important if you want fluffy pancakes.

- Add the milk mixture into the flour and briefly mix together. Then add the coconut oil and mix briefly again. Here is the most tricky part, if you mix too much your pancakes will be tough! So restrain yourself. I promise lumps are TOTALLY ok!

The trick to this is to make sure that you don’t over work the flour! The more you mix the more tough everything will be. Mix to incorporate but don’t over do it.  Your end batter should be thick and it’s okay if there are some lumps.

Toppings used in Mexico: sweet condensed milk or Mexican Cajeta.

-  To cook them: usea low/medium hot pan.  Add a little bit of coconut oil, add the pancake batter, and cook them until you start seeing bubbles on the top.  You will know if they are ready if you are able to flip them without the batter running everywhere.  Make sure you use your heat wisely otherwise you will end up with brown pancakes that are uncooked on the inside; specially since coconut oil burns faster than most other oils.

Huevos Rancheros

To watch step by step instructions on this recipe click HERE.

Besides being a very traditional breakfast recipe of Mexico, Huevos Rancheros, is one of my favorite dishes to eat on Sunday mornings.

The first secret in making delicious Huevos Rancheros is in the salsa you prepare. It is important that you make it from scratch so you can have control of the flavor, the heat level you prefer, and of course because it’s much healthier. The salsa I prefer is a chunky tomato salsa with a little bit of heat.

My favorite egg to cook for this recipe is a basted egg.  However, you can cook your eggs whichever way you like best.

Yields Approximately 2 Cups of Salsa

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 chopped Serrano peppers
2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Eggs
Corn Tortillas*
2 Limes

Salsa Instructions:
- In a sauce pan bring 2 tablespoons of oil under medium heat.
- First, add the onion and sauté it for about 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and serrano peppers and sauté that for about 2 more minutes. You want to bring out the flavors of the onions, garlic, and serranos but not brown them.
- Sauté the cumin very quickly then add the tomatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Sauté this for about 3 minutes and add the cilantro.
- Lastly, add the water, lower the heat, and cook down the salsa for at least 15 minutes.

Egg Instructions:
- To baste the egg cover the bottom of a pan with some oil and bring it to medium heat.
- Crack an egg open and carefully drop it into the pan. Sprinkle a little bit of salt.
- Tilt your pan to bring the oil to one side and using a spoon grab some of the oil and pour it over your egg. This will help to cook the top part very lightly.
- Once the edges are a little crispy but the yolk is still runny the egg is done.

To plate Huevos Rancheros you place tortillas on the bottom, add your eggs on top, and top it with as much salsa as you want. I like to also sprinkle a generous amount of lime juice to bring some acidity and balance.

Provecho!

* To learn how to make corn tortillas from scratch read HERE or watch HERE.

Feel free to post your comments or questions.

All content © 2013 AdrianaGuillen.com All rights reserved. You may not take any images or content from this site without written permission.

Nopales Hash (Nopales con Papa)

I have come to the conclusion that my Nopales (prickly pear cactus) Soup will be the dish that people will remember me by.

It brings a smile to my face to know that more and more people are becoming knowledgeable of what this delicious and nutritious ingredient is all about.  As not many people know howto work with this ingredient and since I keep getting asked about other ways to eat it, I decided to share this very simple nopales recipe: Nopales con Papa.

This is a perfect side dish to any meal you would normally eat with potatoes. As a vegetarian or vegan, you can serve it next to your favorite type of beans and eat with corn tortillas to make a complete meal. For some heat eat eat with a pickled jalapeño.

Servings: approximately 4

Ingredients
2 prickly pear cactus pads
1 large potato
2 small onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 quart of water
2 tomatillo husks
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons of corn oil
Cilantro for garnish

- Buy cactus pads that have all the spines removed.
- Dice cactus pads and place in a pot with the water. Add one roughly chopped onion, all cloves of garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the cactus is soft.
- In the meantime, dice the potato and the remaining onion.
- In an extended pan heat the corn oil and add the potatoes. Cook under low heat.
- After about 5 minutes add the onions and continue cooking.
- By now, the cactus should be cooked. Drain all the liquid and remove the onion and garlic that was cooked with the cactus.
- Add the cactus to the potatoes and continue cooking on low heat.
- Now add the garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, black pepper, and oregano.
- Continue cooking for approximately 5 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked.
- To serve sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro.

Provecho!

Feel free to post your comments or questions.

All content © 2013 AdrianaGuillen.com All rights reserved. You may not take any images or content from this site without written permission.

Chilaquiles

Major Disclaimer: By any means this is not the most healthy meal, but it is delicious and very traditional non the less.

In my part of Mexico it is very common to wake up and drink a hot chocolate, an atole (cornmeal drink), a coffee, or tea along with a piece of bread or fruit; a very small desayuno (breakfast). Then, at about 10am to 11am you would sit down and have a great almuerzo (brunch) with your family. Obviously, this was easy because school often began later in the day and because almost everyone worked on their farms and they could come back home easily. Honestly, this was one of my favorite meals of the day. It meant getting together and enjoying life with a hearty meal, this way the rest of the meals of the day were very light. Between 2pm to 4pm you would have la comida (supper) and finally at about 8pm you would have a cena (a very light dinner). These eating habits were much healthier than the american version that I later became accustomed to. I attempt to stick to these meal times whenever possible, specially on a beautiful cloudy New York Saturday like today.

Enjoy one of my favorite Almuerzos!

Yields: approximately 2 plates

Ingredients:

10 corn tortillas
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped jalapeños
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup water
1 cup Salsa Roja
Or substitute any of the other salsas that I have on this site they all go great with this meal.
1/3 cup of corn oil
Eggs

Toppings:
I love to simply add some crema agria and little bit of lime juice to give it some acidity.
However, you could use:
Crema agria
Queso Fresco
Shredded cheese
Avocado
More salsa
etc.

An even easier way to make this dish is to use store bought Mexican Style corn chips. However, the authentic home taste will be lost.

- Using a small sauce pan place about 1/2 teaspoon of corn oil and add chopped onions. Using low heat sauté onions allowing them to caramelize (approximately 5 minutes).
- Once onions are caramelized, add your tomatoes and jalapeños.  Sauté for about 3 minutes, then add onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Finally, add your water.
- Allow all of the ingredients to incorporate and for most the water to evaporate.  When all incorporated add your Salsa Roja and simmer for about 4 minutes.
- Cut your corn tortillas into 1 inch squares. Making sure to cut the tortillas when cold to make it easier.
- In a deep pan, or deep fryer, heat your oil to 350 degrees.
- By a handful at a time, fry your tortilla chips.  They fry really fast, so make sure to take them out of the oil when they turn golden.  Don’t allow them to get brown or the taste will be awful. Moreover, don’t over crowd them or they won’t get crispy.
- Place your fried tortilla chips in a bowl with paper towels underneath, to remove any excess oil.
- Once all fried, in a new extended pan add about ½ tablespoon of oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Add your sauce to the pan and let the oil incorporate with it.
- Finally, mix your tortilla chips with the sauce and cover with a lid for about 2 minutes on low heat.
- Chilaquiles are done!!!
- Now all you have to do is make an egg however you would like, I highly recommend a fried egg.
- Don’t forget a sprinkle of lime juice.

Enjoy