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.

Vegan Pozole

Christmas time in Mexico, was always a very special experience for me.  My family would gather at my grandmas home on Christmas Eve and we would line up table after table of delicious food.  Our feast would begin at about 9 p.m. and we would all sit and enjoy every dish presented to us.  At about 11 p.m. we would start caroling or as we call it in Mexico, posadas.  Posadas are a type of caroling that re-play the experience that Mother Mary and Joseph went through as they asked for a place to stay before giving birth to baby Jesus.  At exactly midnight, we would do a lullaby for baby Jesus then place him to sleep in the nativity set.  Soon after, we would gather to break a piñata filled with candy and fruits (including sugar canes) that even the adults would get a chance to hit while blindfolded.  Lastly, we would start a bonfire and sit and talk until the morning hours.  Later in that day, after we rested for a couple of hours, we would eat all of the left overs and reminisce about the night before.

Obviously, I am nostalgic about Christmas time in Mexico as everything was about being with family, keeping the traditions of posadas, and eating delicious food.  Our family never worry about presents but only about what delicious meal to bring to our gatherings.  Besides Tamales the second this that was always present during Christmas was a delicious soup called Pozole.

Pozole is a dried chile based soup with hominy*, topped with fresh cabbage, onions, cilantro, and lime juice.  Traditionally, this soup is made with pork but today I present you with a delicious and easy vegetarian version of Pozole.

Yields approximately 4 servings

Ingredients:

10 chiles Guajillo
2 puya peppers
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon salt
1.5 hydrating liquid from chiles
1/4 cup corn oil
1 29 oz can of cooked hominy (rinsed)
1/4 of small white onion
7 scallions (roughly chopped)
2 bay leaves
4 inch stick of fresh marjoram
2 “Not-Beef Buillon” cubes
5 cups water

- Remove all the stems from guajillo and puya chiles. Open up and remove all seeds and veins while cutting up into pieces with your hands.

- Boil about 1 quart of water and add the dried chiles.  Hydrate for about 5-7 minutes and remove from heat.

- Place all chiles in blender and add garlic, cumin, black pepper, salt, and 1.5 cups of hydrating liquid from the chiles. Blend until very smooth.

- Once sauce is very smooth, strain in a fine mesh strainer to remove all chile skins.

- In a large pot add the corn oil and the sauce together. Turn on the heat to medium and stir, stir, and stir until everything is fully incorporated (approximately 5 minutes).

- Now you are ready to add all of the other ingredients: hominy, onion, scallions, bay leaves, marjoram, Buillon cubes, and water.

- Bring everything to a boil then lower heat. Cook everything under low heat for approximately 40 minutes.
It’s ready!

A pozole is not ready until you serve it with shredded cabbage, chopped onions, cilantro, and TONS of lime. In my family we always add extra heat by serving it with my Salsa de Jitomate.

Provecho!

*Dried corn that has been hydrated in an alkili solution that removes the hull and germ, making it easier for our bodies to digest.

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.

Xoconostle Pico de Gallo

In my part of Mexico, where cacti grow abundantly, we eat so much of what a cactus has to offer.  Not only do we eat the cactus pod, the sweet fruits like tunas and pitayas, but also the sour fruit called xoconostles.  Pronounced hoko-nose-leh.

Xoconostles have been used for thousands of years and they are finally making their way into Mexican markets all overUnited States. They look something like this:

During my dad’s recent visit to Mexico, he brought me back some extremely fresh xoconostles.  I am trying to be gentle with them and make them last because there is nothing like wild xoconostles from my village.

The recipe I show you today is one of the most simple ways to introduce anyone to this sour fruit: Pico de Gallo.  A dimension of sourness that’s unlike any other, will be added to this pico by the xoconostle. Be prepared, you’re going to love it!

Yields approximately 2 cups

Ingredients:
6 xoconostles
1/3 cup chopped white onion
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup cilantro
6 dried chiles de arbol
1 lime
Salt to taste

- Cut the ends of the xoconostles and peel completely.
- Now you have to remove the seeds. Cut xoconostles in half. Using a small spoon remove the seeds.

- Chop the xoconostles and mix with the other chopped items in a bowl.
- Using a molcajete, mortal and pestle, or spice grinder grind the chiles de arbol into flakes. Add the flakes to the other items.
- Lastly, add the juice of the lime and salt to taste (approximately 1/2 teaspoon).

Now you can eat this pico de gallo as you would any other pico. Add it as a topping for tacos, salads, burritos, etc. My favorite way to eat it is on top of a nice bowl of frijoles de la olla with some small pieces of corn tortilla mixed in there. You can find my recipe for these Mayocoba beans here.

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.

Salsa Verde

- Remove husks from tomatillos and wash to get rid of sticky film.
- Boil about 1 quart of water water and add tomatillos and jalpeños.
- Once tomatillos and jalapeños are cooked through (7 to 10mins) remove from heat.
- Place all tomatillos and jalapeños in blender and blend until smooth or desired consistency.
- Add salt to taste

Another easy salsa!!

This salsa is great as a topping for food or you can sauté with a little bit of corn oil and add it to proteins. Perfect for pork carnitas.

Yields approximately: 2 cups

Ingredients
6 tomatillos (medium to large)
3 Jalapeños
Salt to taste

To add some more dimension chop some:
- White onions
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Mix it all in and now you have an amazing Chunky Salsa Verde.