vegan and wheat-free delight!

I'm posting this for you, Io, since you asked about how I cope without eggs. Well, I have been taught the mysterious ways of the miracle egg replacer - ground flax seed. I get my flax seed whole and grind it myself in a coffee grinder dedicated to flax alone. I grind it quite fine, until it's basically a powder. You can usually buy it already ground in the health food store, but remember that once ground, flax oil tends to spoil fairly quickly, so store in the freezer once you open the package.


Here's a recipe for pancakes that uses neither wheat, nor dairy, nor eggs.

(Adapted from "Whole Foods for the Whole Family" - a La Leche League cookbook - yes, I was raised by a lactivist and quite a bit of the brainwashing stuck)


2 cups "milk" - soy, rice, almond, etc
6 Tbsp ground flax seed
12 Tbsp water
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour - any combination of: kamut, spelt, brown rice, rye, soy, oat, buckwheat (I usually do about half gluten flours and half gluten free) - you can also add rolled oats or other grain flakes, bran, wheat germ, cornmeal, or other flour or grain of your choice.
1/4 cup maple syrup, molasses, or brown sugar (can also use honey if you're not really vegan, as I am not)
1/4 cup oil or other fat


In a small bowl, mix the ground flax seed and water. Set aside and wait for it to get thick and gooey.


In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining wet ingredients, including the flax seed mixture, which should be a bit thick.


Add the wets to the drys, and mix just until large lumps disappear.


Cook as you would normal pancakes, over medium high heat in a greased skillet. Flip them when small bubbles appear, and remove when they stop steaming. Proceed to gorge yourself on these high fiber and protein-rich nuggets of goodness.


And just cause I am so crazy about cooking, here's another one. A little less granola this time.


Hal's Maple Chocolate Flax Brownies (from the fabulous Sarah Kramer's La Dolce Vegan)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup "milk"
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour - if you're me, you can use kamut or spelt, or whatever
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped - of course, you can use other nuts (or not, if you don't love them)

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil an 8x8 inch pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, ground flax seeds, maple syrup, oil, "milk," and vanilla. Let stand for 10 minutes, while you mix together the remaining ingredients, except chocolate chips. Combine wets and drys, and stir until just mixed. Pour into baking pan, sprinkle chocolate chips on top, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean. Let cool before cutting into squares.

Ahh, chocolate.