Almost Vegan Whole Wheat Banana Berry Pancakes

It's raining, kinda chilly, and I've got nothing to do.  To me, this is a sign that I should not get dressed and should make pancakes in my slippers.  It's also almost Passover, so bring on the chametz baby!

Though typically a breakfast food, you'll enjoy this healthy version at any time of day.  Add ice cream to make it not so healthy and serve for dessert.

This recipe is just as easy as making them from a box, so toss away the preservatives and increase the taste factor by preparing these bad boys from scratch.  

What you'll need (for about 10 good sized pancakes):

2 cups whole wheat flour

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (not soda!)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups almond milk

1 egg (can be replaced with an extra banana to make it 100% vegan)

3 tablespoons oil

1 banana

1 cup fresh or frozen berries (I used blueberries and raspberries)

corn syrup - for topping!

What to do:

• Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl
• Mash banana, add wet ingredients, and mix together with the dry bowl
• Stir well, ensuring all flour pockets are destroyed (yes, DESTROYED)
• If batter is too runny, add flour
• If batter is too thick, add more milk (pretty easy, right?)
• Add fruit of your choice and/or chocolate if you must
• Heat pan (medium to high heat) and add a bit of butter or oil
• Spoon batter into pan and flip when the edges start to harden (typically, the flipping point for pancakes is bubbling but the whole wheat kind of kills that part)
• Keep pancakes in the oven until you're ready to serve

I'm sure you've made pancakes before, and if not, you'll get the hang of it.  Don't get discouraged by the first one - they tend to suck.  Serve with your favourite syrup and coffee.

Tuna Gourmelt

If your current method for making tuna melts is mixing tuna with mayo, throwing it on a piece of bread, and blanketing it with a piece of processed cheese, then keep reading.  This variation from that classic after school snack will please you and appease you.  If you're as big of a fan of hot lunches as I am, you'll surely enjoy this easy fix.  And if you don't want to stray too far from the "classic", then you can keep your beloved processed cheese in the mix.

What you will need:

fresh whole wheat bread or bun

canned tuna

tomato

green olives

cheddar cheese

egg

mayo (optional)

salt and pepper

To start:

• Boil water for your egg (hard boiled = 8 minutes)
• Pre-heat oven to 350 C
• In mixing bowl, combine tuna, mayo, chopped tomato, cheese, green olives, and salt and pepper
• Once egg is done, peel and chop directly into mix
• Combine well (add a little sriracha sauce if you like it spicy) and scoop onto bread
• Pop pieces in the oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is toasty

It doesn't get much easier than this folks!  Add a salad, and you've got yourself a pretty balanced meal - awesome breath included!