Chocolate Banana Pecan Pancakes !!

These vegan pancakes are magic, the best since Kerbey Lane's pumpkin pancakes.  There are 2 versions that are both worth a try even though banana chocolate sounds like it would trump.. it does not.  These are perfect with coffee the toasty pecans will make you cry happy tears.  They are so good they don't need syrup although my husband ate them with some strawberry jam and loved it.  I guess you really have to love food as much as I do for that affect?  Without further ado.

Vegan Chocolate Banana Pecan Pancakes:
1 cup Silk nog
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
1 tbsp chocolate syrup
1-2 mashed bananas, about .5 cup
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp nusalt, or salt
3 tbsp raw sugar or 1 packet raw stevia
1/3 cup pecan pieces, do not chop too finely

Mix ingredients from Silk to bananas in one bowl and the rest in another bowl.  Pour wet into dry and stir until fully mixed.  Pour onto hot griddle in 1/4 cup increments.  Flip when bubbles form and sides dry but work a large spatula under pancake gingerly since there is no oil in this pancake.  Let cook for another minute and then serve with some vegan margarine on top.  The more well done you let these get the more mouth watering the pecans will be from being toasted.

Vegan Nog Pancakes:
1 cup Silk nog
1 tsp organic vanilla
2 tbsp oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp nusalt, or salt
3 tbsp raw sugar or 1 packet raw stevia
1/8 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg, I would not suggest adding more just because you like it.
1/3 cup pecan pieces, not chopped too finely.

Mix wet ingredients in one bowl and dry in another.  Pour wet into dry and mix until smooth.  Scoop onto hot griddle in 1/4 cup increments, flipping when bubbles form and edges dry.  Cook for another minute.  The more well done these pancakes are cooked the more the pecans will toast and explode outrageous flavor in your mouth.  Do not add too much cinnamon or nutmeg or you will lose the subtlety and possibly mask the pecan flavor. 

Vegan Cupcakes of joy

WARNING, these cupcakes are so good you might try to eat them all in one sitting.  My favorite variations were with raspberry centers and strawberry jelly centers with chocolate chips melted on top.  My husbands were with chocolate chips and peanuts in the center.  They were so good we had them for breakfast.

Vegan Shupcakes

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp baking soda
.5 tsp nusalt, or salt
.5 cup coconut oil
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1.5 tsp vanilla
.25 cup agave nectar

Pour the vinegar into the milk and let sit until curdled.  In the meantime, mix together dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Pour in liquid coconut oil and then the wet ingredients.  It is important that the coconut oil is mixed before or after the other wet ingredients because the oil will harden if it is mixed with the cold ingredients.  At this point you can either mix in flavor variations or do it right in the cupcake cup so you can try different ones.  I use the mini cupcake maker so I spooned in batter then placed fruit/chocolate/nuts/etc.  on top and pushed them down with a butter knife, stirring a little.  Then I cooked them for 7 minutes.  I frosted some with a mixture of vanilla (.25 tsp), soymilk (1tbsp), and powdered sugar (.5 cup), and others by just melting chocolate chips (2) on top and spreading it around with a butter knife.  Be careful about mixing fruit into the entire batter mixture because when I did this with raspberries it caused the cupcakes not to rise.  Also, the raspberries taste better when they are whole.
Enjoy!