Fluffy Pancakes with Blueberry Compote aside Coconut smothered Bananas

this recipe is quick & wonderful, it has become one of our favs. it is from a great little canadian mag, T.O.F.U..

i made this for a brunch one friday last november, & saved it as a blog draft, where is has been sitting until now. today i'll actually post it. *tsktsk* sorry, it got gobbled up so fast, i didn't get a pic. (just added a photo from another batch)

they are called fluffly pancakes, & they are. here, i have substituted the all white flour with whole wheat flour, so not quite so fluffy, but you could go retro. i also like to cut back the taste of baking powder in every recipe, so i changed that as well. here's my version...

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

1 1/2 cups soy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cup white flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp arrowroot
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartart
1/4 cup sunflower or safflower oil

add vinegar to milk, & let sit. meanwhile, sift dry ingredients. gently stir the milk into the dry mixture. let sit again, so the gluten has time to stretch. turn on the gas, & slowly warm the cast iron to almost hot. griddle your cakes any way you like. *wait 'til you see the bubbles, then flip*

perhaps next time, i'll try adding a few drop of maple extract... & some cinnamon to the batter.

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Blueberry Compote (any fruit compote)

see page 137, Vegan cupcakes Take over the World. as i'm unsure about copyright, i'll just tell you where i got the recipe, & the ingredients... blueberries, arrowroot, lemon juice, sweetness.

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thanks to my friend, Krista, for this next recipe. i think it would be nice to throw some spice (nutmeg, cardamon, anise) while the coconut milk is simmering. okay, i didn't have coconut cream, so i added some soy cream in its stead. can you really tell the difference? not authentic thai style, i added some star anise today. it wasn't particularly strong in licorice flavour, but added some depth.

Glooay buat chee,
Coconut smothered Bananas

3 bananas, ripeness depends on preference, i like mine just ripe
1/2 cup thick coconut cream
2 cups coconut milk
3-5 tbsp sugar, to taste (the more ripe the bananas, add less sugar)
1/2 tsp salt

Bring coconut milk to simmer over medium heat. meanwhile, peel the bananas, cut in half, then half again lengthwise.

Add the bananas, simmer until softened, a few mins, then add sugar & salt. once the sugar has completely dissolved, pour the cocounut cream into the saucepan, stir another minute. Remove from heat & serve.

if there is some leftover rice, throw it in & balance the starch with some extra sweetness.

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did you know?

"...that most monkeys eat bananas by pinching the bottom end of the banana -- NOT by peeling back from the stem end? Try it! The pressure from the pinching method creates a tear in the peel, and voila! -- the fruit is easily revealed and ready to munch on.

Besides the ease of peeling a banana the 'monkey way', an added advantage to this method is that once you eat your way to the bottom (the stem end -- it makes a nice "handle", by the way), the banana comes out easily, with no teeth or finger prompting.

Finally, those nasty clingy stringy things (which usually remain on the banana after you've peeled it the traditional way) can be more easily eliminated when you peel from the non-stem end. For some reason, the strings tend to stay attached to the skin when peeled non-traditionally. Thus an extra "string-removal step" is not needed, and you're able to enjoy your banana sooner."

thanks BananaBaker!

enjoy!