I don't usually cook vegan things, but these pancakes caught my attention with their coconutty, tropical flavors. We skipped the pistachios because of my sensitivity to nuts, but I think they would be a delicious addition, along with a scoop of Greek yogurt. Kevin thought they were good, but added that he doesn't think he could go vegan. The coconut added a nice texture, they were fluffy, light, and full of flavor. The tropical salad was amazing and we snarfed it down the next day in school lunches! We have heard a lot about Mark Bittman, and while I haven't really made any of his food, we thought these were good. I think I'll have to check out more of his books now.
Adapted from Bon Appetit January 2011
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unsweetened coconut
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp baking soda
one 13 1/2 oz can light unsweetened coconut milk (about 1 2/3 cup)
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp vanilla
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, and baking soda. Set aside.
Using a smaller bowl, mix together the coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and 1 1/4 cups of warm water. Pour into the dry mixture, stirring as you go, until you get a pourable mixture.
I use a non stick electric griddle-just grease it with a little oil and turn it on, and when it's hot pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto it and smooth them out into pancakes about 4 inches around. Let them cook until browned on the bottom and bubbly on top, then flip and cook the other side until golden.
Put your finished pancakes on a cookie sheet in the oven, set at it's lowest setting to keep them warm.
Serve with tropical fruit salad (below), maple syrup, and sprinkle with pistachios.
Makes about 20 pancakes.
Tropical Fruit Salad:
1 cup diced pineapple
1 cup diced mango
1 cup diced banana
2 tbsp maple syrup
Mix everything in a bowl and serve immediately. If you are going to serve it later, add the banana just before serving so it doesn't turn brown.
