Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

Oh, it's been one of those weeks.  I feel as though I'm frantically running around, grabbing at strings, trying to pull together loose ends.  On the plus side:

1. I managed to find a steal of a deal on some plane tickets to Portland, OR.  $230 for 2 roundtrip tickets...yes, please!  We'll be flying out this weekend and staying there for a week.  It'll be Maks' first plane ride, and we've kept our vacation calendar entirely empty throughout the trip so that we can work around our 5 month old's schedule.  The timing couldn't be more perfect; I can't wait to soak in all of the beautiful Fall scenery. 
2. Speaking of scenery, our house was beginning to feel cluttered (I know, I know.  Neither Bryon nor myself are sentimental, and we don't hold on to things for very long if they're not getting used.  But, IT'S FALL Y'ALL!  And with the change in seasons, we needed to purge.  Instead of boxing up all of our unused miscellaneous items (clothes, household goods, etc.) and dropping them off at Goodwill, I posted them on a virtual yard-sale and managed to collect $261 in just 1 day.  Score!
3. In the spirit of doing all things backwards, we enjoyed breakfast for dinner.  (Note to self: Must. Do. More. Often.)  These Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes are so delicious that I'm getting hungry just thinking about sharing the recipe with you!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour (I always use some form of whole wheat/whole wheat pastry/whole wheat white)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup natural sugar cane

pinch of fine sea salt

1/3 cup poppy seeds

zest of 4 lemons

2 tablespoons lemon juice + enough original almond milk to equal a total of 2 cups of liquid

2 egg replacer equivalents (I use EnerG Egg Replacer)

2 tablespoons melted butter (I use Earth Balance) + more for the frying pan and serving

optional: strawberries and maple syrup (for serving)

First, combine the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with enough original almond milk to equal a total of 2 cups.  Let this sit for 5 minutes (it may look curdled), and set aside.  

Next, combine the first 5 ingredients in mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the lemon-milk, egg replacer, butter, lemon zest and poppy seeds.  Once well mixed, add the wet to the dry. Whisk until just combined.

Heat a frying pan on medium-high.  Coat the pan with some butter.  Use approximately 1/3 cup for each pancake.  

I've found that it works best to fry for about 3 minutes on the first side, then flip with a spatula and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side.  You'll know it's time to flip when the batter is golden.  I also turn my oven to about 200 degrees F and store the pancakes there while I'm frying the next round.  This way they all stay warm until I'm finished frying the last batch and we're ready to eat (makes about 10 pancakes).

I highly recommend serving with fresh strawberries and maple syrup!

Heck, we went all out and had fresh orange juice for dinner, too!

Ok, so my husband gets really excited about having this meal for dinner.  I mean, we typically don't serve our meals on the cutting board.  Bryon just didn't want to waste a single second plating the food onto serving dishes.  And, let's face it - I couldn't argue!

Yum!  This one is tasty down to the very last bite!

*I apologize, but I don't have the source for this original recipe.  All I could fine was chicken-scratch (outlined above) detailing how I've made the recipe vegan and as tasty/healthy as possible.*