For those who wonder: we are not vegan. Not even vegetarian. But with milk and egg allergies in the family, anything without meat should probably be vegan - even with notable exceptions like the tira-not-quite-so, posted previously. But that's a once-or-twice a year food, and these are more like weekly, so it makes a big difference to have an allergy-free version on this one.
(Measurements are all approximate)
2 1/2 c rolled oats, quick or standard
3 c white flour
1 T baking powder
1 heaping teaspoon sugar
1/2 T vinegar
1 scant quarter cup of oil (I like olive)
water
Mix-ins: canned fruit; nuts/seeds; spices
The sugar, vinegar, and oil are all to improve flavor/ texture. A teaspoon of salt is also helpful that way, but I never add it. I've left out the other three- even at the same time - and the food still works. And sometimes I'll substitute half a cup of the white flour with Semolina (also known as Germaid or Farina); sometimes I'll substitute even more for whole wheat flour or whatever else I have on hand that's nutritious. Needless to say, if you can find rolled six- or nine- grain cereal, you can substitute as much as you want for the oats. Unfortunately, amaranth, quinoa, millet, and cracked cereals all come out too crunchy. I'm fairly sure that if I were to start it all soaking the night before I could get them to work, but waffles/pancakes generally a spur-of-the-moment decision, so there you are. Leftover potato flakes, mashed potatoes, wheat germ, and so forth are also good additions, but they're not regulars for us, so I'll let you figure that out for yourself.
Mix all the above ingredients, whatever you're using, together. Should be somewhat crumbly. Nuts and seeds (sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, cashews, flaxseed) can go in now or after the water, depending on when you remember them. Somehow they're just hard to mix along with the fruit.
Put in any fruit you want to use: a large can of pineapple tidbits is our favorite, though canned blueberries work well, too. With the blueberries, you can save the juice and make syrup out of it by adding sugar and boiling until translucent. With pineapple, I just pour the juice in, too - and I always leave out the vinegar if I'm using pineapple. Canned peaches are a bit sticky, leaving unhappy burnt bits, so I save those for topping. Canned pumpkin seems to work well.
Now, add water. I usually just stick it under the faucet and cover the surface, stir it in, and repeat until I have a slightly thin batter. As I'm heating the skillet, making syrup, etc, this will thicken. In fact, this batter thickens more the longer you let it sit- I often add water two or three times through the course of cooking a batch.
Now, nuts and seeds, and spices. With pumpkin (or without fruit) I especially like cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and maybe some fenugreek. I like Pineapple plain or maybe with cardamom; and I like blueberries by themselves. I think flaxseed seems to go well with almost anything in this.
Further note: use the batter while it's thinner for pancakes, and when it thickens up for waffles. Enjoy!
