It's officially autumn. And all I want is blankets and baths and books and pumpkin bread.  I have two secret weapons. One is my Banana Bread. The other is this Pumpkin Walnut Bread.

That's right, I said it. These are perfection.

I've been trying for a WHILE to master the perfect pancake, and by golly I think I've done it.

The fluff factor of these bad boys are on point and the lemon and blueberry give them just the right amount of freshness.

Ohmygoodness. They are everything that is right and good in this world.

Whoever said vegan food is lame? These taste EXACTLY like the buttermilk pancakes I remember as a kid.

Make them. Do it. You can thank me later.

Recipea:
Makes 3 large pancakes. 
Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins

3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
Big ol' handful of blueberries
3 teaspoons vegan butter

In a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
Add lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. There'll be a fizzy reaction with the baking soda (ooh, science!).
Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and almond milk and stir until just combined.
Fold in the blueberries (however many you like).

In a preheated medium pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 teaspoon of the butter and pour 1/3 of the batter onto the pan, forming a large pancake. Let cook for 3-4 minutes, or until bubbles begin rising to the surface and popping in the center of the pancake. Flip and let cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side. Remove and set aside. Repeat this until you're done with the batter (there should be enough batter for about 3 large pancakes). Top with some more fresh zest and blueberries, maple syrup, and/or maybe even a little powdered sugar. Eat your heart out :]

 

HOLY YUM.

So I've been going through a serious soba noodle phase lately. I've been eating them in soups, stir frys, green curries... just about anything. But I think this sweet and spicy peanut hoisin sauce might take the cake for my best soba noodle creation of them all.

This sauce is creamy, has the perfect little kick, and works wonders as the star of an already glowing soba noodle bowl. :]

I paired mine with some stir fried veggies and crispy kale to give the final dish some dimension and crunch.

This works as much as a showstopper main for dinner with friends as it does a great quick mid-week meal.

Give it a whirl and see what you think!

Recipea:
Serves 2-3
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes

Sauce:
3 tablespoons smooth, natural peanut butter
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoon fresh finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon fresh finely grated garlic
4-5 tablespoons warm water

Stir fried veggies:
Choose 3-4 cups of whatever fresh veggies you'd like. I used a prepack mix of mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts.

5 oz soba noodles

4 cups chopped kale
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
Ground salt and pepper
Chopped green onion


Massage the kale with olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Lay it onto a baking sheet and cook in a 180 degree celsius oven for 10 minutes or until dark green and crispy.

While that's in the oven, place all the sauce ingredients into a jar and shake to combine.

Place veggies into a medium pan over medium high heat with a few tablespoons of water until tender.

While those are cooking, submerge soba noodles into boiling water for 5-7 minutes or until soft.

Drain noodles and toss in sweet and spicy sauce.

Serve with stir fried veggies and top with crispy kale and chopped green onion. You can either serve separately, or combine them all into a bowl... Handily, I've shown you both options below... Ok fine, it was my way of rationalising eating two servings. Don't judge me. When you make this, you'll understand.

Enjoy!