Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, in a land of tropical fruit trees and rice plantations, there was a young girl named Carla, who was crowned the “Princess of Picky Eaters.” In this faraway land, animal meat was deemed as the holiest of foods. Well, after their beloved rice, of course. Children, Carla the Picky Eater included, were often told by their well-meaning elders that they’re lucky to have animal meat served on their plates because there were those less fortunate than they are who didn’t even have a grain of rice to eat. With this kind of talk, Carla ate the meat served to her though with a heavy heart and clenched teeth.

One day, an aunt scolded Carla for chewing on the same piece of steak for 10 whole minutes. She couldn’t for the life of her bring herself to swallow that steak. After some angry  scolding, Carla managed chow down that one piece. With a heavy heart, she forced herself to hold back her tears. She ate the rice and cut the steak in tiny pieces. It took her more than an hour to eat enough and so her aunt told her to just leave her plate and go to her room. Still hungry, little Carla dreamt of the actual food she liked: banana, peanut butter and local strawberry jam. The one with the whole strawberries of course! She heard a knock on her door and just like a fairy godmother, her grandmother brought her a plate of peanut butter & jelly sandwiches! It was gooey and the strawberry jam oozed out of the bread when she squeezed it. The young girl chewed and chowed and eat her sandwich in five minutes.

… and she lived happily ever after. (I wish.)

But it’s true. I was a problem child. I didn’t like all meat, I abhorred beef—it’s just so heavy. I felt so bad for the pigs as well. My brother had chickens growing up so chickens were more like pets to us. Although, I must admit that I did like fish and seafood, growing up near the ocean and all. I think when I started my vegan journey, fish was the hardest for me to give up. Of course, seeing the actual damage fishing produces to our bodies of water as well as to the defenceless species of fish brings me back to our sad reality. (As a side note, I must admit that I’m not the best vegan out there, but I’m trying my hardest not to purchase leather or fur. I’ll explore this subject more on another post.)

This story also brings me back to my early days as a peanut butter & jelly enthusiast. I have years of discovery and trial here, mixing various sorts of peanut butter (crunchy, smooth, flavoured) with different fruit jams. I’ve had tropical jams (pineapple, mango, passion fruit), “normal” jams (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry) and artisan jams (fig & ginger, blood orange with rosemary, strawberry & basil). But nothing beats strawberry jam, I have to say. (Another side note, I’m an advocate for creativity, but honestly, some jam flavour ideas do sound, well, “sophisticated,” but I reckon they should never be conceived.)

But always with banana slices.

So, after all this intermission, I want to focus on what this recipe post is for. It’s been a long while since I’ve made homemade pancakes. I’ll blame it on my Sunday laziness. And the fact that since Sundays are usually my run-days, I really don’t want to take another hour just to prepare breakfast. Today, however, after running 8 km on thick snow and a rather disappointing flour-y blueberry pancakes from Aux Vivres (everything else is a-okay), I wanted to make myself pancakes BUT with peanut butter and fresh berries. I do avoid jams now because of the sugar content. I’ll go for fresh fruits on the side if I’m having a peanut butter sandwich now as an adult (but with a banana of course). Just thinking about this recipe makes me want to make another batch.

Vegan and Gluten-Free PB&J Pancakes
Serves 2 (makes 6 pancakes)

Ingredients:

In a medium bowl, mix together mashed banana, flour, almond milk, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Heat a non-stick pan. When hot enough, lower the heat and pour batter 1/3 cup at a time. Flip pancakes after 2-3 minutes or when bubbles appear. Cool on a wire rack.

For the peanut butter sauce, in a small bowl, mix peanut butter and hot water. Gradually add more water depending on the consistency desired.

Place pancakes on a plate and serve with fresh berries and banana. Drizzle peanut butter sauce.

Enjoy! xxx