Around the World in 80 Plates: Sweden

This next one is something I have been meaning to try for a long time. It is Swedish blender pancakes and this time I found the recipe in Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman. This is a recipe I knew Mac would love too since pancakes are his favourite thing. I think he would like it better if I just did an international tour of pancakes! I sort of mixed and matched this recipe actually. I used the recipe and technique from the book for the pancakes but the filling I decided to go with something more breakfast-y than the more dessert like filling in the book. After reading up on them, I decided to go with strawberries and cream. I mixed 1/2lb of thinly sliced organic strawberries with a 1/4 cup of homemade strawberry jam (again recipe from Canning for a New Generation) to slightly sweeten them but it also boosted the strawberry flavour of my not so tasty (or seasonal) berries. To make the cream, I decided to make a quick cashew cream that was slightly lemon-y. I mixed 3/4 cup of raw cashews with 1 tbsp bottled lemon juice, 1/2 cup of soy milk and 1/4 cup of maple syrup. I blended it on super high in my Vitamix for a minute or so, until it was creamy and smooth then let it sit in the fridge to get cool since the blender heats it up a bit. If you are making it with a standard blender you would want to soak the cashews for at least a few hours to soften them and make it easier to get them completely smooth. I mixed up a batch of pancake batter following the recipe from Hearty Vegan to a tee and made a few pancakes, filling and rolling as I went. Mac gobbled these up and I did too! The next day we even made a second batch and made sure to make more since my mom was joining us for breakfast. The good thing is, you can double the batter and it holds nicely in the fridge overnight making it easy to make them a couple of days in a row but not have to get out all the stuff each time! After making a few I realized the best bites were the browner, more caramelized parts so I let them cook a bit more than the first. My mom especially loved that part. They are also delicious just with syrup and (vegan) butter. They have become a most requested breakfast in our house!