Around the World in 80 Plates: Finland and a Giveaway!

Still in the pancake mood? Good! Today I have another type of pancake but these are from World Vegan Feast by Bryanna Clark Grogan (which by the way I won last year during Vegan Mofo!) and they are called Pannukakku or as Bryanna called them Yeasted Oven Pancake with Apple which rolls off my tongue a little easier but is way less fun! This one takes a little bit of planning since you have to let it rise (yeasted remember) so you will have to make sure to get up a bit early to get it started. It comes together quite quick and easy though so it's not too hard. I'm not entirely sure mine rose the way it should have but it tasted yummy and had a custard-y texture. Plus how can you resist all that yummy baked apple goodness on these?! We drizzled a bit of maple syrup over the top which took it over the top. Definitely one for a special brunch or any day that ends in -day!

I've decided as well that no Mofo is complete without a giveaway. I have been lucky enough to win a few goodies from other blogs and wanted to do something nice for those of you that have been joining me this month. I was trying to pick a book that I would like to give away from the ones I have been using lately and realized I couldn't pick. I decided to let the winner pick! Just leave a comment and you will be entered and if you are picked as the winner, you will get to choose one from the following books and I will buy it and send it to you! Pretty easy right?! And since my theme is Around the World so is this giveaway! It's open to anyone in the world, just leave a comment and let me know which book you would like to win. I will pick a winner on November 1st at 10am EST. Good luck!

If you win, you can choose one of the following:

Artisan Vegan Cheese
World Vegan Feast
Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites
Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day!
Vegan Eats World
The 30 Minute Vegan Taste of Europe
Nonna's Italian Kitchen
Vegan Food Gifts
The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions

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!

Around the World in 80 Plates: France

Like the reality cooking show, I will be spending a bit more time in France than some places. It is one of those countries that is synonymous with great food. I decided to start with crêpes since I knew my little man would love them too. I had tried the Ginger Pear Crêpes from Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day! back during testing and fell in love so I knew just where to go when I needed a recipe for the crêpes. I decided to change up the fillings since the ones in the book are more dessert like so I filled them with a combination of homemade strawberry jam and homemade peach jam (both from Canning for a New Generation) and drizzled it with some of Miyoko's yogurt from Artisan Vegan Cheese. I slightly sweetened the yogurt with some powdered sugar since it is not sweetened at all when you make it. Mac prefered his with just jam but I really loved the extra creaminess and tang that the yogurt was bringing to the party. A little sprinkle of powdered sugar on top for that fancy touch and hey the kid (and me, alright!) likes a little sugar on top!