My favorite bookstore resides in Arizona: Changing Hands. It’s a charming little boutiquey second hand bookstore loaded with beautiful, intricate trinkets strategically placed to ignite any retail therapy that you may need. The cook book section is sprinkled with unique little kitchen-gadgets and the children’s section is dusted with glittery fairy-wear so that little girls can feel like they’re a little closer to magic. Did I mention that this bookstore shares its building with one of my favorite bakery-restaurant chains in Arizona? Wildflower Bread Company. Which is, you know, just awesome for someone who has no willpower when it comes to sweets (aka me). I mean, one cannot simply walk into a bookstore that opens up to a bakery without buying a pastry and a coffee …and then maybe another pastry. (Why is it that books, coffee, and pastries go so well together? Boost your brain while you get fat. Sounds good to me!!). Wildflower not only has great pastries, but they have, hands down, the best Greek salad that you will ever eat in the entirety of your human life. I’ve been trying to re-create it and when I do I’m going to blog the shit out of it. Be prepared. Wildflower also provides its customers with the opportunity to experience perfect fluffy pancakes topped with a berry compote. As of recently, I have been craving these pancakes, but do not have the time nor the inclination to fly 2,000 miles across the country to get it, so I’m making them myself. Vegan style. These pancakes are the perfect cornbread pancake. They’re fluffy. They’re tasty and they don’t fall apart (bonus!).
Blueberry Syrup Ingredients:
3 cups of washed blueberries
3 tablespoons of grapeseed oil (or any baking oil)
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the blueberries and the oil together until blueberries are lightly coated with the grapeseed oil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Vegan Cornbread Pancake Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c dairy-free milk (I used oat milk)
1 Tbsp grapeseed oil (or any type of baking oil)
2 Tbsp applesauce
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Directions:
In a medium bowl stir together dry ingredients until well combined. Add milk, oil, applesauce, vanilla and maple syrup and stir until well combined. Heat 1 tbsp of oil (I used grapeseed oil) or vegan butter in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Place a 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan and immediately form into a pancake shape with a spoon. Allow the bottom of the pancake to cook before flipping it. You’ll know that it’s cooked on the bottom once little bubbles in the batter start to form. Flip and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 3 more minutes. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
Healthy Simple Cooking 