Spinach Pancakes with Salsa Fresca and Tofu Sour Cream

This past week I have been reading “The Professional Chef” like a novel and have made a list of 85 recipes I wanted to make vegan and healthy. The recipe for spinach pancakes stood out to me as something that would make a quick weeknight meal.

If you make sweet pancakes or any other type of fritter this is very similar. I added the salsa fresca because I thought a few more vegetables would be good. Tofu sour cream is great on anything and I like the counterpoint of the cold smooth texture on the hot pancakes.

It took well under 30 minutes to have this on the table. If you aren’t having soup or a salad with these pancakes then make this into two servings, otherwise it will not be enough to fill you up.

Spinach Pancakes with Salsa Fresca and Tofu Sour Cream
Serves 4

Pancake Ingredients:

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
¼ cup white corn meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons egg replacer
2 tablespoons warm water
1 cup almond milk
10 ounce box of frozen spinach defrosted and squeezed dry
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
1 tablespoon canola oil, for cooking

Salsa Ingredients:

1 yellow tomato, finely diced
1 red tomato, finely diced
1 cucumber, finely diced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

8 tablespoons tofu sour cream, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees to hold the pancakes.

For the pancakes combine the flour, corn meal, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl combine the egg replacer and warm water and whisk until frothy. Add the almond milk and whisk. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and whisk to combine. The consistency of the batter should be like traditional pancakes. Depending on the humidity level you may need to add a little additional water or almond milk to correct the consistency of the batter. When the batter consistency is right add the spinach and nutmeg to the batter and stir to evenly distribute the spinach in the batter.

Heat a heavy bottomed skillet with a little canola oil and cook the pancakes in batches over medium high heat until lightly browned on both sides and cooked through. The pancakes should be firm to the touch in the center. If you aren’t certain whether they are cooked through or not place them in a 300-degree oven for 15 minutes and they will surely be cooked through.

Hold the pancakes in a 200-degree oven while you finish dinner. They can stay here for at least an hour and probably longer.

To make the salsa dice all the vegetables into small dice (approximately ¼ inch) and add the vinegar. Toss to coat and allow the salsa to stand for at least 10 minutes. You will drain the salsa before serving so it doesn’t make the pancakes soggy.

To serve plate the pancakes with tofu sour cream on top and drained salsa in the middle.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 379.43
Calories From Fat (22%) - 81.6

Total Fat - 9.43g
Saturated Fat - 1.01g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 1064.25mg
Potassium - 4497.63mg
Total Carbohydrates - 60.05g
Fiber - 21.5g
Sugar - 5.31g
Protein - 28.15g

Comments:

Both my husband and I liked dinner tonight. I made the soup earlier so that the flavors could blend before we ate. The spinach pancakes came together quickly after we had our soup.

The trick to these pancakes is getting the consistency of the batter right. I keep my whole-wheat flour in the freezer, which causes it to be drier. To compensate I always need to add additional liquid to recipes. I gradually add water by the tablespoon or two until the consistency is correct. Don’t be afraid to do this, as I once was. If the batter is too thick your pancakes will be too heavy.