flannel cakes

Brunch

Flannel Cakes. Hmm. Are they a pancake or a crepe or what? Has more than nine-tenth of the population never heard of these? I haven't. Until I came across a recipe for it and then I went in search. It was difficult for me to find information about this elusive cake; most people just liken them to pancakes, but in fact, as far as I know those facts, Flannel Cakes are lighter, fluffier and thinner than than traditional pancakes. They are supposed to be less dense than their counter-part and therefore less filling.

Now to find a recipe...most call for at least 4 eggs. Now normally I wouldn't even bat an eyelash - just skip 'em! No need for eggs in pancakes. But this made me think. If the cake is to be lighter, sort of halfway between a pancake and a crepe, than I couldn't just ignore the them. I had to replace them with something more than flour.

There is a recipe for Flannel Cakes in Flavors of the Southwest by Robert Oser, but it seemed too dense. BUT, he did use whole wheat bread soaked in milk as an ingredient. It was obvious to me that this would work, at least partly, so I used it for part of the recipe. The rest is flax seed meal and whole wheat flour.

The kids really loved it! It is important to cook these on low heat so they develop a nice crunch and cook all the way through without burning on the outside.

I served them with apples and maple syrup, to stay in the Auterr season.

Cost Breakdown:

whole wheat flour: $1

bread: $.50

almond milk: $1

flax: $.50

maple syrup: $.75

apples: $1

Total to feed 3 hungry kids:

$4.75

FLANNEL CAKE PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE 

mama's bean soup

I made this soup with 'Picnic' in mind. Since I have taken this soup in a thermos before, I know this would have been great. As it was, the hike was cancelled, but the soup was still made.

This is one of my mom's legacies. She used to make this for us all of the time, and luckily, this was one dish I actually paid attention to while she was making it. Have I mentioned that I resisted cooking until my youngest daughter was born, or more precisely, until we became vegan? Sad, but true. Now I have to dig really deep into the recesses of my memories to recall how most of my favorite recipes were made by my parents.

Traditionally this soup has sausage in it, but I don't miss it - not even a substitute - because the soup holds up so well on its own. It has subtle hints of garlic, which is brought by the roux, which also makes this kidney bean soup so creamy. This is where dry beans are a bonus since you flavor the beans with carrots, onions, and celery during their cooking.  A swirl of a  nondairy sour cream completes this hearty, warming soup.

As Ellen says, it is the season of Autter (not quite Summer or Autumn, but a blend of the two), and this soup is just right for it.

Cost Breakdown:

beans: $2

carrots, onion, celery: $2

garlic, Earth Balance, flour: $1

spices, herbs, paprika: $.50

sour 'cream': $1

Total to feed a family of 6:

$6.50