Uncompromised (vegan) Excess

Flax Crepes 2

Happy 12th! On this, the forty-third day of the Gregorian calendar, Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln were born, we arrived two days into The Year of the Snake (Gung Hay Fat Choy, incidentally), and the day was named Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, or Pączki (pronounced punts-key) Day, if you’re Polish or on the East Coast. If you’re in the UK or its Commonwealth nations, it’s simply Pancake Day.

It’s always interesting when traditional celebrations become unmoored from the facts of the tradition. The pancakes – pączki, doughnuts, blintzes or beignets – are symbolic. We’re supposed to be indulging in excess before the simplicity and austerity of Lent. What’s funny is that in the U.S., most people don’t do anything about Mardi Gras unless a.) they’re going to NOLA for the big parade/party/drunkfest, or b.) if they’re Catholic/otherwise liturgical, and it’s part of their religious observance. As we’re neither big on crowds, hedonism or New Orleans, nor are we liturgy people (more’s the pity), until we moved to the UK, we didn’t do the whole pancake thing. However! February in Scotland, with its relentless drip and endless dreich drove us to a great need for celebration. We were SO prepared for an excuse for sweetness and butter. On with the pancakes!

Hold up a moment, though. Even a planned excess has to come with a tiny compromise, or tomorrow will be more than regrettable. Today’s food of revelry is going to contain no eggs, and no milk… does that mean it’s no longer a celebration food? How on earth do you make pancakes without dairy? Or, worse, what if you wanted crepes or blinis, known for their thinness and egg-and-milk laden batter? Your answer, dear people, is FLAX SEED. (Or, opposite the pond, LINSEED.)

Flax Crepes 1
Flaxseed Crepes

  • 2 cups flour
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 Tbsp flaxseed
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp lemon extract
  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • Spray oil, like PAM, to lightly oil pan
  1. Grind flaxseed
  2. Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth
  3. Let mixture sit while your VERY lightly oiled pan is heating
  4. Ladle out a serving of batter (ladle or 1/4 c. measure) and tilt the pan to coat surface with batter
  5. Fry on one side until the edges start to peel up and the center
  6. Flip and fry on the other side for about 1/2 the time you fried the first side

Flax Crepes 3

The vegan approximate of ricotta is a package of silken tofu, fork mashed, and chunkily blended with 1/3 tsp. almond extract, vegan sour cream (like Tofutti brand), and a pinch of sugar and salt. If you’re looking for a vegan filling for a savory blintz, here’s a tasty one. If you are merely avoiding eggs, regular cream cheese can be used as a filling.

We covered our blinis with hot orange or apricot syrup, which we got by popping a jar of jam into the microwave. The crepes/blinis were surprisingly light and delicious, and nobody who ate them missed the egg and milk at all.

So now, eat, drink, and be merry. Enjoy your vegan excess, for tomorrow… we diet!

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