Pure Hunger

I have a food obsession. I’m obsessed with consuming really good food. I want to know where my food is being grown, or in the case of meat, raised. I want to know whether the innate goodness of what I am about to put into my body has been messed with to make it somehow “better” than it’s original form. Currently, I am also limited in the items I can consume due to dietary restrictions. All this put together means going out to eat is rarely a very enjoyable adventure. I feel like the customers from the episode of Portlandia who ask incredibly personal questions about where their chicken has come from. It’s all very funny, except I’m really that interested. This also means I may be perceived by others as “picky” or “high maintenance” when it comes to food.

Ingredients

Adapted from Galley Sally
2 Heaping T. flaxseed meal
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup mashed banana (could sub applesauce)
2 T. olive oil
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup ten grain cereal uncooked (8 grain is typically wheat free, but check)
1/3 cup corn meal
2 Heaping T. nutritional yeast
2 Heaping T. shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup Orange Juice (could sub other fruit juices)
1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt
1 1/3 cup flour plus
1 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1 1/3 cups almond milk

Well, I want to know when we became so uninterested in what goes into our bodies. I want to know why it feels as though I’m the weird one when I want to know whether the meat I am being served is jacked up with hormones and chemicals. When did our culture shift to such passiveness about caring for ourselves? I’m appalled at what passes for food in my own hometown, especially by some of the local businesses. Our farmers market, for example, doesn’t even have food vendors that sell local food from the farmers themselves. All I have to say to this is WTF?

I seem to have climbed the never ending ladder on the tallest soap box today. Guess it’s just coming from a place of frustration. When I want to go out and have some incredibly good food from a business I know shares my values I am sad to say the list is very very short. Maybe I need to move to a city but I can’t help but think that the capital of this state would have more than a few food joints that won’t roll their eyes when you ask whether they have whole wheat bread for your sandwich.

It’s times like this I’m so thankful I can cook for myself or I’m not sure what I would be putting in my body everyday. I might be just a bit of a control freak when it comes to food but if I’m going to control anything I’m pleased it’s this part of my life. I honor my body, mind and spirit and my paying attention to what I consume, I practice what I believe. So munch on these thoughts over breakfast, pancakes perhaps, and see if you can ever eat the boxed stuff again. This particular recipe is taken from a friends cooking blog and I adjusted the ingredients to make it dairy free. So it’s actually vegan as the flax seeds and water are the egg substitute.

Mix flaxseed meal and water together in medium mixing bowl. Let sit five minutes. Add mashed banana and olive oil and stir well. Add oats, ten grain, corn meal, nutritional yeast, coconut, orange juice and yogurt. Mix these ingredients well, then add milk and mix again.

Stir in flour plus baking powder and dash salt. Let batter rest while pan heats over low heat. Lightly oil pan, and spoon out cakes that are ~ 3-4 inches diameter. Bigger cakes will be harder to flip, as these are moist and tender. When small bubble holes form on the tops, flip your cakes. When bottoms are golden brown, serve them up hot! Top with your favorite pancake toppings.

These cakes are packed with incredible ingredients that are unbelievably healthy. Savor in your own health.