Cranberry Orange Pancakes w/ Tofu Cashew Ricotta

The PERFECT holiday season breakfast

As someone who is a huge fan of the classic cranberry orange combo, this one hits. I had this idea last year but it never came to fruition bc the holiday season passed me by and it no longer felt appropriate. So this was a long time coming and I’m very happy about the results. Also every single component is infused with orange flavour, which I’m very proud of. I’m very excited for peak orange season.

Cranberry Orange Pancakes

Cranberry Sauce:

• 2/3 cup water

• juice of 2 oranges

• zest 1 orange

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 1 12oz bag fresh cranberries

• 1/2 cinnamon stick

• Small splash of vanilla

Tofu Cashew Ricotta:

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked

• 1/2 454g block medium firm tofu

• 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast

• pinch salt

• Juice of half an orange

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• small splash of vanilla

Orange Pancakes (adapted from Mama Knows Gluten Free pancake recipe):

• 2 tbsps sugar

• Zest of one orange

• 1/2 cup almond milk

• juice of half an orange

• 2 tbsps avocado oil (or another neutral oil)

• 1 egg

• Splash of vanilla

• 1 cup GF flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-1)*

• 1 tbsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• Oil to cook the pancakes

*I’m making these gluten free because I was gluten-free at the time of making these. But I am almost certain all-purpose wheat flour will work here.

1. First make the cranberry sauce: to a medium saucepan add cranberries, orange zest and juice, brown sugar, water and cinnamon stick. Place over medium heat, stir and bring to a simmer.

   

2. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. As it cools it will thicken.

   

3. Make the tofu cashew ricotta: to a food processor add cashews, tofu, nutritional yeast, salt, orange juice, maple syrup and vanilla. Process on high speed until completely smooth, stopping the machine to scrape down the sides of the food processor container as needed.

   

4. Make the pancakes: In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and orange zest and massage the zest into the sugar for 30 seconds or so. This will release the essential oils in the zest so that the pancakes are infused with more orange flavour.

   

5. Add milk, orange juice, oil, egg and vanilla and whisk until combined. Whisk in GF flour, baking powder and salt, and use a silicone spatula to scrape down the bowl and make sure everything is incorporated.

   

6. Heat a pan over medium-low heat and lightly brush with some neutral cooking oil. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into the pan to form pancakes. Allow to cook on the first side until the edges look set and bubbles begin to form on the surface (about 3-4 minutes) then flip and cook until golden brown on the second side (about 2-3 mins). Remove from pan and continue this process until you use up the batter. I recommend adjusting your heat periodically according to how quickly the pancakes are browning to prevent burning or undercooking.

   

7. Serve the pancakes with a scoop of the tofu ricotta, the cranberry sauce and optionally top with some more orange zest. Enjoy!

-Raquel xx

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