Oat Milk Strawberry Smoothies

My 15-year-old daughter has recently decided to try a vegan diet, so she's been poring over internet sites to gain information. In her searches for a milk substitute, she came across oat milk and I had to give it a try. I love making my own milks using nuts or rice, but I had never heard of using oats as a base. While I love nut milk with a passion, it's time-consuming to make and takes a lot of exertion to squeeze the milk through the bag and sometimes I just can't seem to get up the gumption to make it. The oat milk recipe we found calls for, among other things, cooked oats and a banana, and does not require a nut bag, so it seemed perfect.

After our milk was blended, we poured it in a glass, added ice, and tasted it...

It was creamy and oaty and I knew it would make a great base for smoothies and other products which call for milk. So.... I threw in some frozen strawberries, added some sweetener, and we drank delicious strawberry smoothies in the kitchen...

...while my mother tried to convince my brother to shave his beard.

We will definitely be making this again. Thanks for listening.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

Today, I would like to share with you one of my favorite whole wheat recipes that doesn't involve the use of a wheat grinder. As long as you have a blender, you can make these hearty whole grain pancakes! Here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 cups butter milk (or 1 1/2 cups milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar added - let sit for 10 minutes before using)
1 egg
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat berries
1/4 cup oats (not instant)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sweetener, such as honey or molasses

In case you've never used whole wheat before, here's what it looks like...

...and you can buy it at any health food store.

Step 1: Blend the first 6 ingredients in a blender very thoroughly. This could take up to five minutes, depending on your blender. Just make sure, however, that you listen carefully to your blender for a change in the motor sound. If this mixture is over blended, the gluten in the wheat will begin to bind and create a sticky substance that will reek havoc on your blender. If this happens, stop the blender immediately.

Step 2: Pour the contents of the blender into a mixing bowl...

(batter should be smooth)

...and add the rest of the ingredients.

Step 3: Pour on a hot, buttered griddle and cook on both sides until light golden brown.

And you're done! We like to dip ours in apple sauce, avoiding the use of sugary syrup. The twins absolutely love it!

We hope you do, too!