vegan lentil pancake

You will love these vegan lentil pancakes! And you know why? They are easy to make, delicious and healthy with the load of leafy greens and herbs. Lentils, seeds and the greens provide you with plenty of protein and minerals and vitamins. But the best is, you can eat them for breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner or any time in-between, for hiking, as your snack after workout…. you name it!

But just looking at these lentil pancakes while your taste buds experience the bounty of this summer garden harvest will fill your heart with so much gratitude for the abundance of summer!

I do highly recommend making a double batch of these lentil pancakes. Why? Well, they are a perfect base for your meal prep for the week for quick, healthy delicious meals. They keep fresh in the fridge for up to a week also freeze well. Means, you quickly have access to a healthy meal after a long day. No planning ahead, just toss the frozen lentil pancakes in a pan on low to medium heat. They thaw and crisp up again at once. It’s that easy!

Here are just some ideas for a wholesome meal planning.

For breakfast

• crisp up the lentil pancakes in a pan and combine them with scrambled eggs or the vegan version with scrambled tofu.
• and if you want to make it an “American breakfast”, (does that sound like a contradiction?) just add a few vegan breakfast sausages. Wanna add maple syrup, go ahead!

For lunch/brunch/dinner

• combine it with mixed salad greens and dressing and eat them cold as a side.
• toss them on top of the salad cut up in smaller pieces instead of chicken cuts.
• crisp them up again in a pan (or heat ’em in the microwave for 30 sec) if you prefer to eat them warm. They are delicious with the coconut yoghurt herb spread.
• make a sandwich. Thinly spread mayo or veganese on a slice of bread. Brown the bread mayo down in a pan next to a lentil pancake. Assemble the sandwich by spreading some mustard on the bread, add a slice of tomato and some avocado, top it with the lentil pancake and the bread and enjoy! By the way, the coconut yoghurt herb spread goes really well here too.
• melt a slice of cheese while it is in the pan.
• you are looking for a perfect lunch for hiking? Well, here it is! Loaded with protein to give you the energy you need on a hike. Combine it with a layer of an egg or tofu omelet and take a pack of slightly salted roasted seaweed. This adds even more protein, minerals and salt, so important when you work out and sweat.
• if you have kids like my grand-nephew Korbinian who firmly told me “aunty, I do not eat green!” (I should know this right!) Well then, just leave out the green, grate yellow carrots or golden or red beets instead and mix these with the lentils. They all adds some sweetness and hiding the veggies. 😉

Best for last! Here is our most favorite version for the lentil pancakes!

I guess I told you that the artist in me often is the driver in creating a meal. Meaning that colors are my driving force and attraction to combining certain foods. This is why I love to serve these vegan lentil pancakes wrapped in a sheet of roasted laver or seaweed. Just look at this beauty of a sheet of roasted seaweed! Doesn’t it look like a piece of art?

But you have to taste this roasted seaweed laver sheet that the Japanese call “nori” and the Koreans call “gim or “kim”! It bursts with flavors and surprises with its texture. It is crispy, crunchy at first and feels soft and almost creamy when it moistens on your tongue. It is slightly salty with its freshness of an ocean breeze! you can get these roasted seaweed in health food stores, in Asian super markets or by it online.

Seaweed rolls with lentil pancake, my suggestion for hot summer days.

I do not want to be in the kitchen cooking for too long when it is hot outside. So I try to make something fresh that does not need to be cooked or baked.

These seaweed rolls are filled with the vegan lentil pancake and a variety of veggies. A beautiful combination of colors, textures and a bursting variety in flavors. There is the creaminess of avocado, the juiciness of the cucumber and tomatoes, the crispness of the sugar snap peas and carrots in combination with the slightly salty, crunchy sheet of seaweed.

So, you just have to cut the veggies, mix the yoghurt herb spread and serve it! This means less work for you. Because everyone does assemble their own roll! It’s so much fun!

To assemble them is pure joy for my artist heart. With all the beautiful colors, just looking at it makes me happy. Doesn’t it look like a Rothko painting? Well, kind of, right!

Enough now!

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Oh, just in case you are interested why these vegan lentil pancakes are so good and healthy for you? Here are some nutritional facts.

Yellow or red lentils are an excellent source of folate. So lentils are a very good source of dietary fiber, copper, phosphorus and manganese. Additionally they are a great source of iron, protein, vitamin B1, pantothenic acid, zinc, potassium and vitamin B6. And lentils in the combination with seeds or nuts transforms both in a complete protein.

The leafy greens are low in fat, high in dietary fiber, and rich in folic acid, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium, as well as containing lutein, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene. These   play a protective role in the eye. The high level of vitamin K in greens makes them important for the production of osteocalcin, a protein essential for bone health.