Pancake Tuesday: Join Us in Being Late

Mike's chocolate chip oatmeal pancakes

We nearly forgot it was Shrove Tuesday last week. We're not religious, so I wasn't upset because of any oustanding obligations related to the day. But any time you have a excuse to eat pancakes for dinner, hey, you shouldn't miss it.

So after our workout - about 10 p.m. - Mike set about making some of our famous chocolate chip pancakes.

It's so easy to make pancakes I always wonder why people use a boxed mix. Our recipe is so much more flexible, nutritious (shhhh...it has oatmeal in it) and you control exactly what goes in.

The recipe backbone comes from an old Milk cookbook my mom's had for as long as I can remember. However, I've substituted just about everything possible into (and out of ) the recipe.

Chocolate chip pancakes - the unhealthy version

If you're wiggling in your seat wondering where you can get your hands on this recipe, it's on our recipe site - Vegetarian Cuisine at Suite101.com: Oatmeal Pancakes Recipe.

You can make this recipe:

• Whole wheat: I've successfully used 100% whole wheat flour with the oatmeal. The 'cakes get darker but they taste is still good.
• Vegan: Substitute egg replacer or applesauce for the egg and use soy/non-dairy milk instead of cow's milk. Use non-dairy margarine or oil instead of the butter. The taste difference is imperceptible, but the texture will be heavier.
• Sinful: throw in a handful or two of chocolate chips.
• Healthy: Use whole-wheat flour and substitute applesauce or mushed banana for half the butter. Add blueberries and top with applesauce, juice-sweetened syrup, or jam.

Some people eat pancakes for breakfast. We eat them often - as a snack, breakfast, brunch or dinner. If there are leftovers, I pack them in my lunch with a small tub of syrup for dipping. They keep for a few days, but rarely last that long.

Pancake Tuesday is a great excuse to eat pancakes - but who really needs an excuse?