Savory & Sweet Vegan Blinis

Some nights I just want to have breakfast for dinner (aka blinner).  I wanted some form of pancakes or crepes, but they can get quite heavy.  My aunt use to make us miniature pancakes for lunch when we were younger.  Come to find out later that they were her version of blinis.  Blinis are small and light Russian pancakes made from buckwheat flour and usually served with caviar and sour cream.   These delightful cakes are also perfect as an appetizer, and can be dressed as a savory or sweet dish.  Traditional blinis can take some time to make, plus I’m omitting eggs and milk, so I made my vegan version of blinis.  I included a savory dish for dinner and a sweet dish for desert.  I knew I wanted zucchini for the savory dish, and I had orange heirloom tomatoes so thought they would be perfect to bring out that subtle sweet taste.  For the sweet blini, I wanted mango and thought ginger would pair perfectly.  I didn’t want that strong punch from raw ginger so I decided to use crystallized ginger to give it that sugary blend with the mango.  As they say in Russia “Prijatnovo appetita!”

By Shelly Chiang, Makes about 30 small blinis

Blini Batter Ingredients

• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup buckwheat flour
• 1 ½ tbsp of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tbsp of ground flaxseeds (great egg replacement for pancakes and contains Omega-3)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp and 1 teaspoon canola oil
• ¼ cup water

Sweet Mango-Ginger Ingredients

• ½ cup tofu sour cream
• 2 tbsp agave syrup
• 1 mango in small cubes
• 2 large pieces of crystallized ginger sliced

Savory Zucchini-Tomato Ingredients

• ½ of 0.75 oz package of chives
• ½ cup tofu sour cream
• 1 zucchini in small cubes
• 1 orange tomato or 2 small orange tomatoes in cubes

Preparation

Tip: Blinis are best when they are fresh, so prepare the toppings first. If possible have another person help you plate as the blini cakes are done. I recommend serving them as they come out, because they can get soggy if you leave the blinis out too long.

Sweet Topping

1. Add agave to the tofu sour cream, mix, and then set aside.  I noted honey before as a mistake.  Please use agave if you are vegan

2. Chop mango in tiny cubes and set aside

3. Slice ginger in small strips and set aside

Savory Topping

1. Chop chives along the stems (I use cooking scissors) and add to tofu sour cream, mix, and then set aside

2. Chop zucchini in tiny cubes. For the tomatoes, take the seeds out so it doesn’t become watery and chop the tomatoes in tiny cubes

3. Sautee zucchini in medium heat until tender (approx 10 minutes) and then add tomatoes for approx 3 minutes.  Sprinkle a pinch of salt over zucchini and tomatoes.  Then set aside

Blini Batter

1. Combine and mix dry batter items in a bowl: all purpose flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, sea salt

2. Then add wet batter items to the same bowl and mix: milk, maple syrup, canola oil

3. Add in ground flaxseeds and let it stand for 5 minutes to allow it to activate

4. Add ¼ cup of water so the batter is not too thick

5. Heat large skillet over medium heat and lightly oil the pan or spray with cooking spray. Pour about 2 tablespoons of batter or until blini is 2 ½ inches in size

6. Flip when batter starts bubbling. Cook until blinis are brown

Plating

1. For the savory dish, dab a small spoonful of your chive sour cream on the blini and top it with the sautéed zucchini and tomatoes

2. For the sweet dish, dab a small spoonful of your honey sour cream on the blini and top it with mangos with 3 strips of ginger

3. Continue plating as your blini cakes come out