Sometimes we need pancakes for dinner

I’m really snowed under with work and cycling-related activities right now that I couldn’t be bothered cooking dinner tonight and since I’m the parent I get to decide what we eat so we had pancakes. The kids were shocked and delighted all at once when they found out.

I’ve found a great recipe for vegan pancakes in The Scottish Vegan Cookbook – this book is a real treasure.

Here’s the recipe – just the pancake half of it since it also includes a rhubarb and apple compote but you’ll have to buy the book to get that.

I used my own home-made almond milk in the recipe and stewed some blackcurrants to go with it. I also doubled all the quantities because it doesn’t make nearly enough for the four of us. The recipe says 16 pancakes but they must be tiny. With double the ingredients, we all got two each which is 8 pancakes.

I completely drenched my pancake in stewed blackcurrant, banana, vegan yogurt, and maple syrup and it was delicious.

With the remaining almond pulp from my almond milk, I made these chocolate truffles.

I’m very busy and indeed a bit stressed about all the organisation required for the Reclaim the Streets event we’re having in Aberdeen in May when we’re planning to close several inner city streets to cars so that people are free to walk, cycle, rollerblade, and scooter in safety. We have to pay the council over £2,000 to close the streets and we’ve been fundraising for that here – https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/reclaim-the-streets
Thank you to everyone who has donated to it already!

We’re over halfway now and the good news is we’ve also received £5,000 in funding from Paths for All. However, this funding is match funding so we still need to finish our fundraiser. We’re in a strange conflicting position now because we still need to raise the remaining £800 to close the streets but we also have to decide how to spend an additional £5000. The plans are coming along nicely though: we’re going to have free cycling lessons for adults, a Dr bike, Electric Bikes Scotland are bringing a fleet of electric bikes, Angus Cycle Hub are bringing some crazy bikes, and Grampian Disability Sport are bringing their adaptive bikes for people with disabilities. It’ll be such a thrill to cycle around the centre of Aberdeen with not a car in sight.

As part of city council requirements for our event, we have to put together an event manual. The council gave us a template which is over 60 pages of information ranging from toilet provision to health safety, a risk assessment, and even a wind management and terrorism plan. I thought about being cheeky and adding in a tsunami and earthquake plan also since I have more experience with those but why create more work for myself? Last weekend I also had to go and inform every shop, café, restaurant, and organisation along the closed roads to let them know.  To do this I printed over 140 letters and hand-delivered them all last Saturday and Sunday. It was not fun but I’m glad I did it. Some organisations were closed and didn’t have a letterbox so I couldn’t give them one but at least I tried. Most places were open and I didn’t/haven’t received any complaints so far.

I’d better get back to working on that event manual. It has to be submitted to the council at the end of next week.