Cornbread Pancakes

It’s easy to see why so many eager viewers have made Jenné Claiborne’s YouTube channel, Sweet Potato Soul, their go-to destination for everything from healthy Southern-style vegan recipes, to morning routine vlogs, to charming what-my-vegan-baby-eats videos. In person, the vegan chef and critically-acclaimed author of Sweet Potato Soul: 100 Easy Vegan Recipes for the Southern Flavors of Smoke, Sugar, Spice, and Soul, is as radiant and genuine as she comes across on camera. “I use my cultural food to show that you can make it into whatever you want. There’s no rule that says soul food cannot be vegan, fresh, colorful and healthy,” said Jenné in our 7th issue interview.

Vegan since 2011 and now a mom to a 1-year-old vegan daughter (known as “Baby J” in her videos and posts), Jenné’s focus is “to help steer soul food back toward wholesome, nourishing plant foods.” After moving to New York to pursue acting in her 20s, she made a daring career switch and received her health coach training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. The move clearly paid off, as her online platforms have steadily gained a massive audience since. “I’ve learned a lot about ethical veganism, intersectionality, animal welfare. I’m trying to find ways where I can express these things and reach my audience in the best way because it’s the best time for that,” she told LAIKA back in 2017. Not only is her mission more vital than ever, but it’s safe to say that she’s fulfilling it. Here, Jenné shares a recipe for mouth-watering Cornbread Pancakes.

Cornbread Pancakes

Makes 8 pancakes 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons water
¾ cup whole spelt flour
½ cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1¼ cups soy milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup, agave or sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil, plus more for cooking

Directions

1. Combine the ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

3. In another bowl, add the soy milk, maple syrup and coconut oil to the flaxseed mixture. Whisk until it is combined.

4. Pour the soy milk mixture into the dry ingredients and gently stir together with a whisk. Be careful not to over mix.

5. Preheat a skillet over medium heat and melt a couple tablespoons coconut oil on the surface. Ladle about ½ cup of the batter onto the skillet, and fill it with as many pancakes as you can comfortably fit. (I can do 3 in my skillet.)

6. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook on each side on for about 3 minutes. Flip when the center starts to bubble. Place the cooked pancakes on a clean plate, which you can keep warm in the oven at its lowest setting.

7. Repeat this process with the remaining batter.

8. To serve, top the pancakes with maple syrup and tempeh bacon.