I have been in a chicken-fried funk, y’all. A funk full of so much nasty that I’m surprised the critters and the hubs haven’t high-tailed it to the Motel6 to wait out the storm. It’s February in Maine, and this time of year is always pretty hard for me to get through. On top of that, I just had the priviledge of going on a cruise in the Caribbean with my whole family in January. We all live hundreds (and in some cases, in the thousands) of miles from each other, so this was quite a feat, orchestrated by my parents. It was amazing, splendid, excellent, incredible. And I’ve been in the super-dumps since returning home. I guess the root of it all is that I just miss my family. A lot. I so completely enjoyed having a week on a boat to call up my mom, and say “Hey, want to play some Rummikub?” or get a sticky-note from one of my brothers and their spouses inviting the hubs and I for a meal or a game of shuffleboard. I also relished every moment of warm sunshine I could absorb into my pores, as sunshine and heat of any kind are scarce in my chilly, rural Maine home.
I don’t mean to complain, really. But I was taken by surprise at how hard coming home from that vacation was. I have lived away from my family for 12 years now, and it doesn’t get any easier. I miss out on celebrating big events, lending a helping hand on family projects, being an in-person support for rough times. Sometimes I just feel extremely isolated way up here in rural Maine, and February is always when I feel it the worst.
BUT. But, but, but. I’ve decided to come out of this funk today. Sometimes you just have to decide things. And I decided that the first thing I was going to do was take a walk outside, and the second thing I was going to do was make some pancakes.
It is the end of our grocery week, so we’re running pretty low on all the staples. We have no milk, no eggs, no bread (but grocery trip tomorrow morning, so no worries). How to make pancakes without pancake necessities? The answer is to find a pancake recipe and method that doesn’t need those things. I’ve been reading for a long time about using flaxseed as an egg replacer. I have several small bags of flaxseed, because I forget I have it and then I buy more. I also had Greek yogurt on hand, and the usual dry ingredient suspects (flour, salt, baking soda…).
Then, a happy thing happened. While I was Googling “greek yogurt pancake” recipes this morning, I came across this post on one of my most favorite blogs, (never home)maker. The happy thing is that (never home)maker used a Greek yogurt pancake recipe from my other favorite blog, Macheesmo. The coming together of my two favorite blogs in one place and with the singular recipe for which I was looking….fate! It was meant to be. It was the start of the death of my funk.
Dear readers, I present to you: Egg-free Grainy Funk-killer Pancakes with Homemade Blueberry Syrup (for one). That’s right; these are so good they get a really long name AND capital letters. Super-easy, quick, and totally delicious. For my egg-replacer, I followed the directions here and blended 1 Tbs flaxseed with 3 Tbs water in my blender, until it was thick and creamy. I added this mixture to my batter with the wet ingredients and mixed as below. These recipes made about 3/4 cup of blueberry sauce and three medium pancakes, just right for a Saturday morning breakfast for one. These pancakes are light and fluffy with a nice tangy flavor from the Greek yogurt. The flaxseed and wheat bran add some substance and a nice nutty flavor. The blueberry syrup is sweet, but not too sweet, and it manages to soak into the pancakes just enough but not too much (nobody likes soggy pancakes!).
If you find yourself in a funk, make yourself some Funk-Killer pancakes. Your soul will be happy, and with all the fiber, vitamins, and fruity goodness in these recipes, your body will be happy too. 
Egg-free Grainy Funk-Killer Pancakes
Spotted on (neverhome)maker and adapted from Macheesmo
Makes about 3 medium pancakes
Ingredients:
1/4 cup AP flour
1 Tbs unprocessed miller’s wheat bran (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 1% milkfat)
1 egg or prepared egg replacer (I used 1 Tbs flaxseed pureed with 3 Tbs water in my blender until thick and creamy)
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs water
Butter or Earth Balance, to grease skillet/griddle
Directions:
Stir together flour, wheat bran, sugar, baking soda, and salt until combined. Make well in the center of dry ingredients. Add Greek yogurt, egg or egg replacer, vanilla, and water to well, without stirring between each addition. Once all wet ingredients are in your bowl, gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, just until combined and moistened. You don’t want to overstir, and there may be a few streaks of flour remaining. Heat skillet or griddle on medium heat. Use some butter or Earth Balance to grease your pan; scoop batter by 1/3-1/2 cupfuls onto hot griddle, and gently spread into a round shape if your batter is thick. Let cook until edges look dry and bubbles form on top surface. Flip gently and cook on the other side until golden brown.
Homemade Blueberry Syrup
Adapted from Savory Sweet Life
Makes about 3/4 cup sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Let simmer 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Once sauce has thickened to coat the back of a spoon with dark purple syrup, remove from heat. Pour into a heat-safe bowl and set aside to cool (or cool in fridge). Stir before serving.
