American Ballet Theatre’s Virginia Lensi Shares Her Allergy-Pleasant Oat Pancakes

When Virginia Lensi first moved to the U.S. from Milan, she fell arduous for one component of American tradition: brunch. “It was my first time realizing that individuals right here even have pancakes on Sunday,” says the American Ballet Theatre corps dancer. “I had brunch as soon as, and I liked it. I at all times needed to maintain pancakes as a convention on Sundays with my buddies or my boyfriend.”

However for Lensi, who’s allergic to dairy, eggs, nuts, and kiwifruit, it wasn’t as straightforward as going to a restaurant or following a typical recipe. “I made a decision I wanted to determine my very own recipe,” she says. With the assistance of her mother, tuning in from Milan through FaceTime, Lensi experimented with coconut flour and brown rice flour earlier than deciding on oat. She additionally realized that chia seeds can act like an egg substitute, binding the batter collectively. “There have been a number of trials and errors, however I discovered that it’s doable to make pancakes you probably have a number of meals allergy symptoms, otherwise you simply need to keep away from eggs or dairy,” says Lensi.

The Pleasure of Cooking

Dwelling with extreme allergy symptoms whereas managing ABT’s grueling rehearsal and touring schedule hasn’t at all times been straightforward for Lensi. Consuming out or counting on ready meals isn’t an choice. “After I was youthful, I at all times felt like cooking was a chore as a result of I’ve to do it actually on daily basis,” she says, including that even on tour, she cooks her personal meals; the corporate travels with a microwave for her to make use of. However lately, due to cooking collectively together with her boyfriend, ABT dancer Andrii Ishchuk, and experimenting with recipes she finds on Instagram and YouTube, she’s realized to relish her time within the kitchen. And when that’s not sufficient? “I wish to put a TV present on, and that makes it extra pleasant,” says Lensi. “I really like any comedy present. Proper now, I’m rewatching ‘Ugly Betty.’ ”

Knives Out

The one kitchen device that Lensi can’t dwell with out is sharp knives. “I really like having good knives,” she says. “As a result of my arms aren’t super-strong, if I’ve a foul knife I actually must push too arduous. I’m actually choosy about that.”

Substances

• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 cup oat milk
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus further for greasing the pan
• 2 tbsps cane sugar (“I personally just like the style of cane sugar,” says Lensi. “It has extra of a taste, and rising up I at all times used it.”)
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (“I take advantage of the model Get pleasure from Life, as a result of it’s freed from 14 frequent allergens,” says Lensi.)
  Toppings
• berries
• maple syrup

Directions

1. In a big mixing bowl, mix oat flour, oat milk, olive oil, cane sugar, chia seeds, and chocolate chips. Combine till the batter is clean. If it feels too thick, you may add a bit extra oat milk as wanted.
2. Set a nonstick pan over medium warmth. Pour some olive oil onto a paper towel and use it to grease the pan. (Lensi stresses the significance of this step: “For those who don’t use the paper towel, the oil goes across the pancake as an alternative of beneath, and the pancakes keep on with the pan.”)
3. Utilizing a soup spoon or ladle, spoon small quantities of the batter into the ready pan to create particular person pancakes. Permit them to cook dinner till small bubbles type on the floor, then fastidiously flip them with a spatula.
4. Prime the pancakes with a beneficiant serving of contemporary berries, and drizzle with maple syrup. Serve heat, and luxuriate in!