I'm Thankful for...Pumpkin Pancakes!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you had a wonderfully thankful (emphasis on FULL) day with family and friends. Or, if you just relaxed at home like we did (and have been all week), I hope you made yourself something wonderful and allowed your body to thank you for all the good food you put into it every day.

To begin my Thanksgiving celebration, I attempted to participate in my first Turkey Trot. However…I didn’t quite make it. I wasn’t sure I wanted to run outside this morning because of the cold and the driving time, but I decided to do at the last-minute, which got me out of the house a little bit later than I should have. Couple that with slow holiday traffic and no idea where the check-in site was located, and, well, I missed it. Damn.

Since I was out-of-town, I went ahead and picked up some groceries before heading home and hopping on the treadmill. (While I was gone, and then on the treadmill, Mr. M set up our new surround sound, which he bought while I was at work, and he was on vacation. Surprise, honey! ) After the treadmill, I made myself a new treat – pumpkin pancakes.

Before I share my recipe, I have to confess something…today was the first time I’ve ever made pancakes. Why haven’t I made pancakes before today? Because. Is that a good enough answer? Ha ha. Honestly, pancakes aren’t my favorite food. Some of you probably can’t comprehend this; pancakes seem to be VERY popular. But, typically, I only have pancakes about once a year – even back in the day when I could order one at a traditional restaurant. So, today was my annual pancake feasting.

I searched the net for a couple of days looking for a good first-time recipe, and believe me, it was a VERY difficult choice! Since I knew I’d be the only one eating them, I needed a recipe that didn’t make very many pancakes. That disqualified a bunch of the recipes I found. And I knew I wanted to make pumpkin (duh, it’s Thanksgiving), and since I’m new to this, I didn’t want to have to alter too much. Oh, and I wanted an oil-free recipe. As you can see, the field was narrowing. But I found one!

I used this recipe as my inspiration.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1/3 c oat flour

1/2 c pumpkin puree

1/4 c non-dairy milk

1/2 – 1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

dash salt

1/2 – 1 tsp each cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice

2 pks stevia (or 2 TBSP sugar)

Mix everything until well combined. Drop by the 1/3 c onto a hot griddle or pan. Cook about 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

Click here for nutrition information.

Top each pancake  with Pumpkin Maple Syrup (1/4 c pumpkin puree plus 1 tsp maple syrup, heated 15 seconds in the microwave).

Pumpkin Pancakes with Pumpkin Maple Syrup

Since I’ve never made pancakes before, I’m not sure what they’re supposed to be like. Mr. M said they were too cakey, but I liked them that way. These are definitely not a light and fluffy pancake. But who wants to feel like they’re eating air? I want something hearty with a lot of mouth feel. Um…creamy, cakey pumpkin. (Insert Homer Simpson drool here.)