Eat Well, Be Well, Live Well

On a recent visit to New England, my cousin–who happens to be following the Paleo diet, whipped up some grain-free pumpkin pancakes. While I loved the flavor and idea, they were a little too Paleo-esque for me (i.e., very eggy) and thin, like a crepe. I returned to California determined to devise a more traditional (i.e., heartier and fluffier) and less-eggy pumpkin pancake that would still be relatively nutritious–although not Paleo.

These took me several tries, but the last batch came out quite nicely, and received a very enthusiastic thumbs-up from my children. I also like that you can easily make these dairy-free if you’re avoiding dairy, without any sacrifice in texture or flavor.

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour*

1/2 cup whole-grain barley flour

1/4 cup almond flour/meal

1 rounded tbsp light brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

Pinch ground cloves

2 eggs

3/4 cup pumpkin puree, canned or fresh (a word about fresh pumpkin puree)

1 cup milk (you can use coconut, almond or cow’s milk)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp melted butter or coconut oil, plus more for the pan

*Gluten-free? Use 1 cup all-purpose GF flour and 1/4 cup almond flour or a combination of sorghum, all-purpose GF, almond and buckwheat. Using GF flours can make these pancakes a little gummy, so I usually throw in 2 tbsp coconut flour to balance out the moisture.

Preparation

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, butter or oil and milk. Whisk in the dry ingredients until thoroughly blended. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Heat a large cast-iron or other heavy-bottomed skilled on medium to medium-high heat. Cover the bottom with a little butter or coconut oil. Pour in 1/3-cup batter for each pancake. Cook 2-3 minutes on the first side. Flip, and cook 1-2 minutes on the second until golden brown. Serve immediately with maple syrup or fresh whipped cream.

Enjoy!