About 6 years ago, Jason and I took a trip to Boston in the fall and had the pleasure of eating some delicious pumpkin pie pancakes. At the time, we were not yet gluten free and the pancakes we ate were made with white flour. When we came home, Jason was on a mission to re-create the amazing taste we experienced during that breakfast with a little more of a healthy recipe. Although it’s not yet fall, I still enjoy eating these any time of year. Here’s a gluten free version I just found and they are so moist. This is the link for the website where I got the recipe, I’ve tweaked it slightly to make it dairy-free as well. http://foodforhealth.net/recipes/pumpkin-buckwheat-pancakes You can spread any nut butter, coconut yogourt, and or berries as a topping. We use macadamia butter with a little maple syrup. You actually don’t even need the maple syrup when your taste buds get used to less sugar.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup buckwheat flour
- 2 Tbsp coconut palm sugar (lower on the glycemic index than the brown sugar in the original recipe)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinch of cloves
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/3 cup buttermilk* (don’t have? See recipe below for making buttermilk using milk and vinegar) – For the dairy-free version use almond, rice, flax, or coconut and add the vinegar or lemon juice as recommended below
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup fresh cooked or canned solid pumpkin
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk (or whatever milk you choose), eggs, and vanilla, then blend thoroughly.
- Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix, stopping when everything is just combined.
- With a rubber spatula, gently fold in pumpkin.
- Spoon 1/4 batter onto oiled skillet for each pancake. When the undersides of the pancakes are golden and the tops are lightly speckled with bubbles that pop and stay open, flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until bottom is golden.
Nutrition Tip
Pumpkins
Pumpkins aren’t just for jack-o-lanterns, they’re also a fantastic source of beta-carotene, which our bodies turn into vitamin A. Not only that, but they’re rich in alpha-carotene, a cancer-fighting phytonutrient. Alpha-carontene produces the vibrant orange color pumpkins are so well known for, and as a member of the carotenoid family it helps prevent tumor growth.
To cook fresh pumpkin, pick the ones called “pie pumpkins” or “sweet pumpkins.” These are smaller, sweeter, and less stringy than the typical jack-o-lantern pumpkins.
If you’re carving a pumpkin or using fresh pumpkin for cooking, don’t throw out those seeds! Eating them not only boosts your diet with fiber, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and zinc; but also adds beta-sitosterol, a phytonutrient that has also been shown to slow tumor growth, as well as lower cholesterol. To roast the seeds, wash and dry them, sprinkle with seasoning and a little olive oil, then bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Source: Healing Gourmet: Eat to Fight Cancer, 2006 by Simin Liu and Kathy McManus
*Buttermilk
- 1 1/3 Cups Milk
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 Tsp white vinegar or lemon juice
1. Place the white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.
2. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the 1 1/3 cup line.
3. Let stand for five minutes.
The Vibrant Family 