'Tis the season for all things pumpkin. The squash that toes the line between sweet and savory is the perfect base for a stack of seasonally inspired pancakes.
Chef and cookbook author Ariel Fox shared her simple recipe that boasts all the flavors of pumpkin pie in breakfast form.
"During the fall months, these are a favorite with the kids because they smell and taste like pumpkin pie. I often substitute pumpkin in recipes that call for butternut squash," Fox wrote in her book, "Spice Kitchen: Healthy Latin and Caribbean Cuisine." "It bakes the same as butternut, giving a very similar flavor profile but with fewer carbs and more fiber. It's a win-win. Topping these pancakes with maple syrup is great, but try them with some coconut cream and a dust of cinnamon too."
Serves: 2 to 4
Ingredients
1 (1 1/2-pounds) pie pumpkin or 1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin purée
2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
1 cup almond flour
1 cup coconut flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons coconut sugar or Swerve brown sugar
1/4 cup almond milk (or any nut milk)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted, plus additional for cooking
2 large organic eggs
Directions
Peel and seed the pumpkin, if using fresh, and cut into small 1-inch pieces. Fill a medium saucepan with enough water to cover the pumpkin and add 1 teaspoon of the sea salt. Bring to a boil. Add the cubed pumpkin and boil until soft enough to mash, about 15 minutes. Drain the pumpkin into a colander and allow to sit for 5 minutes to drain thoroughly. Mash the pumpkin with a fork into a pulp, or use a food mill. You should yield about 2 cups purée. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1 teaspoon sea salt, the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and sugar.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the nut milk, oil and eggs.
Slowly fold the wet nut milk mixture into the dry ingredients. The batter will be slightly lumpy at this point. Don't over mix.
Gently stir the smashed pumpkin into the batter.
Heat a cast iron pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of coconut oil. Cooking only 2 or 3 pancakes at a time, add 3 tablespoons of batter per pancake. Cook each pancake for 2 to 3 minutes until bubbles begin to form in the center and the edges look dry. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more without moving again.
Serve right away.
Recipe reprinted with permission from "Spice Kitchen: Healthy Latin and Caribbean Cuisine" by Ariel Fox.