Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

I told you that I would have at least one pumpkin recipe – here it is!

I really do enjoy pumpkin! For as long as she made it, and I could eat it, I always loved my Grandmother’s Pumpkin Pie. It was nothing more than a store bought, gluten containing, crust and the pie directions on the back of the can of pumpkin puree, but it was pumpkin and it was good!

In my imagination I’ve had thoughts of making all sorts of pumpkin-pie-like desserts this fall, but the only thing that has come to fruition are these Pumpkin Pie Pancakes. See, dessert is not exactly a required meal of the day, so making a pie often seems less fun than, say, getting a full 8 hours of sleep. Breakfast, on the other hand, is totally needed before I go spend my day wrangling children and musical instruments. Putting pumpkin in my breakfast has been an easy way to enjoy the fall flavor without spending extra time baking something special.

These pancakes are soft and melt-in-your-mouth, just like regular pumpkin pie. They are grain free, thanks to coconut flour, and easily dairy free if you use almond milk (which I do). I tried a few different sweeteners in these pancakes and maple syrup was the clear winner. It compliments the pumpkin perfectly! Of course, if you want to avoid refined sugar use 100% pure maple syrup (which is what I keep on hand and used each time I’ve made these pancakes).

I feel super cliche just mentioning this, but obviously I put pumpkin pie spice in these pancakes. As this awesome article from the Kitchn brings up, pumpkin and pumpkin spice are two different things. Us Americans have somehow been convinced to think that pumpkin tastes like pumpkin pie spices. It doesn’t.

I’m the I-do-what-I-want type of person and avoid cultural trends I don’t like or agree with. I don’t have a legit pair of skinny jeans or a personal facebook account. Proof enough right there. Pumpkin spice is not a trend I’m into. I’ve had zero pumpkin spice lattes, zero pumpkin spice oreos, and whatever other pumpkin spice this or thats are out there. I just like pumpkin pie. So, please, don’t think I’m trying to be all cool and trendy here, and come up with the greatest pumpkin spice recipe this year and be all Pinterest famous. No. I just like pumpkin pie, but don’t have time to make a pie, so I made pancakes instead.

Now that that is out of the way . . .

With maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice I think these pancakes are perfectly flavored on their own – no syrup or toppings needed! This recipe serves 1 because I have a spouse that doesn’t like pumpkin. Bummer, I have to eat the whole batch of pancakes myself! Although I haven’t actually tried doubling (tripling, quadrupling, etc) the recipe I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t work.

One important thing to note before you start making these pancakes – most of my pancake recipe cook kinda like normal pancakes but for whatever reason these don’t. Cook them on a lower temperature for longer. It works best for me when my burner is on medium low. By the time the pancakes are finally cooked through the fresh pie-like smell will probably be driving you crazy, in a good way!

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1/2 c pumpkin puree
• 1 T coconut flour
• 1/4 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
• 2 eggs
• 2 T pure maple syrup
• 3 T almond milk (or other milk of choice)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until combined. The batter will be smooth, and a bit thick.
2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Pour about 2 T of batter per pancakes onto the skillet. Use the rounded bottom edge of a spoon to smooth the batter into a cicle.
3. Cook over medium low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the edges of the pancakes have set an the top of the pancake is opaque, not shiny.
4. Flip and cook for another minute or two on the second side, until golden brown.
5. Repeat with remaining batter.

 

 

Crispy Parmesan Chicken

There’s no breading in this crispy baked chicken! Perfectly moist on the inside, crunchy on outside, all without any gluten or grains!

Sometimes experimental cooking goes well, other times it goes poorly. This chicken is an example of experimental cooking success. In fact, it turned out far better than expected! I never intended this chicken to be a food blog recipe, or even especially good. If this chicken had turned out mediocre I would have, sadly, been totally okay with that. I just wanted a quick and easy protein to go with dinner.

Well, this is quick and easy AND delicious. The chicken takes all of 5 minutes (if that) to prep. It comes out of the oven with a crisp, golden crust. The chicken is moist and juicy on the inside, with a strong parmesan flavor.

My super, not-so-secret ingredient in this recipe is almond meal. Sure, you can use bread crumbs to make a crispy coating for chicken, but it’s not always that simple when you are on a gluten free diet. Store bought gluten free bread crumbs are expensive, and making homemade GF bread crumbs isn’t exactly quick and easy.

You might be thinking “but almond meal is also expensive”! It’s true! That’s why I make my own. I get raw almonds in bulk, and grind them up for a few seconds in my blender. This almond meal doesn’t have the same perfectly consistent texture as the store bought kind, but it’s good enough for almost every need I have. It also ends up being cheaper per pound than gluten free bread crumbs (at least the varieties I can find locally). By using almond meal instead of bread crumbs you’re also making the dish healthier – adding protein and cutting some carbs! It’s a great grain free alternative to breaded chicken.

The other part of the crispy coating is parmesan cheese. Another money saving idea here – check the price of parmesan wedges at your local grocery store. I’ve found the normal price for a 1 lb wedge of parmesan is less, per pound, than a jar of the brand name, pre-grated cheese. With a grater, it will only take a couple minutes to shred the entire wedge. Freshly grated parmesan beats the pre-grated parmesan in flavor hands down! That’s part of what makes this chicken taste so good – a little bit of fresh parmesan goes a long way!

 Crispy Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 5-6 chicken tenders
• 1/4 c almond meal
• 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
• cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat the oven (or toaster oven) to 375° F.
2. Combine the almond meal and parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl.
3. Trim the chicken of any excess fat.
4. Spray each piece of chicken with cooking spray, then lay it in the bowl with the almond meal and parmesan mixture. Press each side of the chicken down, to get the coating to stick. Place the coated chicken on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.
5. Press any extra parmesan coating that is in the bowl onto the tops of the chicken pieces.
6. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes. Thin chicken tenders will need less time to cook through than a thick chicken breast. When the chicken is done the outside will be golden and crispy, and the internal temperature should reach 165° F.

Serve this with:

• Green Beans Almondine & Mashed Cauliflower (grain free option)
• Macaroni & Broccoli
• Tomato & Asparagus Risotto

 

“2 Ingredient” French Toast Pancakes

I’m loving these 2 Ingredient Pancakes. The recipe has been all over the internet lately. Pancakes with a banana and eggs?! Its a revolutionary new breakfast item! This version actually has 5 ingredients, but I think the extra measuring is worth the trade off for extra flavor.

Although I still love Grain Free Banana Pancakes, this is my current favorite banana-based pancake. If you follow me on instagram and twitter than you know I’ve been eating these at least one a week. Why do I love these pancakes so much? Maybe it’s that they mix together quicker than any other pancake batter. Maybe it’s because they’re made with whole foods and clean eating ingredients. Maybe it’s because they taste like french toast. Maybe it’s because they taste like french toast AND aren’t just a plate full of carbs and sugar. Maybe it’s because I can eat the whole batch and still be under my allotted 350 – 400 calories for breakfast. Maybe it’s because I have so many extra calories that I get to add peanut butter to my stack of pancakes.

So many good reasons to love these pancakes.

On a more practical note, these couldn’t be simpler to make. Mash a ripe banana and mix it with two eggs. Add some baking soda, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Cook like any other pancake. Eat the entire plate full. Personally, I like to make mini pancakes, but you could always make full size pancakes. The one trick I have to offer is that I’ve noticed these pancakes cook a bit more evenly if you cover the pan while they are cooking. Once you’ve flipped the pancakes and they are cooking on the second side leave the cover off.

These pancakes are fun, tasty, impressive, and a great way to enjoy gluten free and grain free pancakes with little work!

“Two Ingredient” French Toast Pancakes

Makes about 15 mini pancakes. Recipe easily doubles, triples, etc!

 

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a bowl, mash the banana.
2. Using a fork, whisk the eggs into the banana to form a thin batter.
3. Add the baking powder, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, and whisk again, until the cinnamon is evenly distributed throughout the batter (if the cinnamon is sticking to the sides of the bowl just keep scraping it off and stirring. Eventually it will blend in).
4. Heat a non stick skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add batter to the pan using 2 tablespoons for each pancakes. Cover the skillet.
5. When the bubbles on the top of the pancakes have popped and the batter looks more opaque than wet, flip the pancakes.
6. Cook until the second side is golden brown, leaving the lid off of the skillet.
7. Repeat with all remaining batter.
8. If desired, top with peanut butter, syrup, cinnamon, etc.