Pumpkin Pancakes

As a mom, some days I just don't feel like doing much for dinner, but kids still need to eat. I often fall back to pancakes, but there is one problem: what's in a pancake? Nothing much of nutritional value, really. So sitting around my pantry was a can of pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling, just pumpkin). So I thought, hey, why not? Pumpkin is a vegetable packed with nutritional value (my friend Heidi confirmed this by looking up all the benefits of eating pumpkin). I got the base of this recipe from allrecipies.com. Use mine or make your own modifications. This is so much fun!  And I am pretty sure it counts as a serving of vegetables.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat)
3 TBS brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
2-3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
2 TBS vegetable oil (can substitute apple sauce)
2 TBS vinegar

1. Combine milk and vinegar in a bowl and set aside for at least 5 minutes.

2. Sift together dry ingredients and spices.

3. Add to milk mixture, 1 egg beaten, oil, and pumpkin. Mix well.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing only to combine.
Now with regular pancakes I would STRESS about not over mixing at this point. But this recipe is more flexible then regular pancakes, so if you over mix it isn't a big deal.

5. Heat large skillet over medium heat. Oil pan (even my best non-stick needed oil with these).

6. Once hot, pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes each side. NOW with regular pancakes you wait for the bubbles on the up-side. Not with these. I waited too long with the first patch and had a burnt underside.

You can add chocolate chips if you want, although that kind of defeats the health factor. Serve with butter, or whipped cream, or Nutella, or apple sauce, or maple syrup. You can at this point keep them as healthy or not as you want!