Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes

Because of the success of my vegan Banana Nut Pancakes I thought I’d go ahead and see what else the world of vegan pancakes had to offer. Since my pumpkin that I froze back in October was still going strong I thought that pumpkin pancakes were in order.

Let me just say these may rival the banana nut pancakes for the title of best.pancakes.ever. Not kidding. Now I’m not even sure why pancakes need eggs and milk when vegan pancakes turn out even better!

I found this recipe through google. I searched “vegan pumpkin pancakes” and it was the first hit. I looked at a few other hits and liked this one the best, so I went with it. What drew me to the recipe was the use of cornmeal. I LOVE pancakes that involve cornmeal. It gives them this great crunch and nuttiness that makes the pancakes totally yummy. I also liked that the recipe didn’t call for any weirdo substitutes… like egg substitutes. I tend to pass on those.

As usual I made the recipe almost to a T except for a few things. I didn’t use the orange zest. It wasn’t a political move or anything… I just forgot to get an orange and didn’t feel like running out to the corner store to get one. Also it says candied ginger (optional) — I opted out. Again, I totally forgot to pick some up. I don’t buy pumpkin pie spice because it seems silly… but I usually have the ingredients on hand. So I just put a few dashes of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves into the mix. Lastly for the flour I used whole wheat.

OK – so I didn’t make it to a “T” per se… but you get the picture.

Results were AMAZING. I could eat these every day of my life. Not kidding. And that means a lot because I get bored very quickly!

Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes

1/2 cup canned puréed pumpkin 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 1/2 cup unbleached flour 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon grated orange peel 2 teaspoons finely chopped candied ginger (optional) 1/4 cup water 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 3/4 cup plain or vanilla soymilk

Combine the pumpkin with the dry ingredients.

Mix water, oil, and soymilk and add to pumpkin mixture. Beat just until smooth.

Heat griddle or frying pan and oil lightly. Use about 1/4-cup of batter for each pancake; cook until bubbles appear, then turn. Remove when pancakes are golden and slightly firm to the touch.

Recipe from The Vegetarian No-Cholesterol Family-Style Cookbook by Kate Schumann and Virginia Messina, M.P.H., R.D.