You may remember that a few weeks ago the mister and I took a trip down to Southern California to watch the Tour of California bike race. While we were away, we had some really great food – and a particularly good brunchone morning at a hole-in-the-wall café called “Jinky’s” in Thousand Oaks.
I knew I needed to re-create the pumpkin apple pancakes I had that day – with a healthy twist of course – and I think I have it!
I know it’s not exactly pumpkin season, but, thanks to the beauty of canned goods, pumpkin season can be any season. Don’t panic about the cooked apples on top…these can be easily made in the microwave in 4 minutes flat.
If you don’t want to add the protein powder to these, you can leave it out, but go a little lighter on the milk – say, 1.5 cups instead. But, I’m a big proponent of adding in protein powder into my breakfast, as it helps me stay full longer!
Pumpkin Apple Protein Pancakes
Time Required: 15-20 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cup skim milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons applesauce
- 1 cup unbleached white flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 scoops plain or vanilla protein powder (I used Designer Whey vanilla)
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Method:
For the pancakes:
- Mix milk, pumpkin, egg, and applesauce in a medium bowl and set aside
- Blend all remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl, and fold wet ingredients into dry – do not over-mix
- Preheat a non-stick griddle to medium heat
- Spoon pancakes onto griddle in 1/3 cup portions, and cook until the batter stops bubbling (about 2 minutes) and flip
- Cook the reverse side for about a minute, and flip onto a plate, covering with a clean dishtowel to keep warm
For the topping:
I usually make this individually because I am the only one that eats pancakes at our house. If you are serving all five servings at once, you could make this in a pot on the stove as well. Just bring the ingredients to a simmer for about 5 minutes…
- Chop one apple per serving (I prefer Fuji or Braeburn) and place in a microwave-safe dish
- Add 1 tablespoon of water per serving, a dash of cinnamon, and a drizzle of honey (about 1/4 teaspoon per apple)
- Microwave for 4-5 minutes , checking at about the 3 minute mark
- Be careful when removing bowl from the microwave – it will be really hot!
- Drain any excess water in a sieve and serve on top of pancakes
Use honey or syrup to top!
Nutrition:
| Pancakes: |
Apples: |
