The Great Pumpkin Breakfast

It's Halloween weekend, so after going to Amazing Yoga with Nick, I decided to make us a seasonal breakfast. After all, I had to find something to do with all that pumpkin puree that I made earlier.

I was inspired to make pumpkin pancakes by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's article on all things pumpkin, but I definitely changed it up a little. My version follows.

Spiced Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes 

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (I used white sugar since we ran out)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or almond milk with 1 tsp of vinegar)
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 200 degrees and place a baking sheet on one of the racks.
Whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in a medium bowl until evenly combined. Set aside.
Whisk milk, pumpkin, butter, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until evenly combined. Add flour mixture and pecans and stir until just mixed and moistened (batter will be lumpy), about 30 strokes. Set batter aside to rest while pan or griddle heats.

Makes 10 pancakes or enough for 3 servings for 3 hungry people. We served the pancakes with homemade apple butter, maple syrup, and powdered sugar. Delicious.

Because the pumpkin pancakes weren't enough already, we also made pumpkin smoothies!!

Spiced Pumpkin Banana Smoothie

3 ripe bananas
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup orange juice
1 cup hazelnut milk
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup ice

Puree ingredients in a blender until smooth. Makes 3 tall glasses.

We watched Are You Afraid of the Dark (the tale of the frozen ghost!) on YouTube while digesting to finish off the morning.