Fluffy pumpkin pancakes

I bought a can of puree pumpkin, because I sometimes like to put it in my oatmeal or make pumpkin-blueberry smoothies.  But I wound up with nearly half of a can left over, and I was sick of eating oatmeal/smoothies after a while.  I couldn't just let that tasty canned veggie go to waste, so what's a girl to do??

Fluffy pumpkin pancakes!

I experimented with a few recipes, but this one produced the fluffiest, most filling breakfast ever.  It's originally from the Dietitians of Canada website, though I adapted it a bit because I didn't have all of the ingredients that it asked for.

Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
Yields about 12 pancakes

2 cups flour (I only had all-purpose available, but you could use 1 cup all purpose and 1 cup whole wheat)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
(^^ note, if you have pumpkin pie spice, you can use that in place of these three spices)
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp white vinegar

1. In a bowl, combine your flour(s), brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. 
2. In a second bowl, combine the egg, milk, pumpkin, oil and vinegar. 
3. Get ready to work quickly -- start by getting a frying pan or griddle heated over medium heat.  Spray with cooking spray or use a small amount of canola oil to prevent sticking.
4. Combine your pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Mix it all together well.
5. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the mixture for each pancake, plop it onto the frying pan and spread it out a little bit (my pancakes ended up being about 5 or 6cm in diameter).  Cook for about 2 minutes each side, till it starts getting bubbly around the edge and turns golden brown.  Flip over and cook for about 2 minutes on the other side.
6. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate and keep cooking the remaining batter.

Ohhhhhhh boy! I topped my pancakes with blueberries and a drizzle of maple syrup for a filling, fluffy, fabulous breakfast.  The remaining pancakes can be kept in a covered container in the fridge to eat for breakfast tomorrow and the next day (I imagine that they could also be frozen as well) - just pop it in your toaster oven or microwave when you're ready to eat.

I entered this information into MyFitnessPal's recipe builder and popped out this nutrition info for two pancakes (and note that this was using only all-purpose flour - fibre content would be much improved with whole wheat mixed in):

• 215 calories
• 6g fat
• 7g protein
• 1g fibre
• 35g carbohydrate
• 139mg sodium

PS, that picture is from my Instagram - what?  Didn't know that I post on Instagram?  Follow me at evans_miche for more gastronomic adventures