Butternut Pecan Pancakes

One of our most popular recipes this year has been our fun and kid-friendly green "monstah" pancakes. I've done a fall/winter remodel of this fabulous and nutrient-dense pancake to include a wonderful helping of butternut squash roasted in a touch of coconut oil and some delicious fall spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. You can roast up a sweet potato the same way or even use canned pumpkin. These pancakes use the same base as the "monstah" pancakes (quinoa, almond milk, and rolled oats), but this is a flavorful twist that will have everyone clamoring for more. This has been an even bigger hit with our friends and family, and just in time for the holidays.

1. The first step is to prep and roast your butternut squash (or sweet potato). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and roast 2 cups squash (this cooks down to be about 1-1/4 cup), pumpkin, or sweet potato in 2 teaspoons coconut oil (if you don't have coconut oil, canola or olive will do). Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon, a pinch of cloves, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and a pinch of ginger. Toss together and roast for 20-25 min (until very soft but not too brown). Cool completely. 

2. Get out the blender and add in 2 cups uncooked whole rolled oats and 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa. Blend until a flour. (This is a link to our favorite quinoa. Most markets sell it at an extremely high price, and is usually cheaper bought on Amazon or in bulk foods at a store like WinCo). 

3. Add in all other ingredients except peans (order does not matter) and leave on high in blender for about a minute. NOTE: if you have a high-powered blender (Blendtec or Vitamix) you can skip step 2 and just throw everything in and blend until there are no visible quinoa pearls (about 1-2 minutes). 

4. Gently mix in 1/2 cup chopped pecans and then proceed cooking as you would with any pancake. Rather than mixing the pecans into the batter, you could also sprinkle them on top of the cooking pancake (this is usually much easier as the batter is made in a blender).

Tips: 

*When roasting anything with coconut oil, you really need to keep the heat lower than normal. Coconut oil is not really a high heat oil. I use it here, because the flavor is wonderful with the squash and banana. Just don't crank that oven any higher than 350 degrees. 

* If the batter seems too wet, leave it to sit for about 5-10 min and it will thicken up. 

*If you have sensitivities, try using gluten free oats (bob's red mill makes a great GF oat).

*If you are cutting calories, add 2 egg whites and one scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder. 

Butternut Squash Pecan Pancakes

Makes 6-8 servings

2 cups uncooked whole rolled oats

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups desired milk 

1 ripe banana (adjust to taste)

1 tablespoon of honey or stevia (optional)

1 - 1 1/2 cups of roasted butternut squash (canned pumpkin or a roasted sweet potato would be great too)

2 eggs

1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon plus another 1/4 teaspoon for roasting squash

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, plus another pinch for roasting squash

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg plus another 1/4 teaspoon for roasting squash

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (or grated fresh)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoon of orange zest (optional)

1/2 cup raw pecans, roughly chopped

Optional toppings: chocolate chips, bananas

1. Do ahead, or night before: preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and roast 2 cups of squash, pumpkin, or sweet potato in 2 teaspoons of coconut oil. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, pinch cloves, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and a pinch ginger. Toss together and roast for 20-25 min. Cool completely. 

2. Add quinoa and rolled oats into the blender and blend until you have flour. Add all the remaining ingredients except pecans and blend well until the batter is easy to pour and the consistency of pancake batter. Gently mix in pecans, or sprinkle on top of batter once poured on griddle. 

3. Pour onto griddle and cook as you would any pancake. To make them extra special, add chocolate chips, bananas, or anything else fun. Enjoy!