Pumpkin Pomegranate Pancakes

It's Sunday morning, and I can't think of anything better when it's cold and rainy outside than a big plate of pancakes. I love coming up with different pancake recipes (since we have pancakes just about every weekend) and these are some of my favorites yet - the pumpkin makes the pancakes so moist, and the topping of pomegranate seeds with maple syrup adds a little bite and a bit of sweet-tartness. These would also be a wonderful breakfast on either Thanksgiving morning or the day after - as you can see they are quite festive!

Pumpkin Pomegranate Pancakes
Makes ~12-14 pancakes

Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour (or 3/4 c. each regular whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour)
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 t. kosher salt
1 T. baking powder
1 c. canned or fresh pumpkin puree
1 T. maple syrup
1 T. molasses
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. lowfat milk
Pomegranate seeds and warm maple syrup, for serving

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, molasses, maple syrup, and eggs and blend well. Add the milk and stir to incorporate, then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Using a 1/4 c. measure, spoon out each pancake onto a griddle, keeping the other pancakes warm in a 200 degree F oven. Top each stack of pancakes with pomegranate seeds and serve with warm maple syrup.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon-Pear Compote

I whipped up these pancakes this past weekend while my sister was visiting. She mentioned that she had roasted a pumpkin and used the puree for a number of things - pumpkin gnocchi (I will have to attempt this later), pumpkin pie, and pumpkin pancakes. While I didn't have time to roast a pumpkin in time to make this recipe (I used canned pure pumpking puree), you could make your own pumpkin puree by taking the stem off of a sugar or cinderella pumpkin, cutting it in half, roasting it at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half, and then scooping out the insides into a food processor or blender to puree. You can also freeze the puree for up to six months.

This recipe would be great for a Thanksgiving breakfast, or for any time in the fall or winter. I used my favorite, easy pancake recipe which uses ingredients I normally always have on hand - whole wheat and regular flour, baking soda & powder, eggs, and honey, and just added pureed pumpkin and some spices. They were so delicious and we gobbled them down so fast that I didn't remember to take a picture!

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon-Pear Compote
Serves 4 (3 pancakes each)

Dry ingredients:
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. nutmeg

Wet ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. low fat milk (add up to a 1/4 c. more if it seems too thick)
2 T. honey
1/2 c. pumpkin puree - fresh or canned

For the pear compote:
4 pear halves (canned - without added sweetener - or fresh and very ripe), cut into thin slices
1 T. butter
1 T. pure maple syrup
1/2 t. cinnamon
small pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, using a whisk or fork. With a separate whisk, combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk just until combined.

Heat the butter over medium-low heat in a small skillet. Add the pears stir, then add the maple syrup, cinnamon, and pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occassionally, until the pancakes are ready, reducing to a low simmer if they are well softened before the pancakes are ready.

Meanwhile, ladle the pancake batter using a 1/4 c. measure onto a heated griddle. Cook in batches, transferring the finished pancakes to a sheet pan or serving dish in the oven to stay warm. Serve topped with the pear compote, maple syrup, and butter (if desired).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin, Feta, Walnut, and Sage Pasta

Pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors that really represents the coming of fall. I have actually never cooked fresh pumpkin before, and was pleasantly rewarded when I put together this dish! My inspiration came from this gorgeous sugar pumpkin at the farmer's market this weekend - however, I have also seen sugar pumpkins at our local supermarket, so you don't have to go to the farmer's market to make this dish. Sugar pumpkins are in between the size of smaller decorative pumpkins (which are inedible) and the larger pumpkins that you use to make jack-o-lanterns. The combination of the flavors of pumpkin, feta, walnuts, and sage is fantastic. It's also a pretty easy recipe - the hardest part is probably peeling the pumpkin, which isn't that difficult. You could use a vegetable peeler but I found just peeling it with a knife was easiest.

 

Pumpkin, Feta, Walnut, and Sage Pasta

Serves 4

Extra virgin olive oil

1 sugar pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1'' pieces

1 T. + 1 t. chopped fresh sage leaves

1 cup walnuts

4 oz. feta cheese

12 oz. short whole wheat pasta, such as shells

Kosher salt

Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel and cut the pumpkin and toss in a large bowl with 1 T. of the chopped sage leaves, 1 T. of extra virgin olive oil, and 1/2 t. salt. Roast for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a small skillet over low heat. I always used to roast nuts over high heat to get them done quicker, but after about 10 batches of burnt nuts, learned that it's better to do it over slow heat for slightly longer. It doesn't take too long - about 10 minutes. Still, keep an eye on them and stir occasionally. Once they are fragrant and lightly browned, remove from the pan, set aside, and roughly chop the nuts. 

Once the pumpkin is getting closer to being done, prepare the pasta. I like using shell shapes here because it holds onto the pumpkin, feta, and walnuts nicely. 

When the pasta is almost done, heat 2 T. of extra virgin olive oil in a pan over medium heat, and add the remaining 1 t. sage. Let this warm together for a minute or so and turn off the heat. 

Remove the pumpkin from the oven. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 c. pasta water first. 

In a large bowl, combine the roasted pumpkin, pasta, and walnuts, and crumble the feta over the top. Pour the reserved pasta water and sage-infused olive oil over the mixture, add 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper, and stir to blend well. To serve, crumble a little more feta over each dish, if desired.

This is one of my favorite things I've made, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Happy Fall!