Savory Pumpkin Pancakes (Kids Will EAT Them!)

Perhaps I should say this louder, "KIDS WILL EAT THESE!" Even kids not from my family (but wait a minute, maybe those are the kids I should be feeding and not my own.) We had friends over yesterday so that my friend Tracy could host a trunk show for her jewelry line. I said I would be testing out recipes on willing participants and I did. I've been toying with this recipe; I typically make pumpkin pancakes as a sweet pancake. I like pancakes as sides too. Eating Well Magazine www.eatingwell.com has a wonderful recipe for Corn and Basil Fritters/Pancakes/Johnnycakes. When corn is in season and the basil is in bloom, that's a winning combination.

Well, I've ripped out my basil plants and the corn's now all the frozen kind (not that there's anything wrong with that, but fresh is best). I still have sage in the garden, and pumpkin is plentiful in the stores, both fresh and canned.

This makes for a simple vegetarian meal (Tracy thought it'd be great with a salad), or as a side for fish or chicken.

Savory Pumpkin Pancakes
Makes around 12 small pancakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh sage, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

In a medium sized bowl, mix together all of the ingredients. Stir well and allow to rest while you prepare your frying pan. Grease pan with remaining 1 Tbsp. of canola oil (I'd do this by batch, so 1 tsp. or so at a time) and heat over medium low heat. Allow the oil to get hot enough to sizzle if you take a drop of water to it. Spoon a small amount of batter (I get four pancakes on a pan at a time) onto the pan and cook until the edges are dry and the batter bubbles towards the center (2 minutes or so). Flip and cook another two minutes or so. The pancakes will rise a bit. Serve with Grade B Maple syrup, plain, or with a little bit of butter on top.

Batter up!

Cooking. Better than the first batch. 

Cahir liked them. And he's not my child, so that counts!