By: Rachel
Pumpkin bread pancakes topped with maple syrup and bit of Earth Balance. Photo credit: RMW Nutrition
When I went veg at age twelve, I really didn’t care that I’d miss out on hamburgers at barbecues or mini hot dogs at parties. I never liked pepperoni on pizza and the smell of bacon was always a turnoff. But it did seem like a strange twist that my birthday falls out over (and sometimes on) the Thanksgiving holiday. I didn’t mind skipping the bird, of course, but sharing the very day set aside for celebrating me with a holiday structured around eating turkey started to feel like some kind of a cruel joke.
As years have passed, I’ve come to realize what a great eating occasion Thanksgiving can be for us vegheads. Between the sweet potato casserole, cranberries, green beans, Brussels sprouts, and pie, I’m easily as stuffed as the turkey by the end of the meal. But even so, I still feel like I still deserve something special that suits my eating preferences before the long weekend is over.
That’s why I cooked up these pumpkin bread pancakes. Birthday breakfasts were a tradition in my family when I was growing up—whether a birthday fell out on a national holiday, Black Friday, a weekend or a school/work day, my parents, brother and I would sit down at the table to share a meal before the chaos of the day set in. Now that we’re all grown, I value that time at the table with the ones I love most even more.
These nutty, subtly sweet, and spiced pancakes are vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free to meet the dietary needs of everyone in my family (a tall order, if I do say so myself!). Birthday or no birthday, they’re a great excuse to get your inner circle at the table for some quality time before football, family, friends, turkey, and holiday shopping take over. Happy (almost) Thanksgiving!
Pumpkin bread pancakes
Serving size: 4 small portions, 2 big ones (around 18 silver dollar pancakes total)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (I used So Delicious Original Coconut Milk Beverage)
1/3 cup oat flour
1/3 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/3 cup sweet white rice flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
½ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (like So Delicious Dairy Free Original Coconut Milk Beverage)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the chia seeds and the ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons coconut milk. Set aside for 15 minutes, whisking every so often so the chia seeds absorb the liquid without clumping together.
2. In another medium bowl, combine oat flour, sorghum flour, white rice flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Mix well so ingredients are thoroughly combined.
3. Once 15 minutes has passed, add to the chia seed bowl the pumpkin puree, ½ cup coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and olive oil. Whisk ingredients until thoroughly combined.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing well with a rubber spatula.
5. Heat a lightly greased cast iron or nonstick pan over a medium flame. Drop pancakes onto surface, 1 tablespoon of batter at a time, gently spreading out the batter as it begins to cook.
6. Cook pancakes until bottoms are lightly browned, around 3 minutes (the batter won’t bubble like traditional pancakes; wait for the edges to appear cooked, instead). Flip and repeat on the other side.
7. Repeat until all pancakes are finished.
This post was sponsored by So Delicious Dairy Free.