Tag Archives: Pumpkin

Pumpkin Pecan Granola

Breakfast, Gluten Free, Recipes November 24, 2015 Comments: 2

Pumpkin Pecan Granola

I love granola and although I often buy my favorite organic pumpkin seed granola, I also love to make my own.  It makes a fantastic homemade gourmet hostess gift, giving your friends or family a delicious, easy and healthy breakfast for the day after the glutinous decadence of a holiday dinner.  

pumpkin pecan granola!

pumpkin pecan granola!

Granola oftentimes gets a bad rap as being unhealthy, as a lot of commercial brands add in way too much sugar, additional oils and overly processed ingredients, but when you make your own you have complete control and therefore can create a delicious and healthy version all your own!  

pumpkin pecan granola with banana and peanut butter, yum!

pumpkin pecan granola with banana and peanut butter, yum!

 I have been making my own granola for years now using a much loved recipe I stumbled upon, but more recently I’ve been changing it up and creating some of my own flavor combinations and since it’s pumpkin season, I thought why not add a little to the mix.  I combine pumpkin puree and maple syrup –  yum – add to that raw pumpkin seeds (just to keep the theme going, plus they’re yummy and so healthy!) and some ground flax and
hemp seeds pumpkin pecan granola dry mixfor good measure and finally pecans, shredded coconut and of course cinnamon, which all go so perfectly with the flavors of pumpkin.

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Pumpkin Oatmeal Mini Muffins

Breakfast, Muffins, Scones & Quick Breads, Other treats, Recipes November 7, 2014 Leave a comment

I know, I know, every food blog and website you go to right now has pumpkin recipes and here’s one more! pumpkin oatmeal mini muffinsBut these little muffins are a perfect and healthy treat.  I bring these to my son’s class for Halloween and Thanksgiving parties and the kids devour them without getting  all sugared up.  These are also great for an afternoon snack.  The maple syrup works perfectly with the pumpkin flavor and makes it taste just like autumn in a little bite.  pumpkin oatmeal mini muffins with pecansThese muffins are delicious as is, or if you so desire even better with some chopped pecans. I love making these as mini muffins, but they’re just as yummy as full size muffins if you prefer.pumpkin oatmeal mini muffins with pecans

pumpkin oatmeal mini muffins

Pumpkin Oatmeal Mini Muffins

Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones

Adapted from Angie Walker’s Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal Muffins

 

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup pumpkin puree – I use canned pumpkin

1 large ripe banana – mashed

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

¼ cup apple juice

½ cup maple syrup

¼ cup canola oil or other oil

Additional – about 2 Tablespoons of oats & a bit of Raw Sugar – to sprinkle on top

Optional: ½ cup chopped nuts, pecans are my preferred – I skip this when making for a school event

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Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes

Breakfast, Recipes March 29, 2014 1 Comment
Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes

Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes

 

I had a spare can of pumpkin in the pantry and decided to add a little spice and pizzazz to our weekend brunch so I whipped up a batch of pumpkin & oatmeal spiced pancakes and oh are they yummy. Plus with the weather we’ve been experiencing here in the North East, I’d say it feels a lot more like late autumn than early spring anyway so why not dig in to a little healthy comfort food. With the combo of cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin grilling up on the stove your house is going to smell soooo good.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes

Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones

Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients

½ cup rolled Oats / Oatmeal

1 ¼ cups Buttermilk *

1 extra large Egg

3/4 cup canned Pumpkin **

1 Tablespoon Vanilla (yeah, it’s a lot, but it’s good)

1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil or Butter – melted and cooled a bit

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Dry Ingredients

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

½ teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ teaspoon Nutmeg

¼ teaspoon Salt

Directions:

Heat a large non stick skillet over a medium flame.

In a medium-large bowl, pour in the Oats and Buttermilk. Stir together and let rest at room temperature about 2 minutes.

Add in the Egg, Pumpkin, Vanilla and Coconut Oil (or Butter). Stir to combine with the Oats and Buttermilk.

In a separate smaller bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined.

Add a little extra Coconut Oil or Butter to the hot pan and swirl around to coat.

Drop about ¼ cup of batter (I fill the same ½ cup measure I’ve already used and just fill it about halfway) into the pan and repeat until you run out of space. Just like cooking any pancake, as you start to see bubbles forming on top and the bottom is nicely browned it’s time to flip and cook a little more. Repeat until all the batter is used. I get about 14 pancakes with this recipe.IMG_4335

For topping: I love any pancake topped with assorted nuts and fruit and these are no different. The flavors of the pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg pair particularly well with Pecans, Bananas and Raspberries, topped with a little bit of maple syrup and I’d say that’s as good a way to start the day as any. Enjoy!

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Recipe Notes:

*I don’t always have buttermilk on hand, which used to be a real bummer for me whenever I wanted to make buttermilk pancakes or something of the like early on a weekend morning, but then I discovered powdered buttermilk. This was a real aaaahhh moment for me, it’s shelf stable, mixes easily with water and cooks up just as tender and tasty. So I still do buy fresh buttermilk at times, but now I always have the powdered stuff in the pantry. For this recipe, I actually mix up 3 ½ Tablespoons of buttermilk powder with 1 cup of water plus ¼ cup regular milk.

**Canned pumpkin, believe it or not this is one canned food that’s super healthy, something about the canning process increases the levels of beta carotene.

If you have any leftovers (sometimes I’ll make a double batch, just for this purpose), they can be bagged and stored in the fridge then reheated, making a very quick and tasty school day breakfast. The hubby likes them as an after work snack, straight from the fridge topped with peanut butter, yum.