My youngest son ate a huge bowl of Ian’s chili last night and then fell asleep while we watched a movie.  He was still sleeping when I got up this morning.  I had a feeling it was “growth spurt time” again and he would be ravenous this morning.  We had talked about having pumpkin pancakes earlier this week, so I decided to let him wake up to the aroma of their preparation.  I was right.  He was very hungry.  He ate almost six fairly large pancakes.  It wasn’t too hard; these pancakes are delicious.

You’ll need:

one medium bowl (dry ingredients) and one mixing bowl.

In the smaller bowl combine:

1 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats (regular or quick)

1/4 cup wheat germ

2 Tbs chopped pecans

4 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)

2 Tbs powdered buttermilk

1 Tbs raw sugar

1/4 tsp salt (optional)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

In the mixing bowl combine:

1 1/2 cups low fat milk

2 eggs

1 Tbs vegetable oil

1/4 cup orange juice

1 cup pureed pumpkin

2 Tbs golden raisins

1 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk the wet ingredients well.  Then add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Batter will be thick.

Cook on a griddle over medium-low heat.  I use a 1/3 cup measure to put them on the grill.  Because they’re so thick, they need to cook slowly.  Don’t rush this or they will be undercooked in the middle.  Grill until brown on both sides.  We like them with just a little maple syrup.  Enjoy!