Pumpkin Butter and Whole Wheat Pancakes

Fall is in the air! Kind of.... it is supposed to hit 90 this weekend in the inland northwest. 90 degrees in late September! Well, I am going to just enjoy this because I know all too well that before I know it, it will be 9 degrees!

The warm weather does nothing to affect my desire for those harvest time foods though. Cinnamon, pumpkin, apples, peaches, ginger...bring it on!!

This past weekend I decided to try to make some pumpkin butter...wowzers! It is as addicting as crack but has a healthy dose of vitamin A for good measure. Great served with oatmeal, on toast or pancakes or even on chocolate chip cookies. Also, makes a great little harvest time gift when packaged in a mason jar with a ribbon (extra points if you also print out the recipe and create a little tag with it for your jar).

Pumpkin Butter

Source: Oh She Glows

1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree, approx. 3 1/2 cups or fresh

3/4 cup apple juice unsweetened

1.5 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup brown sugar or replacer

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Juice of half a lemon

1. Combine all ingredients, except lemon juice, in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes stirring regularly.

2. Remove from heat and adjust spices to taste (extra Cinnamon is never a bad thing). Stir in lemon juice. Allow to cool completely and store in airtight containers in fridge.

3. Leave your house, take a few deep breaths and then come back into your house and enjoy the Autumn aroma that you just created in your kitchen. (This step is optional but highly recommended...)

Sunday morning at my house! Whole wheat pancakes topped with pumpkin butter and coffee. Bliss. While you are here, let me just share that pancake recipe...

Whole Wheat Protein Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

 pinch sea salt

1.5 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs  Hemp Protein Powder -or other protein powder (optional)

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or milk of your choice)

1. In a medium bowl mix together dry ingredients. Add coconut milk and mix until batter is smooth.

2. Pour batter onto frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Don't think about touching them until you see little bubble start to rise in the batter. Flip your pancakes and cook until golden brown.

I hope that you are enjoying the fall season. It is a wonderful time of year to gather with friends and family and cook up good healthy food.

Let me know what you are going to put this pumpkin butter on....