Whole Wheat & Quinoa Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Whew! What a mouthful, right? I couldn't decide what to call these pancakes. What's the best feature?

That they're whole wheat?
That they have hidden quinoa for protein?
That they are sinfully delicious  and taste just like Pumpkin Chocolate chip cookies?

I don't know. You decide. :)

If you wanted to go uber healthy ( my 9 year old insists that uber is NOT a word :D ), you could omit the chocolate chips. I added them because my kids turn their noses up at pumpkin spice flavored things - UNLESS there's chocolate involved.

Or, if you had extra time and ambition, you could even make your own chocolate chips with this recipe here.

So, without further ado, here's my recipe for Whole Wheat and Quinoa Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes. Whew! It wears me out just to type it - check out them finger acrobatics. :)




Printable version here

Whole Wheat and Quinoa Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes
by Shana Galbraith

*Note: This recipe will make 24 -30 pancakes. I usually double the batch, however, because I buy the smaller can of pumpkin puree, and if I double the recipe, it will use up the whole can. They freeze beautifully and are great for hectic mornings when I don't have time to cook a breakfast from scratch.

Ingredients:

1/8 c water + 1 tsp chia seeds (to make a chia egg)
1/4 c sucanat
1/4 c agave nectar
3/4 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp wheat germ
2 Tbsp flax seed meal
1/4 c cooked quinoa
3 c whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
4 c water
1 bag dark chocolate chips (optional)

 Directions:

*Mix the 1/8 cup of water with 1 tsp chia seeds and set aside to gel for 3 or 4 minutes.

*In a large bowl, mix the sucanat, agave nectar, pumpkin, coconut oil, vanilla, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, wheat germ, and flax seed meal. Once the chia seeds have had a few minutes to gel, add them to this mixture.

*When those are combined, add the quinoa, flour, baking powder, and water.  Mix well with a whisk.

*Pour batter by 1/4 cups full onto a hot griddle.

*Drop chocolate chips onto pancakes. I wait to put the chocolate chips on now so that they don't all sink to the bottom of the bowl of pancake batter.

*When edges start to look done, flip the pancakes. Cook another minute or two.

Serve, and enjoy!