Recipe Review: Squash Pancakes

Happy dance.... happy dance!  Okay, Janae, you're my first non-related blog follower.  Welcome.  I know it was a huge step for you to follow a sugar-free blog.  That's okay.  I won't tell! :). 

Today was a super busy day- I spent most of it getting ready for my group piano lessons today and tomorrow.  When it was time for dinner I hadn't even planned anything.  I threw together tacos for the kids, and Jimmy ended up eating them too (He's been really good about his eating and has lost about 15 pounds in the last month).  He decided that they were better than the alternative:  Squash pancakes.

I had leftover cooked squash in the fridge, so decided it was time to try out this recipe from gnowfglins.com:

1 cup cooked, pureed squash [I used a little butternut and mostly acorn squash].
4 to 5 eggs [I used 4]
1/4 c. coconut four [I used this] OR whole wheat flour OR 1/3 c. sour dough starter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 to 2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
butter

Serves 6

Separate eggs.  In one bowl, whip egg whites a few minutes until frothy/foamy.  In a separate bowl, combine yolks with squash, flour, sweetener, vanilla and spices.  Fold in egg whites.  Fry slowly in lots of fat in cast-iron skillet over med-low heat or on a griddle with a bit of butter at about 300 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Watch for the bottoms to begin browning when the edges look dry and flip once.  If you find the pancakes are very thin and breaking apart, add a bit more flour or sourdough starter to the batter. 

The lazy way:  Instead of separating the eggs, just mix everything together in one bowl.  The pancakes might not have as much height or fluff, but they're still perfectly fine, especially for a weekday morning. 

Check out that crazy batter!  I'm glad I didn't put an extra egg in because they were moist enough without.    My first mistake:  I just hand mushed the squash instead of blending them.  Second mistake:  I think they would be better with the 1st recipe option of folding in stiff egg whites so the pancakes are fluffier.

The first flipping went better than I thought, but they still looked pretty rough!  The second side brown really fast and got a bit burnt looking.

Here's the final product.  Some real beaut's, eh?  They tasted pretty good, but then about an hour later.....  BLEH.  I feel SO yucky.  I have no idea what caused it- The new Grade B maple syrup I used?  The acorn squash I haven't ever used before?  Some of the spices in it ? (cloves, nutmeg, etc.)  All I know is that this is not on my list of favorites.  They're heavy in my stomach, and I just don't feel well at all.  They get one out of five stars.