Fall Cooking: Part 1

I LOVE the fall. It's my absolute favorite time of year. The air is cool and crisp. The leaves change colors (in most states). I get to wear boots and sweaters. And the dishes and baked goods I get to create are among some of my favorites. I know it's not quite fall yet, but as the weather was cooling down here in LA last week, I started getting out some my favorite fall recipes (i.e. butternut squash soups, roasted red pepper soup, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cakes, etc.). Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided she wasn't ready to let summer go completely... to the point that she slammed LA with a major heat wave, setting record highs of 113 degrees yesterday. Yes, I'm serious. It apparently became the new record in LA. I guess I'm mostly surprised by this week of heat because the summer has been such a cool one. Most mornings have been overcast and the temperature hasn't gone above 80 (perfection in my eyes).

Anyway, while I've had to set aside my fall recipes for another week or so, I did decide to slip in a new recipe for Sweet Potato-Pecan Pancakes for dinner tonight. I mean, really, who doesn't love breakfast for dinner? And throw in some sweet potatoes, pecans, and an apple-butter & maple syrup... you might as well call it dessert.

While it sounds a bit sinful, I've got good news - the recipe is from Cooking Light and a serving only has 270 calories (2 pancakes and 1 teaspoon pecans).

Sweet Potato-Pecan Pancakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted and divided
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 (16-ounce) can sweet potatoes or yams, drained and mashed (about 3/4 cup)

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons pecans, baking powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt in a large bowl. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (milk through eggs); add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth. Stir in sweet potatoes.

Spoon about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot nonstick griddle or large nonstick skillet. Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Sprinkle pancakes with 2 tablespoons pecans.

For the syrup, I just combined apple butter with sugar-free maple syrup. I can't remember the ratio, so just add the sugar-free maple syrup to the apple butter to taste. It was probably close to half and half. The consistency was still a little thick but there was a clear maple taste. Also, make sure to heat it up for about 45 seconds.

Tip: I made extra so I could freeze some and throw them in the toaster for breakfast. After you've cooked the extras, let them cool on a cooling rack (not a plate) so they don't get soggy. Once they are completely cool, put them in a ziplock and in the freezer until you're ready to eat them.