Butternut Squash & Candied Pecan Pancakes! GF, SCD, w/ BED & V Options!

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So tonight, I made a real treat for dinner. I mean, we're talking...this should be illegal. :)

I had about a cup of diced butternut squash leftover...soooooo...I made...

Butternut Squash & Raisin Pancakes w/ Candied Pecans!!

And they're Gluten Free, Grain Free, and Specific Carb Diet Friendly w/ both a Vegan and Body Ecology Diet option!

Here's what you need: (Serves 1)

1 cup diced butternut squash, small dice, roasted
heaping 1/3 cup almond flour
1 tsp cinnamon
healthy pinch salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 egg whites (Vegan Option: 2 flax/chia eggs)
2 droppers-full of pure liquid stevia (SCD use 2 tsp honey)
3 Tbsp raisins (BED omit)

Garnish:
6 "candied" pecan halves (see directions below)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spritz with olive oil. Place your butternut squash on the pan, and spritz with olive oil. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for 30 minutes, until tender, flipping once, halfway through.

Meanwhile, candy your pecans. I have a cheater's way to do this:) Take a Pyrex measuring cup (or other microwave-safe dish), and put your pecans in it. Spritz them lightly with olive oil, and then sprinkle them with a tiny bit of salt, about 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, and 1 "dropper-full" of pure liquid stevia. (Or if you're SCD, 1 tsp honey). Toss/shake them about so they're all coated. Then, microwave for 25-30 seconds. They'll come out beautifully spicy and sweet! I sometimes make this for a snack!!

Once your butternut squash is out of the oven, Mix together your dry ingredients in a small bowl. Then, in a larger bowl, beat your egg whites with your handy dandy hand mixer (or whisk) until medium peaks form. Then add in your stevia (or honey) and continue to whisk. Finally, gently fold in your dry ingredients, being careful not to deflate the egg whites too much. Then fold in your raisins. (not the squash yet).

To make the pancakes, place 1/3 of the batter onto a screamin' hot, olive-oil-sprayed, nonstick skillet. Once your cake is down, carefully place pieces of the squash on top. Let cook for about 3 minutes on the one side, and then carefully flip, and let cook for 1-2 more minutes. Makes 3 silver-dollar pancakes. Garnish with your candied pecans and any extra squash you may have.

Oh. My. Gosh. These were amazing!! I was really craving some delicious pancakes and these seriously hit the spot! In fact, if I were blindfolded, I'd think I was eating dessert!! They're THAT good!

The texture on these was so airy and light. You'd think they'd be heavy because they're made of almond flour, but just the opposite! They were ethereal! And you'd get these chewy, sticky raisins, and creamy pieces of butternut squash...simply heavenly!

And the flavor was faaaabulous! My, oh my! There was the sweetness from the squash and the stevia, complimented by the warm, spicy cinnamon. And then you'd get a pop of intense sweetness from the raisins! All on a beautiful nutty backdrop from the almond flour and candied pecans.

Seriously, do yourself a favor and make these pancakes. You will find yourself making them weekly!! 

There were several tools that made this recipe possible. First and foremost, a good chef's knife is critical, especially when breaking down a butternut squash. A good chef's knife is an investment, but it really transforms your cooking. Then, my Kitchen Aid hand mixer made beating the egg whites super easy! Plus, it's pink for breast cancer! Finally, my nonstick skillet combined with my olive oil sprayer were key players.  Here are the ones I use: