Good Traditions never die

On rainy days my children enthusiastically inform me that we HAVE to have "Nana's traditional pancakes"...because Nana used to make crepes on rainy days when I was growing up and they were served with cinnamon sugar. Since Nana has passed on and we want to keep her memory alive, we have kept up the tradition of rainy day pancakes a la Nana.

This week we have had plenty of dreary rainy days and so it seemed that crepes were a must, and what to do with that left over pumpkin I have in the fridge? Might as well use it up and create a delicious recipe while I am about it. Nana would say, "Waste not, Want not" and I agree. Only snag is that I can't eat the cinnamon sugar, so I had to make another plan. Good Traditions never die, but they don't have to stay rigid.They don't have to stay exactly the same. So I tweaked the recipe to suit my  sugar-free lifestyle.

First here is the Pumpkin and Cinnamon Crepe Recipe.

(Makes 3 crepes)

Ingredients:

1 cup Almond Milk (or Soy or whatever milk you prefer)
1 egg
1/4 cup ground pecans
1/4 cup chick pea flour
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 tsp powdered baking Stevia

Method:

1. Whisk all the ingredients together and allow mixture to rest for 5- 10 minutes for optimal results.
2. In a non-stick pan, preheated on medium heat, pour batter into pan and cook until little air holes form on the surface of the batter. Do NOT be too impatient! Only flip these babies once the surface of the pancake is almost dry.
3. Flip and cook on the other side.
4. Serve with Pecan halves and *Apple Pumpkin Butter.  (*See recipe below)

Note, to make this vegan friendly, substitute 1 tbsp ground flax seeds and 3 tbsp hot water mixed together instead of the egg.

 

Apple Pumpkin Butter

Combine Pumpkin puree and Unsweetened Apple sauce to taste.
Add cinnamon if desired.
Voila!

This made a wonderful lunch time snack for me, sugar and dairy free, but filling and tasty. The recipe can be doubled to make 6 - 7 crepes.

Now I have to figure out a way to talk my kids out of the "cinnamon and sugar" thing that they have enjoyed in the past.  One step at a time. In the meanwhile our crepe tradition remains, without me compromising on my food choices. Choosing the best ingredients helps me to keep my blood sugar on an even keel. That, in turn makes me a better mom and a better athlete.

What traditions do you like to uphold to remember family members who are no longer with you?


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By Melony Teague

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Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
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