Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

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October is mere days away, which can only mean one thing: PUMPKIN SEASON! Let’s kick the season off right and make a big stack of these Pumpkin Protein Pancakes together, shall we?

Protein pancakes are a fickle thing. If you’ve been a follower of MEN, then you know my feelings towards them back when I posted my Fluffy Protein Pancakes using egg white protein powder. I still love those pancakes (seriously, try them if you haven’t already!) but it seems without fail I get questions about replacing other protein powder types with whey in my protein powder recipes. I get it, whey is the most popular protein powder type, but mannn is it tough to work with at times.

These pancakes were definitely a labor of love but the result is so worth it! I tweaked this recipe (no joke) 5 or 6 times to get it right. Unlike most protein powder pancakes I’ve tried, which can turn rubbery and dry, these stay soft and moist! The pumpkin definitely helps in that regard. These are low in fat, thanks to the applesauce and pumpkin acting as butter and egg substitutes, AND low carb/gluten free since we’re using coconut flour. You’ll have zero guilt eating the whole stack and if you’re really adventurous...drizzle a little pure maple syrup on top!

Happy Fall, y’all! 

Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Servings: 6 pancakes

Ingredients: 

• 1 scoop Cinnamon Whey Protein Powder (1/4 cup), vanilla would work as well
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Optional: Pure maple syrup for serving!

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl combine your dry ingredients: whey protein, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Whisk to fully mix ingredients.
2. In a small bowl combine all wet ingredients: pumpkin, applesauce, eggs, almond milk and vanilla. Whisk together and then add to dry ingredients. Whisk until all ingredients are incorporated.
3. Heat a non-stick pan (I love my ceramic non-stick Greenpan) over medium heat - you don't want the pan too hot that it burns your pancakes! Scoop batter (approximately 1/4 c) onto pan. Cook the first side until you begin to see bubbles form, about 1-1/2 minute. Flip and continue to cook until both sides are browned, about another 30-45 seconds. Serve while hot! 

Nutritional Information (1 pancake):

50 calories - 7 g Protein, 4 g Carbohydrates, 1.2 g Fat

 

Looking for MORE pumpkin recipes? Here are few more My Engineered Nutrition favorites! 

Lemon Pistachio Protein Donuts

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Oh.

My. 

Goodness.

These donuts. I just don't even have the words.

Let me try and find them: LEMON. PISTACHIO. PROTEIN. DONUTS. 

Even though I made them myself, it is hard to believe how amazing these taste when they are made with protein powder. I mean, let's not fool ourselves - baking with protein powder is GREAT, but its never quite the real deal. But I swear to you, if you didn't know how these were made you would think I picked them up from a near by donut shop. 

I will admit that I had my doubts I could ever get this recipe exactly spot on like I wanted it. The first attempt the batter had too much liquid and they baked flat and rubbery. The second attempt I almost had but it they were a little dry, however, still definitely edible, I just wasn't sold on the glaze. This third attempt I was determined to nail it and boy did I. 

I will say I tried so hard to make a "healthy" glaze for these donuts by using minimal sugar and even some whey protein powder in the mix, but it just wasn't the consistency I wanted. So I compromised and made a traditional glaze with powdered sugar and milk...but used it oh-so-sparingly. I try my hardest to steer clear of refined sugars but you know what, sometimes you gotta give a little.

Aside from the glaze these are incredibly healthy donuts! The lemon zest and lemon juice make these the ideal summertime donut as their flavor is bright and bursting with with citrus. Each donut packs 8 grams of protein and less than 5 grams of fat. It is hard to believe something that taste THIS good is actually healthy. Don't believe me? You'll just have to see for yourself!

Lemon Pistachio Protein Donuts

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 8 minutes

Servings: 6 donuts

Ingredients:

Donuts

• 1/4 cup  vanilla whey protein powder (I use Whey Protein Isolate from True Nutrition)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose)
• 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar 
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Zest of 1 lemon (approx. 2 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Glaze

• 3 tbsp powdered sugar, loosely measured not hard packed
• 2 tsp milk (or nondairy milk of your choice, I used cashew)

Additional Toppings

• 2 tbsp pistachios, toasted

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease donut pan with coocnut oil (just so the donut don't stick to pan) and set aside. 
2. Mix all dry ingredients (protein powder, flour, coconut palm sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt) together in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients (butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, yogurt, egg and vanilla) and whisk together. Add wet ingredients to the dry and whisk together until well incorporated. 
3. Transfer batter to a large Ziploc bag - we will use this as a piping bag. Snip a very small hole in one of the bottom corners of the bag and evenly pipe batter into donut pan. I like to tab the pan on my counter top to level out the batter and ensure there are no air bubbles. 
4. Transfer donuts to oven to bake for 8 minutes or until a toothpick in inserted into the donut and comes out clean. Make sure not to over bake since we are using whey protein and over baking and make your donuts dry and rubbery!
5. After the donuts have finished baking, remove pan from oven and remove donuts from pan for cooling. 
6. While donuts are cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl add 1 tsp of milk at a time to the powdered sugar, stirring after each tsp of milk. If you haven't already toasted your pistachios, now would be the time to toast them. Once cooled, chop the pistachios finely.
7. With a spoon, drizzle equal amounts of glaze over the tops of the cooled donuts. Sprinkle chopped pistachios over each right after the glaze.
8. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, placed in the refrigerator.

Nutritional Information (1 donut)

145 calories - 8 g Protein, 17.5 g Carbohydrates, 4.7 g Fat

Chilaquiles (Breakfast Nachos!)

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Chilaquiles (tchee/lah/KEE/lehs) is a traditional Mexican dish that you may have never had...or even ever heard of. At least I had never heard of this dish until moving to California, at which point my tastebuds REJOICED over the amazing explosion of flavors in my mouth while eating (inhaling) this dish. Essentially, chilaquiles are breakfast nachos - but really, so much more than that. 

My favorite part of eating nachos is finding those chips that are semi-buried in the pile. You know the ones I'm talking about, they are still crispy yet somewhat soggy from being baked with all that amazingness on top, and always have the perfect balance of toppings on it. Well basically chilaquiles is a plate full of the PERFECT nachos. For breakfast. I mean, what more could a girl want out of life?

I've tried my best to lighten this dish up as much as I could without losing the critical flavors and components of the dish except for one aspect - the light fried (gasp!) tortilla chips which make the base of this dish. These lightly fried tortillas are then smothered and simmers in chile verde salsa.

After the base is complete, all that is left is to top these are topped with eggs, chorizo, black beans, red onion, queso fresco, guacamole and cilantro! Like I said previously, I tried to make this dish lighter than the traditional. I am using turkey chorizo instead of full fat pork chorizo, as well as substituting egg whites in place of full eggs.

Breakfast (er..more like brunch) is served!

Chilaquiles

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 corn tortillas, cut into 6 triangles each
• 2 cups salsa verde, I use HERDEZ
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (for frying, not all will be used)
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tbsp butter
• 8 oz turkey chorizo
• 1 cup black beans, canned
• 4 oz queso fresco, crumbled
• 1/2 cup guacamole, recipe previously posted!

For garnish:

• Red onion, chopped
• Cilantro, chopped
• Jalapeños 

Directions:

1. Start by preparing the tortillas. Cut the tortillas into 6 equal pieces. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Layer paper towels on cookie sheets or a large cutting board. Lightly fry the tortillas in batches - make sure you do not let the chips get too brown. This should take more more than a minute or so each side. We want the chips to be crispy, but not completely browned. Remove from oil and arrange in a single layer on paper towels so that excess oil can be drained. Continue frying remaining tortillas in batches. Once all chips are lightly fried, set the skillet and oil aside to cool.
2. In a nonstick skillet cook the turkey chorizo. Transfer from pan to a small bowl, set aside and cover to keep warm.
3. In a separate bowl scramble the eggs and egg whites together. Melt butter over medium high heat in same pan as used for the chorizo, pour in eggs. Scramble, set aside and cover to keep warm.
4. Next, prepare the guacamole by following my recipe here.
5. All that remains is to warm the beans in a small saucepan over medium heat, crumble the queso fresco and chop the onion, cilantro and jalapeños.
6. Drain oil used for frying chips from skillet and pour salsa verde into skillet and bring to a low boil over medium high heat. Add tortillas and toss in salsa. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes so that chips are completely smothered in salsa. 
7. For plating: divide tortillas evenly among 4 plates (12 tortilla chips per plate) and top with any remaining salsa verde. Next, top the tortillas with the chorizo, eggs and black beans evenly among plates. Sprinkle queso fresco, red onions, cilantro and jalapeños and finish each plate off with a dollop of guacamole. Serve immediately while its hot!

Blueberry Lemon Protein Scones

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Breakfast pastries are usually synonymous with high fat and loads of sugar.

But dang it...don't they always look so enticing behind that glass case in the coffee shop?! Sometimes you just want that sweet treat with your cup of coffee - hold the 10 lbs of sugar.

These Blueberry Lemon Protein Scones are the perfect alternative to feed your cravings for breakfast pastries! Bursting with lemon and fresh blueberries, I bet these will rival any scones you'll find in your local coffee shop.

One of my absolute favorite flavors of protein powder recently has been the Lemon Cake Pea Protein from True Nutrition. I'd been trying to come up with a good recipe to use it in and these scones seemed like the perfect match. Plus, you can't go wrong with freshly zested lemons and juicy blueberries!

Blueberry Lemon Protein Scones

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 17-20 minutes

Servings: 8 scones

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 cup Lemon Cake Pea Protein (3 scoops) ** Any lemon flavored or vanilla flavored pea protein would work here as well!
• 1-1/4 cup gluten free flour blend (I use Bob's 1-to-1)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar
• 2 tbsp melt butter
• 1/2 c Greek yogurt, nonfat 
• 1/2 c + 2 tbsp non-dairy milk (cashew, almond, soy, etc)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 c fresh blueberries

Baking Accessories:

• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper. 
2. In a mixing bowl combine your dry ingredients: pea protein, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and coconut palm sugar, whisking to combine.
3. In a separate bowl combine all remaining ingredients, except for the blueberries. Stir to combine. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until a dough is formed. Fold the blueberries into the dough gently, ensuring the blueberries are mixed evenly throughout.
4. Form the dough into a round disk, about 10" in diameter, on your parchment paper lined baking sheet. Slice into 8 equal parts and separate slightly before baking. 
5. Place in oven to bake for 17-20 minutes. Test the scones by inserting a toothpick into the center - they are baked completely when it comes out clean. Serve immediately or allow to cool completely and store in an air tight container for later.

Nutritional Information (1 scone):

175 calories - 12 g Protein, 24 g Carbohydrates, 3.5 g Fat

Fluffy Protein Pancakes

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Protein pancakes are usually one of the first recipes health-minded individuals try their hand at when venturing into the world of cooking with protein powder. Seems simple enough right?

Here's the thing - I've never liked eating protein pancakes. They (typically) turn out rubbery, flat or hard. Honestly, I'd rather just have the real deal than a mediocre alternate. 

Until these.

Here's the thing - in the past, I've made pancakes using whey protein however, not all protein powders are created equal! 

These pancakes (these fluffy, big, fat pancakes) are made using Egg White Protein. 

BINGO! 

It makes perfect sense.

Egg white protein powder reacts to heat similarly to the way eggs do when baking. Don't get me wrong, I still love baking with whey protein, but some recipes just work better with different protein powders! Whey protein doesn't seem to like high heat (hence rubbery or hard baked goods that are cooked for too long), but after my first experiment with egg white protein it seems this powder can stand up to the heat much more nicely. I'm excited for my baking experiments with this powder!

If you've never tried Egg White Protein Powder, here is your chance! True Nutrition has a great selection of protein powders and an exceptional Egg White Protein. As an added bonus, use my code 'MYENG' to receive 5% off your order!

Fluffy Protein Pancakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Servings: 6 pancakes

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup Egg White Protein Powder (2 scoops), unflavored or vanilla
• 1/2 cup flour (I use 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour, but regular flour would work as well)
• 1 tbsp coconut palm sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 cup reduced fat milk, 2%
• Additional butter or oil for making pancakes
• Optional: Pure maple syrup for serving!

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl combine your dry ingredients: whey protein, flour, coconut palm sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to fully mix ingredients. Add butter and milk to the bowl and whisk until batter is smooth.
2. Heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan over medium heat - you don't want the pan too hot that it burns your pancakes! Scoop batter (approximately 1/4 c) onto pan. Cook the first side until you begin to see bubbles form, about 1 minute. Flip and continue to cook until both sides are browned, about another 30-45 seconds. Serve while hot! 

Nutritional Information (1 pancake):

115 calories - 10 g Protein, 13.5 g Carbohydrates, 2.5 g Fat