As our friends and family well know, the Midwestern Gentleman and I take our Pancake Sunday tradition very seriously.  While the medium itself remains consistent — Pancake Sundays are always about pancakes — we are dedicated neophiles when it comes to ingredients and flavor combinations.  Over the past year of Pancake Sundays, we have never made the same flavor pancake with the same fruit topping two weekends in a row.  Until now.

My friend Danielle recently sent us an issue of Caribbean Gourmet magazine to whet our appetites, so to speak, for our upcoming visit to her native Trinidad and Tobago.  She had thoughtfully tucked a note into the magazine drawing special attention to the West Indian Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes, and I could not resist.  I modified the original recipe slightly, the better to align with my anti-inflammatory eating habits, and threw together a banana and rum topping to keep with the tropical theme.  While both recipes do contain a small amount of sugar, one serving (about 3 pancakes and half a banana’s worth of sauce) is still within my “sugar safety zone” at less than 1 tablespoon.

Caribbean Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/4 cup flour (I used amaranth and white whole wheat)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 Tbsp raw sugar

2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

3/4 cup pureed pumpkin

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.  Stir the melted coconut oil into the pureed pumpkin in a second bowl and combine well.  Beat the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla into the pumpkin.  Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk together briefly until just combined.

Ladle batter onto a hot griddle and cook until bubbles form and edges appear dry.  Flip and cook on the second side for another minute or so.  Keep warm on a warmed plate covered with a dishtowel until ready to serve.

Banana Rum Pancake Topping

2 Tbsp coconut oil (or butter, or a combination of the two)

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp water

2 bananas, peeled and sliced

2 Tbsp rum

Melt the coconut oil and brown sugar over low heat in a small saucepan.  Carefully add the water, and bring to a simmer, stirring.  Add the sliced bananas and stir to coat.  Let the bananas simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the rum and continue cooking for another few minutes, until the alcohol has boiled off.  Serve warm over pancakes.