Pink Power Beet Pancakes
Yields: about 24 pancakes Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes
These pink pancakes claim their power from iron rich beets! Oatmeal also adds to the iron power of these pancakes, making it a great vegetarian option as well. White or wheat flour can be used; the white flour making the pink stand out a bit more, yet the wheat flour boasts a bit more nutrition.
Ingredients
1/2 cup beets, raw and grated or pureed (cheese grater or food processor works well)
1 cup ground oats or oat flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons cane sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 egg
2 tablespoons melted butter
Directions
1. Combine milk with lemon juice and let stand for 3-5 minutes.
2. Place grated or pureed beets in a bowl, add sugar, egg, butter and vanilla. Beat well. Add milk and lemon mixture and mix until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine oat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Gently combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients, and mix well.
5. In a pan, melt 1 teaspoon butter and pour pancake batter about 1/4 cup at a time into pan. Let cook on medium heat for about 2-4 minutes, or until bubbles start to come through. Flip once, and let cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until pancakes are completely cooked throughout.
The whole purpose of the pancakes was to give my daughter pink pancakes - that's all she asked for breakfast every day for months. Now, being against artificial colors and dyes wherever possible, especially when it comes to what I make at home, I was determined to give her naturally pink pancakes.
Enter beets. Beets are high in nutrients and are notorious for their (staining) reddish-pink color. There is a hint of beet flavor, but I'm all for expanding my children's taste buds, and honestly, with syrup, it is all delicious (& nutritious)!
I just shred the beets by hand. I have used a food processor for all of the ingredients before. That worked, the batter was just a little more watery, as everything is pureed a bit more, so you may need an extra tablespoon of flour.
Speaking of the flour…whenever I use plant power to color food in baked goods, I lean towards all-purpose flour, as it is whiter, allowing the color to come through stronger. However, it really isn’t that huge of a difference, and I prefer whole wheat flour anyway. So, that is what I used for these pancakes.
Equally great is these little guys work wonderfully for pink-infused holidays, such as birthday parties to Valentine’s Day. They just make the day a little extra special!
#pancakes #breakfast #beets #naturalcolors #holiday #recipe #nutfree
