How about making lovely red pancakes?

We have used beetroot and buckwheat in our pancakes.

Why buckwheat? it’s really healthy,  related to the rhubarb family, it’s a great source for good carbs and high is essential nutrients, confusingly named Buckwheat it is actually gluten-free.

Why beetroot? well why not, another really great healthy vegetable full of essential nutrients and fabulous natural colouring.

You can if you would like, use regular plain flour or other flours. However if you are making them gluten free, make sure your baking powder is gluten free too.

You will need:

• 200g peeled beetroot
• 180g buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 ml milk
• honey to taste
• 100 ml cold water

Makes 15 American size pancakes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 180oC.

Peel your beetroot and chop into equal sized cubes and place the chopped beetroot in an oven proof dish.

Add 100mls of water.

Water added to the cubed beetroot.

Cover the dish with a lid or foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until they are cooked through. Check the beetroot a couple of times; adding more water so that they don’t dry out.

To check that the beetroot is cooked through, use a skewer if it is ready it will be soft.

Whilst the beetroot is roasting weigh and measure out the other ingredients.

In a large bowl add the flour, baking powder and cinnamon, in a jug mix together the milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.

When the beetroot is soft and cooked through, take them out of the oven.

Place them in a bowl (I tend to use a Kilner jar as they are nice and high sided) and puree them to a smooth consistency.

Add the milk mixture to the dry flour ingredients and mix well, it doesn’t matter if you have a few lumps, and then add the beetroot; give it a really good beat until all the ingredients are combined.

This is where you need to add honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup to taste. I tend not to use any sweeteners, as we the pancakes with lots of fruit and yoghurt.

If you need to oil your frying pan wipe it around with some oil on some kitchen towel, (you do not want the batter mixture swimming in oil) place over a low heat, to warm up.

Add some batter to your frying pan, depending on how thick and large you are making your pancakes cook for about 2 minutes either side.

Below the finished pancakes, add your own toppings we love yoghurt and fruit with ours.