Naturally Colored Pink Pancakes

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and since that means all sorts of pink and red tinted goodies, I have been experimenting with beet powder. We try very hard to avoid artificial colors, flavors, etc, but like most kids, my children are always drawn to colored foods! So I am trying to gain a chemical reaction based understanding of how beet powder will react when combined with other agents. Sometimes, if the acidity levels are not high enough, the color will turn brown once cooked or baked. The following pancake recipe is super healthy, packed with whole grains, and the batter turns from bright electric pink before cooked to a reddish pink when it's done. My kids loved them, and now we have a recipe to make pink heart shaped pancakes in February!

Pink Multigrain Pancakes

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup barley flour
1/2 cup oat flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1-2 tbsp sugar, optional
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp red powdered beet root
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 tbsp melted butter or oil
2 eggs

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and beet powder.

In a measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened.

Preheat a large skillet, and lightly grease it using a few drops of oil or a teaspoon of butter. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the hot skillet and cook, over medium heat, until starting to bubble. Flip and cook for a few minutes, until evenly browned. Remove to a plate and repeat. Serve warm with maple syrup or strawberry sauce.

For heart shapes, spoon batter into a pastry bag or other squeezable bottle (clean condiment bottles are great for this, if they have a wide opening at the top). Cut the tip off the pastry bag and pipe shapes directly onto the hot griddle. To keep the batter from spilling onto the counter between batches, place it, tip down, in a drinking glass for support. The weight from the remaining batter folds the tip and keeps it from sneaking out.