With Pancake Day just round the corner, I couldn’t resist this twist on the traditional pancake recipe, making them even more nutritious. Well if you can have red velvet cake, how about red velvet beetroot pancakes?!

Beetroot is a superb source of nitrate and betaine, important for a healthy circulatory and cardiovascular system and for liver detoxification. Beetroot is also rich in anti-inflammatories and anti-oxidants, important to help fight infection and fend off disease. Their high fibre content helps ensure you are fuller for longer (super if you want to lose weight!) and helps promote a healthy digestive system.

These pancakes have been supplemented with not only chia or flaxseeds which are superb sources of protein, fibre and omega-3s, but also omega-3 superpowder, a convenient tasty blend of acai berry power, goldenberry powder and sacha inchi to further boost the levels of anti-oxidants, fibre and omega-3s. I love to add protein powder too (soya bean, whey or pea blend well).

These red velvet colour pancakes are quick to make and taste delicious. The hardest bit is deciding which topping you want!

Makes: 14-16 pancakes

Preparation: 10 mins

Cooking time: 6 minutes for each pancake (3 minutes on each side)

Ingredients:

Wet batter ingredients:

• 2 large eggs (2 chia or flaxseed eggs also work)
• 1 tbsp of sweetener of choice: honey, agave, date syrup or coconut sugar. Alternatively, 1/3 tsp stevia
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:

• 130g wholemeal flour
• 25g protein powder (pea, soya bean or whey work well)
• 15g chia seeds or flaxseed
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp omega-3 superpowder

 For the blender/ food processor:

• 220g cooked beetroot
• 350ml milk of choice (regular dairy milk or almond milk work well)

Optional: ½ tsp ground cinnamon

To decorate:

Cream or yogurt (vegan if required) and fresh fruit or cherry compote:

• 200g of fresh cherries
• 3 tbsp water,
• 1 tbsp chia seeds

When cherries are out of season, you can use canned cherries, not water is required.

Method:

• In a bowl, mix together the wet batter ingredients.
• In a second bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
• In a food processor or blender, whizz together the beetroot and milk. Add this to the wet (eggy) mix.
• Mix together the beetroot-eggy mix with the flour mix to form a pink smooth batter.
• Melt a little coconut oil in a frying pan and on a low heat, ladle spoonfuls of the batter mix. Cook each pancake for about 3 minutes on each side (until bubbles start appearing on the upper surface).
• Once each pancake is cooked, stack them up under a tea towel to keep them warm.

• Repeat until all the batter mix is used up.
• I love to serve these with yoghurt or cream (plant based if required) and fresh berries.

• Alternatively, serve with cherry compote (other fruit also work, like berries).
• To make the cherry compote: gently stew 200g of fresh cherries with 3 tbsp water, 1 tbsp chia seeds. The chia seeds thicken the cherry juice to make delicious sauce. (If you like it sweeter, add ½ tsp of your sweetener of choice).
• If using canned cherries, drain away the syrup. Add the chia seeds and reduce as above.

Don’t forget you can find my favourite recipes in my FREE eBook here.

Variations:

• Substitute the beetroot for spinach for green pancakes or sweet potato for orange ones!
• If making spinach pancakes, why not add ½ tsp or spirulina or wheatgrass too?
• Add 2tbsp of cacao powder, omitting the equivalent in flour for chocolate beetroot pancakes!
• Add some hemp seeds in your batter mix.
• Vary your toppings. Ideas: ice cream (like vegan banana ice-cream elsewhere in this blog), syrup, nuts, seeds. These pancakes also taste delicious with simple lemon and coconut sugar sprinkled on top.