It’s time for honesty.

Some months ago, I was approached to do these recipes. I must have really been feeling my oats that day because I chose the ingredients to get children, including my own child, to eat. So me being an arrogant chef, I chose items like artichokes, butternut squash, mushrooms, figs and worst of all, beets — items I knew good and darn well my own daughter would not eat. Sometimes I wish I would have mailed it in and chosen strawberries, watermelon, asparagus or green beans. These are items we cook frequently and Chloe actually likes! But no, instead I loaded the box against myself and chose beets.

This recipe began with me telling my wife I was thinking of changing my name and fleeing the country, because there is just no way to make a beet appetizing to a child. I love beets. Currently my kitchen is cranking out pickled beets for events, beet salads and beet greens are stewing. I have been looking forward to using beets, eating beets and canning beets. Chloe, on the other hand, has not.

So I started thinking about ways to use beets: salad, pickles, risotto, coloring your favorite shirt you were handling beets in… That’s when it dawned on me that beets were originally the coloring for red velvet cakes! Obviously I couldn’t do a healthy red velvet cake recipe, so I tried the concept with pancakes. After a couple of tries, I had something that Chloe would actually eat! (The fact that Chloe didn’t see the beets being juiced and that they turned out bright pink/almost red may have helped a bit.)

I tried two different toppings: a little honey sweetened yogurt and whipped cream with strawberries. Both were hits. Plus, one of the great things about weekend pancakes is how well they freeze. Just pop them in a toaster oven to thaw and you have a great homemade breakfast on the fly for the week.

Beet Pancakes:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour (generally Chloe can pick out when I use wheat in cooking, but the color helped “hide” the health)
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
  • 3 medium beets, juiced or roasted and pureed (expect just about 3/4 cup of liquid — if not juicing, be prepared for a stiffer batter, and perhaps adding more liquid)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Sift dry ingredients into a bowl.

Place the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined. This is a great time to use a mixer — just add the dry to the wet slowly and do not over mix.

Scoop mix a little at a time onto a greased griddle or pan over medium heat. I prefer small pancakes, but hey, to each his own! Cook on one side until bubbles start to form on the edges of the pancake. Watch carefully, but allow bubbles to begin appearing almost to the center. Flip over and just barely finish on the other side.

Top with honey sweetened yogurt or whipped cream and fresh berries.

We asked Shane Henderson, Executive Chef for Ben E. Keith Foods, to share his special month-by-month guide to introducing new nutrient-rich veggies into kids’ diets. Shane knows all about trying to please his own picky eater, his 6-year-old daughter Chloe, and has crafted a calendar complete with kid-friendly recipes to help parents win more mealtime battles. Check back with FITArkansas.com for Shane’s monthly installments!