One of the very first finger foods I made for my son were the Quinoa-Beet Pancakes from Kim Boyce’s fabulous alternative-flour baking book, Good to the Grain. He named them Pink Pancakes and they became his most-requested dish. Four years, an additional child and countless batches later, my version has evolved into a slightly cleaner riff on the original recipe – a nutritional upgrade that has gone unnoticed by the kids, who both still squeal in delight when they appear. In fact, in the throes of his 5th birthday celebrations (that went on for two weeks), Xander’s actual birthday-day food request was Pink Pancakes.
While quinoa flour can have a strong vegetal taste on its own, it’s nicely masked here by the sweet, earthy flavor of the beets. The original recipe called for white AP and WW flour, but I’ve replaced all but 1/2 cup of this with almond meal and gluten-free AP. I leave in 1/2 cup of sprouted WW or Kamut flour to give a little more structure to the pancakes, since the almond meal and quinoa flour make a soft texture. But if you want to make these 100% gluten-free just omit the WW flour and increase the gluten-free AP flour by 1/2 cup. They’ll be equally fabulous, with a more delicate crumb.
Pink Pancakes
Adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce. This recipe calls for beet puree – which has the consistency of applesauce. If you have a high-speed blender like ...
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