Beet Pancakes

Vanessa Brown — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:26:06 +0000

Beets are rich in in iron, calcium, and Vitamins A and C. They are an excellent source of folic acid and a very good source of manganese, potassium and fiber. They are a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, iron and Vitamin B6. Throughout history, beetroots have been used for medicinal purposes, especially for liver disorders because they have stimulating effects on the liver’s detoxification processes. Studies have shown that beets contain anticancer properties.
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Betacyanin is the pigment that gives beets their rich purple-crimson color; the pigment is a powerful cancer-fighting agent. Research found that the fibers in beets have a favorable effect on both the bowel function and cholesterol levels. Beets’ protective role against colon cancer is probably due to the combination of its betacyanin and fiber content.

This recipe is a favorite in our family and we usually have them every week.

Ingredients:
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3 organic beets, roasted (you can do more and freeze them, which cuts down on prep time)

3/4 cup organic ricotta cheese

1 cup whole grain organic pancake mix

3/4 cup water

1 banana

2 tsp cinnamon
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Directions:
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1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and puree.
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2. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake on a hot griddle. When bubbles start to form and sides appear cooked, flip and cook until no longer doughy.
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3. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar. (Seriously–they are eating beet pancakes! Give them the sprinkle of sugar!)

Enjoy! Don’t you love the bright pink color?

Oat Groats: Cheap, Tasty, Healthy Breakfast

Valerie Taylor — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:14:54 +0000

I’m eating a lot of oat groats these days. I found a source for locally-grown oat groats, but the minimum order was 25 pounds. Oat groats are the least processed of all edible forms of oats, so they store a very long time (some sources are giving them 30 years under the right conditions.) So even though I’d never tasted them before, I decided to give them a try. I figured any minimally-processed food was a good addition to our diet, and even if it took us years to use them up, it’d be okay. And in the meantime if the apocalypse arrived, there’d be something to eat. Win-win-win.

Oh. My. God. This is what oats taste like. I like good old-fashioned oatmeal just fine — I’ve eaten it for years, still happy to eat it if that’s what’s on the table. When I discovered pinhead oats and stone ground oatmeal, though, I realized just how much regular oatmeal had lost in the process of being…well, processed. (Don’t speak to me of instant oatmeal. That’s not a food.) So it comes as no surprise that getting closer to the whole grain results in an even more interesting taste and texture.

Even so, oat groats were a revelation.

Green Options » healthy breakfast

Beet Pancakes

Oat Groats: Cheap, Tasty, Healthy Breakfast