Recipe Friday: Pink Pancakes

Happy Valentine's Day!  I decided last night that today's blog post would be pink pancakes, since that's what we're having for dinner, in honor of this pink holiday.  They're a great way to "sneak" veggies into a food all my kid will eat and with the ricotta, they're a good source of protein too.  So, be lazy like I am, I was looking back through my blog for a previous post of pink pancakes.  I couldn't find the recipe, but I did find last year's Valentine's day post--and it made me feel like a slob! Last year I made everyone a special Valentine's Day breakfast, planned a dinner made up of everyone's favorite foods, and reflected on how the true meaning of Valentine's Day--love. "I love my family so much and I feel like I spend most of my time nagging, herding, fighting and feeding them to actually focus on just LOVING them.  I tell them I love them so much, that I don't think it even registers with them anymore.  So between homework tonight and dinner and girl scouts, I hope my family can see that I love them by what I do, not just by what I say. "

Not so much this year.
 This year a left a sick Ellie home alone while I dropped Vince off at preschool.  I went grocery shopping (my mom was watching Ellie, she wasn't home alone this whole time!) then sent the boys to the library with Nana to watch Despicable Me 2 while Olivia naps and Ellie pukes.  It's so very festive around here!  You can really feel the spirit of Valentine's Day!  (You CAN find candy wrappers all over my house though.)  So, even though I didn't really get in the spirit like I did last year, it's not too late to do the last part--show my family I love them as well as telling them.  So, here it is, Pink Pancakes--Ellie's favorite--ironically she'll probably to too sick to eat them tonight!

Pink Pancakes 

(I got the recipe from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield but I found it online here as well. )

Ingredients

3/4 cup water
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup beet puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup pancake mix
1/4 cup grated apple
nonstick cooking spray 
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
maple syrup or fruit for serving

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine the water, ricotta cheese, beet puree, vanilla, and cinnamon and blend. Dump the mixtyure into a medium bowl, add the pancake mix and apple, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix- the batter will be a little lumpy.
2. Coat a griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil. Spoon the batter onto the griddle or skillet, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook the pancakes until bubbles form on top and the batter is set, 1 to 2 minutes. Then flip the pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown on the other side, 2-3 minutes. Serve warm, with syrup or fruit.

Makes 10 1/4 cup servings.

Number of Servings: 10