A Stack of Dishes

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waffles

Whole Grain Waffles with Baked in Fruit

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Whole Grain Waffles with Baked-in Fruit

Though I am the queen of the sweet tooth, when it comes to breakfast I am not a fan of maple syrup dripping pancakes and waffles. I need something more wholesome and sustaining (all that sugar makes me hungry by 11am- am I alone in this??). These nutty whole grain waffles have just a hint of sweetness, tons of fiber, and who doesn’t love the taste of roasted caramelized fruits? All that goodness can keep me going for a good long time.

Like a lot of us I am up and out the door to exercise in the morning. My appetite doesn’t really kick in until I am well into my workout, and often by then feeling faded and struggling to ramp up. So my game plan is to have foods in the fridge or freezer that I can grab and eat between home and the gym, or tennis court. And that is the beauty of these waffles. Either made full sized and divided, or hand sized minis, I can be toasting them as I suit up, and grab them in a napkin as I head out the door to my workout.

Whole Grain Waffles- A Stack of Dishes

Whole Grain Waffles with Grated Apple- A Stack of Dishes

Whole Grain waffles- A Stack of Dishes

When I set to making whole grain waffles I usually make at least a double batch. In this case I did just that, and created several different versions using different fruits and nuts I had in the kitchen. The batter is made with coconut oil, which gives it a beautiful scent to begin with, but grated and sliced apples made their way in, along with blueberries, walnuts, pear slices, coconut, poppy seeds and lemon zest. It was great fun! And always a moment of surprise and delight when I lifted the waffle iron top. [Read more…] about Whole Grain Waffles with Baked in Fruit

Breakfast For The New Year: Lightened Bacon Waffles

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A lighter version of a waffle with bacon cooked right into it.
Now this is a breakfast combo I can relate to.
Pre-cooked smokey bacon is placed right onto the waffle iron and the batter poured over. Not only is the presentation dynamic, but some of the bacon fat melts into the waffle and infuses it with flavor.
I made the batter savory by eliminating the bit of sugar a typical recipe calls for. This was just a personal choice. Since I would pour gorgeous maple syrup on it, why add white sugar when it’s not really needed?  I’m not a fan of super sugary breakfasts, and I like the bready, cakey contrast to the bacon and syrup. For those who like the taste of savory/salty/sweet this is heaven.
But to be honest, I didn’t add syrup, these waffles are an incredibly savory way to start the day. In fact they were lightened up a bit by using non fat milk and I used oil (and reduced the suggested amount) rather than butter in the batter. Because of it’s savory taste I can see this combination as a base on which to place a silky succotash on top, or a minced chicken in a cream sauce. Brunch? Dinner?
Making waffles from scratch takes all of what… 10 seconds? seriously, it’s super quick, especially when using the oil, which eliminates the step of melting butter. And cooking them takes only a few minutes. I use a stove top waffle iron. I place the iron on the stove over medium heat while I pull together the batter. 10 mins tops is all this recipe takes. Got kids that are running out the door? Or if you’re that kid- this is a great hand held breakfast on the go.
Since this is the dawn of a new year and a new you- make this with Turkey Bacon and sneak in a dollop of a neutral tasting protein powder. Truth be told I cooked the bacon in the microwave. Just a great way to pull all unnecessary grease away from the strips and the clean up is just too easy. I cook them on paper towels, but I remembered that I also have a plastic steam rack made especially for the m-wave. I will try that next time and capture the grease for other purposes.
Gail’s Lightened Up Waffles With Bacon
makes approx 16
 
1.75c AP flour
1T baking powder
.5T salt
3 whole eggs
6T oil
1.5c reduced fat milk, warmed to room temp
 
Precooked strips of bacon- 1-2/waffle
 
 
While the waffle iron is heating up, combine the flour, bp and salt in a mixing bowl.
 
In a separate bowl combine the eggs, oil and milk and whisk smooth the break up and incorporate the eggs.
 
Dump the wet into the dry and stir together with as few strokes as possible. Lumps will happen, don’t sweat it, just try to avoid huge boulders that will leave floury bombs in the waffle.
 
Pour batter into the waffle iron, then place bacon right on top. Close the lid and cook to perfection-2-3 mins on one side and then flip for a minute or two longer. 
 
Left over waffles can be frozen and reheated. Can’t say this is my favorite way to do things- nothing beats the fresh version.

Breakfast with the Brinsons: Wholesome Banana Waffles Sweetened with Molasses

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Healthy Banana waffles sweetened with molasses

I had the pleasure of attending William and Susan Brinson’s photography workshop yesterday, which was nothing short of delightful. Located in a funky loft in midtown, three of us shared a good time, learned much, and enjoyed some of Susan’s delicious cooking- vegetable and cheese tart and spectacularly lovely hand pies for lunch. The two of them have a real easy grace about them that was warm and inviting, right down to the floury belly Susan got when rolling out the dough for the lunch.
Susan and William have a beautiful blog House of Brinson which I frequent regularly if not for the recipes but also for the gorgeous photography. So when the opportunity came up to get a peek into the magic, I jumped on it.
Susan pulled out fabrics and plates and shared with us their virtues and utilities (look how beautiful the texture on this inexpensive napkin is, and it photographs SO beautifully!), while William walked us through the different aspects of creating light, balancing light- basically teaching us how to cajol it into behaving for us. They also gave us insight into the thought processes of composing and story telling leading to the end product. Honestly, I believe learning to think like a photographer is half the battle sometimes.
My first foray into practicing some of my new skills is this recipe that I created: Banana Waffles. I am not particularly a breakfast person. Cold cereal is utterly completely unsatisfying and for some crazy reason causes me to be mad hungry by 10:30am. Not sure why that is, but it’s scientifically proven (in this lab anyway). I am also a morning gym person, so I do like to eat something relatively substantial but not too heavy before I head out.
I packed a ton of punch into these babies. Wheat Germ, protein powder, whole wheat flour, coconut oil and molasses. The result is a waffle that is so delicious and not too sweet. The grains and the molasses give it warm Fall undertones that was just what I had in mind. The coconut oil especially added a mellow note which is more of a hint rather than a statement. I am becoming a big fan of coconut oil in baking just for this quality. Please don’t be alarmed by the reports on the saturated fat of coconut. It’s not the same fat configuration as say bacon, it’s in fact quite good for you. A serving of these waffles offers up less than 18% of the daily need for fat and this fat is a good one.
 The batch came together quickly and while the waffles were baking, I had time to straighten up the counter. Those I don’t eat this morning are going into the freezer for future mornings.
I prefer my waffles served with Non Fat Greek yogurt and a drizzle of fragrant honey. Hot crisp waffles, cool tangy yogurt and mellow sweet honey. Oh yes…
Enjoy!
Wholesome Banana Waffles
1 c AP flour
1/2 c Whole Wheat flour
1/2 c Wheat germ
2 scoops Soy protein powder
1.5 t baking powder
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1.5 c fat free milk, warmed
3T coconut oil
2 large eggs
3 T molasses
2 medium ripe bananas mashed
 
 
Combine dry ingredients into large bowl and stir thoroughly
 
In separate bowl combine all the wet ingredients. I warm my milk first so not to harden the coconut oil, and things just bake better at room temperature. Make sure egg mixture is well incorporated, and get the molasses well stirred in.


Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
 
Firmly but sparingly stir the batter. You want to create a well incorporated batter without over mixing, which can create a tough waffle, so err on the side of under doing it if you tend to have a heavy hand.
 
Cook the waffles to your iron’s specifications. 
 
I have a simple stove top waffle maker that I adore. I just cook the waffles on one side for about 1 min and then flip for another 3 or so. Peeking is fine, so if I need more, I give it more.
 
Due to the bananas and whole grains, these are not the fluffiest waffles out there, but they are definitely the gullet friendly sink your teeth into kind.
 
Makes 8 servings. 260 calories, 8g fat, 3 g fiber, 32g Carb, 15g protein