waffles

plain old waffles!

we make waffles pretty much every weekend and every weekend i say "i'm going to write down this recipe!" but today's were pretty special, so i'm finally doing it. no picture, because we ate them too fast. but this is what i do every weekend, although sometimes i halve the recipe if we don't want waffles on sunday, too, or i don't want leftovers. i love to put extra waffles in the fridge to have for breakfast or snacks during the week. the batter keeps well for a few days too, so you can just fire up the waffle maker over the next few days if you want fresh waffles on a bleary monday morning.

ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder (see note below)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups soy milk
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
3 tsp vanilla

directions:
combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. combine the wet ingredients in a small bowl or large measuring cup and add to the dry, mixing well until only very small lumps remain. cook as per your waffle maker's directions.

variations:

* mix and match your flour!! today i used half quinoa flour and half white flour. sometimes i use one cup of whole wheat flour and the rest white. the quinoa mix is my new favorite.
* decrease sugar to 1/4 cup or replace with 1/4 cup agave nectar. (i like my waffles sweet.)
* replace some of the nondairy milk with fruit juice.
* add a teaspoon of cinnamon.

this recipe makes 6 or 7 belgian waffles. i bet it makes twice as many regular waffles.

NOTE: i use aluminum-free baking powder. i highly recommend you do, too, if only for taste reasons, because there's less of a potential for that metallic taste that can sometimes happen with lower quality baking powder.

zucchini waffles

my mother-in-law's garden is overflowing with delicious vegetables!

she told me i can use zucchini and summer squash any way i'd use any other squash i decided to put that challenge to the test. yellow zucchini keep these waffles from getting too dark or greenish, and they crisp up on the oustide and stay moist on the inside. they're so delicious!

this recipe makes a LOT of waffles, so you might want to halve it. i love leftover waffles for breakfast or snacks the next day, so i'm happy to have leftovers, or you can do what we also do, and store extra batter in the fridge for fresh waffles all week long.

ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
pinch nutmeg
pinch salt
1/3 cup brown sugar (or regular for less color)
2 cups vanilla soymilk
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 cups pureed yellow zucchini

directions:

mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add the liquid ingredients, mixing well until only tiny lumps remain. fold in the pureed zucchini and mix just until blended.

cook according to your waffle maker's directions.

in my experience, waffle batter will keep for about 5 days in the fridge.

note: i pureed my own zucchini by washing the zucchini, chopping off each end, and throwing chunks into my food processor. since zucchini isn't really that moist (at least ours isn't, it's been a really dry summer), i added 2-3 tablespoons of water to keep the blades going. you may need to adjust the liquid in your batter accordingly if you do this too, or don't have to do it.

note #2: this recipe works great with pumpkin! you just might want to add a touch more oil, up to 1/3 cup.

apple cinnamon waffles

apple cinnamon waffles
these came out darker than i expected but they're pretty tasty.

ingredients
1 cup + 2 tbsp flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup oats (i used regular, but quick-cooking would be better)
2/3 cup cinnamon apple sauce (or plain and add more cinnamon)
1 1/2 cup soymilk
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp sugar (optional, i like mine sweet)
3 tbsp vegetable oil (i use canola)

mix the wet ingredients together well (electric mixers are great, but i hate doing dishes), and then add the dry. let the batter sit for a few minutes to get the oats good and soggy before making per your wafflemaker's directions.

i quartered my waffle up and dipped it in maple syrup, but i think they would be delicious just plain and dusted with powdered sugar. they were almost donut-like with a crispy outside and soft inside.

notes:

i used chunky cinnamon applesauce made by my lovely partner's mother. i suspect i would adjust the spices and sugar a bit if i used regular apple sauce from a jar.

these waffles cook at a much lower temperature than most other waffles i've made. if you can decrease the temperature, definitely do so. if you have trouble cooking them all the way through with your waffle iron without burning the outside, you might want to turn these into apple cinnamon pancakes instead.