By Nicole Johnson, ASU Nutrition Student
Today I woke up on the wrong side of the bed craving my favorite breakfast comfort food: Waffles, because who doesn’t love waffles. One of my good friends has a great spin on a familiar saying, “When life gives you lemons make waffles.” So I got up and braved the kitchen to turn my frown upside down.
My absolute favorite meal of the day has always been breakfast even when it was something simple like cereal. Since I am a texture eater, I tend to prefer the crunchier foods like waffles. Pancakes are great with nuts and blueberries, but that’s just me. Ironically, when I was younger, my grandmother used to make me blueberry pancakes, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her I hated blueberries. So I would pick them out and hide them either in my pocket or throw them away in a trash can later where she couldn’t see them. Sometime over the years my disgust for blueberries turned into a love of them for breakfast. My son loves them with lots of syrup on his waffles, and I love my waffles with Greek yogurt and blueberries. No matter how you prefer your waffles, there is no doubt a vastness of combinations to suit anyone’s desires.
Regarding the waffles, this recipe comes from my early journey to eating whole foods. I struggled trying to find a recipe for waffles that actually tasted good and was good for you, but this was also before Pinterest and the boom of the bloggers. So I called my best friend for help, and she had this recipe that she developed while baking for the ski resort in upstate New York. I know at first the ingredients can be overwhelming, but I promise it gets easier with practice just like riding a bike. All the nutrient-dense ingredients in this recipe will help to help keep you feeling full all morning long.
Ingredients
Dry:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 ¼ cup spelt flour
½ cup flax meal ground
¼ cup wheat germ
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder (try to use an aluminum free brand here)
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon (you can omit this or cut it to ½ tbsp)
Wet:
2 eggs
¼ cup applesauce or yogurt (either one you have on hand, I prefer yogurt)
¾ cup of milk (or any alternative – I use unsweetended coconut)
1 cup of water (**add up to ½ cup more depending on desired consistency)
2 tablespoons of coconut oil (I buy the Costco bulk one)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Instructions
Mix the wet and dry ingredients into separate bowls. Then slowly combine the wet into the dry and whisk until everything is mixed. The batter should be pretty thick, but well incorporated. You need to use pan spray to coat the waffle iron so the batter does not stick, and I put mine on the highest setting to get the golden brown color on the waffles. It would be wise to do a little test run first and see what will be the best temperature.
Use ½ cup of the batter and spread it out to help it cook evenly (remember I prefer mine thick, but you can always adjust to your preference). Close the lid and wait for the light to turn off, then check it. Flip it over if needed for extra crispiness. Repeat until the batter is gone and you have a happy plate full of waffles. Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers.
Note: You can double this recipe to make a big batch and then freeze the leftovers between freezer papers for those mornings when you need a fast breakfast. Just remember if you do this you will need a very large bowl when you combine the ingredients.