Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Whole Grain Waffles that Taste like Mounds Bars !

   Hi ! Are you a waffle lover like me ?! My brothers and I grew up eating the waffles and pancakes  that our dad made for us, especially on early mornings before heading up to the mountains, an hour and a half  away, to go skiing ! These days Dad makes Swedish pancakes more often, with the perfect recipe he has found, and oh they are delectable ! But to get back to the subject of waffles, I decided that I wanted a recipe that was healthy and and enjoyable to eat ! So this recipe combines whole graines, olive oil, and honey, or raw sugar.

   One day I decided to put chocolate chips, shaved coconut, and warmed maple syrup on my waffle. Ooooh my...that was the bomb, as the young people say ! The hot off the press waffle and the warm syrup melted the chocolate chips, made them ooey and gooey. The chocolate mixed with the shaved coconut reminded me of eating a Mounds Bar, one of my favorite candy bars !
My waffle recipe has whole wheat flour, oats, and cinnamon in it. You could substitute ground flax seed for the oats, and buckwheat flour for the whole wheat flour. If you don't want to add cinnamon, you could add ground nutmeg or perhaps allspice, or just leave the spices out.
                                                            Whole Grain Waffles
 
   1 cup whole wheat flour
   1/2 cup all purpose flour (or cake flour)
   1/2 cup oats (or ground flax seed, or bran)
   2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder (without aluminum)
   1/2 teaspoon salt
   2 teaspoons cinnamon (or nutmeg, or a teaspoon of allspice)

   1 tablespoon raw sugar (or honey) (Leave the sweetener out if using the waffles with a savory recipe.)
   3 eggs
   7 tablespoons olive oil (or melted butter)
   1 1/2 cups milk (or buttermilk)
   2 teaspoons vanilla
   100 % maple syrup

                                                          Procedure

   Mix the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs well and stir in the oil, the milk, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the liquid ingredients and stir altogether until blended, with a pebbled look, like a muffin batter. Don't over mix. Put about 1/3-1/2 cup of the batter into the waffle iron and cook until the waffles are done according to your waffle maker.
   Pour warmed syrup over the waffle and sprinkle on top fresh fruit or berries, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, pureed dried fruit or raisins, shredded sharp cheese, butter, or chopped nuts. (I buy Lily's Chocolate Chips sweetened with stevia, at Whole Foods Market.) Some people eat their waffles with chicken, which I have yet to do !!