Easy Vegan Waffles

The weekend is coming - time for lazy mornings and waffles for brunch.

I haven't tried these waffles with a gluten free flour, but they work well with whole wheat or unbleached white flour.

It can be hard to find a pancake or waffle recipe that doesn't have any eggs and doesn't have a tough texture, but I think this one works well.  

I chose raw sugar with the large crystals to try and mimic the caramelized sugar in the authentic liege waffles at Off the Waffle in Eugene.  We ate there before going vegan two years ago and their waffles were delicious.

Warning - the pictures in this post are not great as the lighting was all wrong.  I'll just have to make the waffles again to take different pictures.

(Waffle topped with natural peanut butter, blueberries and vegan cool whip)

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tbsp Raw Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1-1/4 c cool Water
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1-2 Tbsp Oil (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Turn on waffle maker and pre-heat.

2.  In medium/small mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon and whisk with a wire whisk a few times.

3.  Pour in water and oil (if using oil) and stir until wet and dry are incorporated. The waffles are a bit more tender when using oil.

4.  Spray hot waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and place a large spoon or two of batter onto the hot waffle iron and cook.

**I use a Waring Pro Waffle Maker purchased from Costco a few years ago.  I find I need to turn the heat up a little and cook just a little longer for a crisp waffle.  Without the eggs they are naturally not as crisp as non-vegan waffles and the extra heat helps to crisp them.

This batch makes 4 small or 3 large waffles - perfect for two people.

- Bon Appetit

" A waffle is like a pancake with a syrup trap." - Mitch Hedberg
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Three Bean Salad With Curry Vinaigrette

I must admit, I love bean salad; the traditional with an Italian dressing and also more exotic versions. I've been making this version since about 2008 when I found a basic recipe to try and then modified it to suit my tastes.  I find it is quite good as a side dish or as a stand alone meal over a bed of greens or shredded cabbage.

THREE BEAN SALAD WITH CURRY VINAIGRETTE

INGREDIENTS:
1 Can Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Can Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Can Chick Peas, drained and rinsed
1 Cup Frozen Corn, thawed
1 Cup chopped Celery
4 Green Onions, chopped including greens
1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Tbsp Olive Oil or Flax Seed Oil
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Herbs d'Provence
1.5 - 2 tsp Curry (I use half hot curry)
*  1/8 tsp ground Fenugreek
*  1/8 tsp ground Sumac

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Combine beans, corn, celery, and green onions.

2.  In separate bowl whisk together vinegar, oil, garlic, black pepper, cumin, Herbs d'Provence, curry, fenugreek, and sumac.

3.  Pour over bean mixture and stir to coat.  Refrigerate at least 2-4 hours.  I prefer to make this up a day ahead or in the morning so the flavors really have time to meld before it is served.

This makes a nice light dish and is great to take to a potluck or picnic.

     *  The fenugreek and sumac are optional, but they do add to the exotic flavor of the dish.  A lot of my spices I purchase at Penzys in Portland.  I love going in and smelling all the wonderful smells.  Here is a link to their online store which will also let you to find a store near you if interested ----> LINK

- Bon Appetit

" My favorite meal is I'll make a three bean soup and freeze half of it.  But I'm also a big fan of meat alternatives, so I can still have my chicken and mashed potatoes and green beans, but I just have the chicken from a plant-based thing." - Kathy Freston

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Chia Seed Jam

While I enjoy jam, I do not like the quantities of sugar they contain and refuse to consume the artificial sweeteners the low sugar varieties seem to use.  

I've seen some recipes on the internet and through trial and error I have come up with a jam that seems to work well without traditional sugar and doesn't contain any pectin for thickening.

It makes a small batch and seems to keep well in the fridge in a glass container with airtight lid.  Hubby likes peanut butter and jam sandwiches and peanut butter and jam toast for breakfast and so we seem to go through at least a tablespoon of it every day.

I have only ever used berries for this recipe since we always have locally grown organic blueberries and raspberries in the freezer.  I think other seasonal fruits would work as well; perhaps peach or plum.

CHIA SEED JAM

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup
3 cups fresh or frozen Fruit (1 used 2 cups Blueberries and 1 cup Raspberries)
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp Chia Seeds
1 tsp pure Vanilla Extract

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a medium pot combine fruit and maple syrup.  Bring to a simmer.  I used frozen berries and smooshed the blueberries with a rubber spatula as they heated and thawed.

2.  After simmering for 5 minutes, add the chia seeds and stir to combine.  Continue cooking for 15 minutes stirring every 5 minutes to make sure things aren't clumping and that it isn't simmering too high. On my glass top stove I turned the burner down to the 'melt' setting and it was still bubbling quite well.

3.  After 15 minutes remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Pour into a 2-cup heat proof glass dish and cool.  Cover and place in the refrigerator.  It will thicken even more as it chills.

This jam tastes just like fresh berries and a dollop may even be good on vanilla soy ice cream.  I won't tell you how I know though.

Bon Appetit

" Happiness is like jam, you can't spread even a little without getting some on yourself." - Author Unknown

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