Almost gingerbread!

So in my quest to get a greater variety of grains into our diet, I put this recipe together. Yes, it is more waffles. What can I say - they freeze really well, toast up like they were just made, and are a guaranteed "more, Please".

The basic recipe is off the package of Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Cereal. This is a *very* hearty cereal blend of whole grain brown rice, corn, whole sorghum and buckwheat. I like the cereal with honey and Craisins, and prefer this waffle recipe over the muffin recipe on the package.


Almost Gingerbread Waffles

Ingredients:
2 T Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Cereal
2/3 cup milk
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 large egg
1/3 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups ap flour
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup pureed sweet potato/apple/carrot/pear

1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients (cereal through vanilla). Let sit for 15 minutes while the cereal softens. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.
2. Add the dry to liquid ingredients, and add the pureed vegetables; stir until just moistened.
3. Bake in waffle iron according to directions.
4. Serve immediately with peanut butter and syrup. Freeze when completely cool.

Enjoy!

Sneaky Additions

I love getting creative in the kitchen. Finding ways of making a recipe more "me", finding ways to make a recipe more usable, and finding ways of making a recipe more nutritious. One of the ways I do that is with adding roasted fruits and veggies to most of my baked items. Roasting the fruits and veggies keeps them from browning, makes them easier to puree, and increases their natural flavors. I usually use apples, pears, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash and zucchini.

First I clean the fruit/veggie with soap and water. Sweet potatoes get just a scrub because I discard the skin when its done. For apples and pears, I slice them in half and remove the core and stem. Carrots get peeled and the ends cut off. Squash and zucchini just get the ends cut off.

I usually try and bake quite a few at a time, to save time later and not waste my hot oven. First, preheat the oven. Sweet potatoes usually get cooked at 400F for 45-60 minutes. The rest of the veggies and fruits are usually roasted at 350F for about 30 min.

Next I either use a silicone baking mat or line a jelly roll pan with foil. Cleaning up after roasted veggies/fruits can be a pain. For apples and pears, place them on the pan cut side up. I usually wrap carrots up in a foil packet, to keep them from direct heat and so they can steam as well as cook with their juices. Squash and sweet potatoes are just placed on the pan.

How do you know when they are done? Sweet potatoes will give and feel more squishy when they are cooked all the way through. Try and select ones that are of similar size and shape to ensure they get done at the same time. Pears and apples will smell really sweet, and the flesh will get bubbly and kind of foamy. Squash and zucchini will get soft.

Once the veggies and fruit are done cooking I let them sit out on the counter to cool. If I'm using them that day, I will puree them as soon as they are mostly cool. Squash, zucchini, apples and pears get pureed with the skin on. Sweet potatoes need to be peeled, but once they are cooked the skin should come off fairly easily. I reserve the liquid from the carrots and add it while they are pureeing.

What do you do with them now? The options are endless! You can make amazing, cheap, and healthy applesauce, pear sauce, sweet potato mash or a combination of it all - generally the apple flavor is the strongest. Often I serve a side of sweet potato/apple/carrot mash with breakfast or lunch, or for part of R's snack. He likes it both cold from the fridge and slightly warmed in the microwave. I frequently make a mixture of whatever has just been roasted, and then add at least a cup, sometimes a cup and a half to a batter; muffin batter, waffle batter, bread batter. This will make the baked item more moist, so you will probably have to increase your cooking time.

Happy roasting!

Chocolate Zucchini Waffles

As usually happens, this recipe was originally a bread recipe, then morphed into a muffin recipe, and finally morphed into a waffle recipe. I use pureed zucchini instead of grated because I think it makes for a more moist waffle/muffin/bread loaf. Also, if you are trying to be subtle about the vegetable ingredients, why make it obvious? I also have found that when I puree fresh zucchini I need to add some liquid to help it process better. I keep the leftover juice from canned peaches and pears and use that - about 1-2 tablespoons. Try it with just one T, and then add as needed. I have also found that my waffles stick in the waffle iron unless I use an olive oil cooking spray - I spray both sides of the waffle iron before putting adding batter.

This originated from Elizabeth Barbone's Zucchini Bread recipe. I like the spices she uses, as well as the overall texture. This should make about 10-11 waffles.

Dry Ingredients:
1 3/4 ap flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cardamom
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder


Wet Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pureed zucchini
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. (I find that measuring them out into a fine sieve over my bowl ensures I don't get any lumps in my final batter.)

2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs together with oil until well combined and slightly frothy (high speed on a handheld mixer or medium-high on a stand mixer). Add sugar, vanilla, zucchini and 1/2 cup milk; mix until sugar is dissolved. Add dry ingredients and blend until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. If the batter feels too thick, add more milk - a couple of tablespoons at a time.

3. Bake in waffle iron according to directions.

4. Serve with peanut butter/sunbutter and slices of bananas.


Enjoy!

More muffins - never a bad thing!

I posted a variation on this recipe about a little while ago. But, since the possibilities are pretty much endless, I thought I'd offer my suggestions. Enjoy! Oh; I used a millet/teff gluten-free blend in a 1:1 ratio substituted for ap flour.


Carrot Cupcakes
(and variations)


2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups finely shredded carrots
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, slightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add shredded carrots, oil and eggs; beat until combined.
3. Pour batter into prepared cupcake tins and bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool before serving.


Nutritional Analysis: 212 kcal, 2.3g protein, 27.4g carbs, 10.7g fat



Substitutions for the carrots:
1. 2 heaping cups finely shredded carrots and ¾ cup drained pineapple chunks
2. 1 cup minced dried apricots, 1 cup chopped dried apples, ¾ cup mashed banana, ¾ cup thawed whole cranberries
3. ¾ cup drained pineapple chunks, 1 cup thawed whole cranberries, 1 cup minced apple, 1 mashed banana; substitute cinnamon with orange zest