Whole Grain Buttermilk Waffles and Raspberry Sauce

Happy Fathers Day, Scotty!! Here is one of my Fathers Day gifts for my sweet husband, breakfast in bed. I chose waffles, whip cream, and berries, for Scottie's sweet tooth. I don't normally like to use a lot of dairy when cooking, but I made an exception for Fathers Day. The waffles had a yummy whole grain taste, that paired well with the light whip cream, and raspberry sauce. The waffles are really good, but a bit heavy, I think I will play around with the recipe a little bit more to get it perfect.

I added chia seeds and flax instead of eggs. I just taught a class for UVU, and we talked about chia seeds and how good they are for you so I decided to try them in this recipe. I have used chia seeds in breads and granola bars, and other baked goods and they make baked products rise and make them moist. Chia seeds are so good for you. They have more omega 3's than salmon, and more anti oxidants than blue berries. They also keep you hydrated longer because they asorb water in your body. Athletes use them for endurance.

I didn't cook the sauce to give the meal live enzymes to help digest the waffles. That is something I have been trying to do with all of my meals. Make sure that every meal has something not cooked to help with live enzymes necessary to digest food.

Here they are in bed, Isaiah with Daddy eating his waffles. He is so cute, whenever he takes a bite of something he likes he says, mmmm.

His jammies say handsome like daddy, which is SO true!!

Whole Grain Waffles

These waffles are pretty thick, if you want a thinner waffle, add more liquid to the batter. If you don't have flax and chia seeds, go ahead and add 2 eggs in the batter.

Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl:

2 C whole grain flour ( I used 1 C teff, 1 C oat, but 2 C whole wheat would work just fine)

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 C buttermilk powder*

Wet ingredients:

2 T flax or chia seeds ( or 2 eggs)

1 3/4-2 C water

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 C plain yogurt

2 tsp agave

2 T olive oil

Combine the chia seeds and flax in a blender with the water. Let them sit while you add and whisk the dry ingredients. Once you are done with the dry ingredients, add the vanilla and yogurt to the blender. Blend all of the ingredients well. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients until just combined. The waffle batter is pretty thick, if you want a thinner batter add more liquid. Add the batter to a hot waffle maker, and spread it out (it is thick). Cook a little longer than the waffle machine says to ensure it is cooked all the way through. Top with whip cream and berry sauce.

*You can find buttermilk powder in the baking aisle. If you don't have buttermilk powder you could substitute 1 3/4-2 C of buttermilk instead of water. Or to cut out the dairy you could add 1 3/4 C nut milk and 1 1/2 T vinegar.

Agave Whip Cream

1 C whipping cream

2T agave

1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine the whip cream agave and vanilla in a cold metal bowl. Whip with a hand held beater until the cream makes stiff peaks.

Berry Sauce

3 C raspberries

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 C agave

Blend until smooth. You need a high powered blender for this to break down the rasberry seeds, or you could do it in a normal blender and just have little seeds, like jam.

My Favorite Sauce on Polenta

I tried this recipe because Mr. Italy himself, Mario Batali, created it. It quickly became my favorite right after I tasted it. Since then I have made it a number of times. Usually I play around with recipes and add to or take away ingredients, not this one, I stick to it like a loyal friend, and like a loyal friend it never lets me down.

Spaghetti Sauce

1/4 C olive oil

1 onion

4 cloves garlic

3 T thyme

1/2 carrot

2 cans, 28 oz., of whole tomatoes (I don't know how many bottles jars of tomatoes that would be)

Dash of red pepper

Heat olive oil, saute the onion and garlic until onion is soft. Add thyme and carrot, cook about 5 more minutes until the carrot is soft. Add tomatoes and juice of tomatoes and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower heat and simmer 30 minutes util sauce is as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and pepper.

Southwestern Corn and Sweet Potato Soup

Admittedly this picture isn't pretty. I took it right before we devoured all of it, so I hurried and snapped a picture of the last bowl. I wanted to post this dinner because it was such an easy good dinner.

This recipe was adapated from the Moosewood Cookbook, Low Fat Favorites. This cookbook was given to me by the previous owner of our house. He sold books on Ebay, and gave me all of the ones he didn't want to pack up with them. One of the many perks to buying the house! Despite the name, it was such a gem. The recipes in the book are so flavorful, and good for you, plus they always turn out. This soup recipe jumped at me because it had sweet potatoes in it, I love sweet potatoes, and in my book anything with sweet potatoes has to be good would be good. To the recipe I added millet to get more grains in my diet, and an extra potato for creaminess, both are optional. The millet makes into more a stew, a little thicker than a soup.

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1/4 c millet ( optional)

1 C finely chopped onions

2 cloves garlic

1 small chili, seeded and minced

1/4 tsp salt

3-5 C stock, veggie or chicken

2 1/2 tsp cumin1 md. sweet potato, diced

1 potato diced (optional, it just makes it a little heartier)

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped

3 C fresh or frozen corn

salt to taste

lime wedges, finely chopped cilantro leaves

In a heavy bottom pan, toast the millet until golden brown. Add the onions, garlic,chile, and salt to 1 C of the stock simmer for ten minutes until the onions are soft. In a small bowl make a paste with the cumin and a tablespoon of the stock, stir in the pot, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the sweet potato, and potato (if adding), and the remaining stock ( I added close to five cups of stock because it was too thick, with the added potato and millet) cook another 10 minutes or until soft. Add the bell pepper, and corn and simmer for another 10 minutes or until they are soft. Puree about half of the soup in the blender or food processor and return it to the pot. The soup will be creamy and thick. Add salt to taste and reheat. Garnish as desired.

Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes

These little tasty treats are another rendition of my favorite banana bread. This recipe has been altered so many times I don't remember the original.

I have a confession to make. I am a curious person and as a curious person I rarely make the same thing twice. As much as I try to stick to the recipe, my curiosity kicks in, and I find myself thinking, "oh that would be good to add in", or "I wonder what would happen if I put this in instead". That is why baking and me have a love hate relationship, sometimes it turns out really good, and other times I admit to throwing a whole pan out..... which I hate doing, ask my husband, I have gotten pretty creative using the disaster experiments in other recipes.

This recipe was not an exception, I of course had to play around with it. This time it was a winner.

To the original recipe I added a few different flours, flax to up the nutritional profile, and I cut out a 1/2 C of sweetener, and 2 eggs. Surprisingly I like it even better with less sweetener, and the flax added. This is my new favorite banana bread recipe, and Scottie's too for that matter.

I added almond flour, for its nutritional benefits, and flavor. In a 100 grams of almond flour there are 21 grams of protein, 19 grams of carbohydrates, and 10 grams of fiber. It is -1 on the glycemic index. Compared to wheat flour which has 9 grams of protien, 76 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, and ranks 71 on the glycemic index. This makes almond flour a power food in fiber, and protein, and excellent option for people with diabetes, gluten intolerances, and people watching the glycemic index. I just got a cookbook that uses all almond flour for breads, cookies, cakes you name it. I want to experiment with it.

As a side note, if you are active carbs are a necessary thing to fuel your body, and so I think I will bake with a combo of flours including almond flour, to get a variety of nutrition and carbs in my diet.


Note: you can substitute the same amount whole wheat flour for the first four ingredients (2 3/4 C), but take out the guar or xantham gum as well, it is a binder for gluten free flours.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

1 C almond flour
1 C brown rice flour
1/2 C sweet brown rice flour
1/4 C tapioca flour
1 1/2 C sucanat ( a natural sugar, that has not been processed, you can find it at health food stores)
1/2 tsp guar gum, or xantham gum
4 T powdered buttermilk*(optional)
1 tsp. baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon
2 eggs
2 T ground flax
6 T coconut oil
8 oz can of crushed pineapple/ with juice
3 medium bananas mashed
1/2 C mini chocolate chips
1/2 C chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, sucanat, guar gum, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until well combined. In a separate bowl add the coconut oil, eggs, can of pineapple (with the juice), and mashed banana mix until well combined. Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Toss the mini chocolate chips in a 1/4 C of brown rice flour. Fold the chocolate chips and extra flour into the mix. Grease a muffin pan, or use cupcake liners and spoon the batter into a muffin pan, or mini muffin pan. If using nuts, sprinkle on top of the muffins. Bake the muffins for 40-45 minutes, and for the mini muffins 20-25 minutes.

Filling Veggie Burgers

This post is for you Emily. I made these at a weekend ski trip and Emily asked me for the recipe ages ago, sorry for the delay, here is the recipe. This is a recipe that I keep going back to. The thing I love about them, is that they are fast, cheap, delicious and filling. They are also easy to make a double batch and freeze the patties in between parchment paper, making a fast meal another night. It came from the Moosewood Restaurant cookbook, which is one of the only cookbooks that I actually have used over and over, I love it. The veggie burgers were good, but needed a little kick, so I experimented adding more spices, tobasco sauce, and sauteed peppers. Feel free to experiment with them. They also go really well with sweet potato fries. I will post that recipe next.



1 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped sweet peppers
4 garlic cloves
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 C peeled and grated carrots
3 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
3 C cooked black beans
3 T dijon mustard
3 T soy sauce
3 T ketchup
Tobasco to taste
1 1/2 c rolled oats (don't substitute instant oats)

Saute the onions, sweet peppers, and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Add the carrots, chili powder, and cumin, and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Set aside.
Mash the beans in a large bowl with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Add the mustard, soy sauce, ketchup, or tomato paste, and the sauteed vegetables. Mix in the oats. Add salt and pepper to taste, and tobasco if you want a kick.
Moisten your hands and form the burger mixture in to 6 3-4 inch patties. Lightly spray or oil a nonstick skillet and cook the burgers on medium low heat for 5 to 8 minutes on each side.

Sprouted "Grainola" with Strawberries

Here is what I do with the sprouts, I like to make breakfast cereal out of them. Sprouts can be kind of crunchy, so for the texture I like to take rolled oats and pour almond milk over them, then I add sprouts to the oats. I put a little honey on it, and dried fruit, chopped nuts, and there you have a really healthy, tasty, fast breakfast. In this picture I mixed applesauce in the with the sprouts, added goji berries, dried coconut, and strawberries. I just went to class on sprouting and she added applesauce to it, I thought it was a great idea. She also made crackers with the sprouts, I am going to try that next. I will let you know how it goes.

Rich Gluten Free Brownies

Again these brownies have been a work in progress, and along with the "work" that means that Scotty, Isaiah, and I have the hard job of "testing" lots of pans of brownies. Good thing I am in the middle of marathon training. (Although these are healthyish, you probably shouldn't eat half the pan like I have been doing). So as I mentioned before I taught a gluten free cooking class and in the class I also taught these brownies. While I was teaching I forgot to add the oil, and they actually ended up being really good.

1/2 C + 2 T almond flour*
1/4 C sweet brown rice flour*
2 T cocoa powder
2/3 C dark chocolate, chopped from a chocolate bar
6 T coconut oil*
1/4 C chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 C sucanat
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 T vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium sized mixing bowl sift the dry ingredients together. Melt the 2/3 C chocolate, and oil (if using) in a seperate bowl. I put it in a glass measuring cup and melt it over simmering water in a pan. Once fully melted, pour the chocolate over the dry ingredients, don't mix yet. Then in the same bowl, lightly beat your eggs, this saves you a dish. Add the eggs to the brownie mixture, and the vanilla. Fold in all the ingredients until incoporated. Pour into a 8x8 pan lined with parchment. These brownies are so gooey that the parchment helps to lift them out of the pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes. When they are done the top is shiny and the edges have come away from the pan. Stick a toothpick in if it comes out with a few crumbs they are done. Let sit for at least a 1/2 hour, the longer the better. Torture I know but it really helps them set up.

Variation: To make the coconut butterscotch brownie pictured above. Add a layer of butterscotch chocolate chips to the brownies when they come out of the oven hot. Spread the melted chocolate chips evenly over the top to make a frosting, and then top with toasted coconut.

Tips:
*to save money I buy the almonds, and sweet brown rice in bulk, and grind the brown rice myself in a grinder. The almonds I blend in my blender until they are powder, like flour
*brown rice flour will work too, but the sweet brown rice gives it a sweeter flavor
* don't substitute chocolate chips they will result in a squatty brownie, you could also use melting chocolate
*As I mentioned before I completley forgot the oil in the class, and they turned out really good, experiment without oil