Happy International Waffle Day!  

Yes, I finally timed a recipe perfectly for its celebration day. (I do also plan on getting an Easter recipe up before Easter, but don't hold me to it!) 

So I recently invested in a waffle maker, a cheap and retro one, but nether the less, I can now add waffle making to my long list of kitchen skills! You see, my partner, Alex, has recently realised he has a new found feddish with waffles, well maybe not that extreme (and weird), but he's determined to tour every cafe on the Gold Coast to try see how their waffle game weighs up. (on a side note: Grocer and Grind on the coast do a ripper vegan waffles). So for his birthday a few weeks ago, I surprised him with a waffle maker, not that he will ever be actually cooking the waffles, but now I can make them for him.

So my relationship with waffles hasn't been smooth sailing, there was no honey moon period. My first attempt was a BIG mess, disaster, waste ahh what else, basically they were entirely s***. It was one of those moments when you just keep adding to it and it just gets worse, there's just no going back from it. But, I took a break, and game back at it with a fresh mind and had another go. Still wasn't great, but there was definitely improvements. (No complaints from the waffle critique) 

Now this is only my third time making them, but I think I may just have hit it!! woohoo!! Now I can enjoy these in bed. 

Okay, so why are these waffles 'wholesome'? 

Well I have used plain wholemeal flour- so extra brownie points there for wholegrains (fibre) this means it will make us feel fuller, and for longer, assists digestion, and is low GI (no spiking on your blood glucose= sustained energy levels) Now I haven't used a Gluten Free flour as I have no reason not to eat it! + gluten is the protein in flours that gives baked/cooked goods a better texture and shape (hence why a lot of gluten free foods may be a bit card board like) however if you can't have gluten then I would suggest swapping the flour for a mixture of buckwheat flour, rice flour and tapioca starch- gluten free flours work best when you combine a few different ones because they each have different desired characteristics, so mixing them should improve the texture! 

Rather than eggs and butter I have used chia seeds and olive oil. Hence these waffles are vegan! Chia seeds are high in omega 3's, fibre and protein. I use these in baking instead of eggs as when they are mixed with water they absorb it and form a gelatinous mixture, called a 'chia egg', this helps to hold it together, like an egg would. Olive oil is high in mono-unsaturated fatty acids- which have been shown to reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) and raise HDL (good cholesterol) which lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease! Unlike butter which is rich in saturated fats (which do the opposite) 

Okay, so here is the recipe!

Ingredients

1 cup plain wholemeal flour

1 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp vanilla powder

pinch of salt

1 tbsp chia seeds (plus 1/4 cup water) 

1 tbsp coconut sugar (or other sweetener of choice)

1 cup almond milk (I make my own- recipe from my ebook)

1 tbsp olive oil (plus extra spray oil for greasing waffle iron) 

How to make

1. Sieve the flour, salt, baking powder, and vanilla powder into a mixing bowl 

2. Add the chia seeds, water, coconut sugar, almond milk and olive oil to a blender and blend

3. Pour liquid from the blender into the mixing bowl and stir/whisk in together (mixture should be running like a pancake mixture)

4. Turn on your waffle maker/iron- mine isn't fancy so I don't have an option for temperature, so if yours does then read the instructions or just go for a medium-high heat. Also turn your oven on to 100 degrees celsius (just to keep them warm)

5. Lightly grease the iron (I use a spray olive oil to coat evenly)

6. Pour in 1/3 cup of mixture on each side, or enough to just fill the waffle iron, close and let it cook for about 3-5 minutes (depending on your own appliance) I like to let mine go a bit over so they are golden all over and turn crispy on the edges. 

7. Remove and place waffles on a baking tray and place in the oven. Continue to cook the rest of the waffles- finishing up the batter (even if the last one is tiny) 

8. Serve with fresh berries, figs, (or other seasonal fruit), a swirl of maple syrup, and a swirl of melted dark chocolate (because, why the hell not?) I also dusted mine with flour- a little trick to look like icing sugar. 

Well, I hope you like this recipe! Any thoughts or comments, please leave! I love hearing feedback on my recipes... For more recipes just like this, head to the EBOOK section of my website or click HERE 

Stay happy and healthy,

Elsa

xx