Occasionally...

we break the rules and throw tradition out the window. In the Hansen house we occasionally have breakfast for dinner. That's right, we sometimes forgo the salad and lean meat and have a bowl of cereal or an egg white scramble and on a very rare evening-waffles. It's all about balance, right?!

And may I suggest that if you're going to do it, you should either go big or go home. So last Sunday we went big and savored every last drop of these scrumptious pumpkin waffles (we find any excuse to use our new belgian waffler!).

As I said last week, this was our first attempt at them, but I'm definitely impressed to have found a keeper on my first try! The recipe comes from Health and was certainly more health conscious than most I found. And the touch of ginger and cloves really gives them that something special. Perfect fall treat-for breakfast or dinner!

Pumpkin Waffles with Maple-Walnut Syrup

Recipe courtesy of Health

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch ground cloves
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk, well shaken
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
Powdered sugar, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine first 7 ingredients (through cloves) in a large bowl. Whisk together next 6 ingredients (through oil) in a medium bowl. Make a well in center of dry ingredients; add wet mixture. Stir just until moist.

Preheat waffle iron, and coat it with cooking spray. Add about 1/2 cup batter, and spread it to edges; cook until the steaming stops. Repeat with remaining batter, setting waffles aside until all are cooked. Place on baking sheets in oven for 5 minutes to crisp.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add walnuts; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly toasted. Add the maple syrup; simmer 2 minutes. Dust waffles with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve with warm syrup. (Serving size: 2 waffles, plus syrup)

image/Health

Weekend + Waffles

Happy Monday friends! How was your weekend?

Ours was wonderful and very productive. I almost completed my list of to-do's, all except my sewing projects...:( I guess you can't do it all. However, my house is put together, my yoga class is revamped and I'm all ready for my trip to Illinois this Thursday!

But enough about that, lets get to the good stuff! Saturday morning I was up at 7am and ready to bust out our Belgian waffle maker. I decided to try a recipe I came across in Cooking Light's Complete Cookbook (a fantastic cookbook, by the way!) and was beyond pleased with the results! I think Chris and I agreed they were our best waffles yet. Light, fluffy, crispy edges and didn't at all taste "healthy" (even though they are a healthier version!), everything a good waffle should be. Definitely a recipe worth using again!

So without further ado...


Waffles with Two Berry Syrup
adapted from Cooking Light

Waffles:
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray

Syrup:
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flaxseed meal, flours, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray; preheat. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter per 4-inch waffle onto the hot waffle iron, spreading batter to edges. Cook 5 to 6 minutes or until steaming stops; repeat procedure with remaining batter.

To prepare syrup, combine berries, maple syrup, and ground cinnamon in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Serve warm over waffles.

Freeze leftover waffles individually on a cookie sheet and then transfer to a zip-top freezer bag for storage. To reheat, place frozen waffles in toaster.

Only the Best Will Do

You may remember me posting that I wanted a Belgian waffle maker a while back...well I am a very lucky woman to have a husband who remembers what he reads here on the blog:)

But don't be fooled, he didn't buy me the one I thought I wanted. Oh no my friends, my man researches everything and absolutely insists on having the best! Which is why he says he was willing to wait 5 years for me;) Moving on...

When he looked into the one I originally wanted, he discovered that the standard open and close makers only make waffle crevices up to 3/4 of an inch thick, where a "true" Belgian has 1 inch pockets. (Only my husband!) Apparently the best ones flip upside down, using gravity to create extra deep crevices. And knowing me, he was certain it would drive me crazy to only be able to make one at a time. So...he bought me this double flip Belgian waffle maker!!!




I am so excited this morning to use my new waffle maker AND try Giada's Pancetta and Cinnamon waffle recipe I've been dying to make! Bon appetite!

Pancetta Cinnamon Waffles
recipe from Giada De Laurentiis
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus 1/3 cup, plus extra for greasing the waffle iron
3 (4-ounce) slices pancetta, about 1/4-inch thick, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
3 cups Belgian waffle mix (recommended: Krusteaz)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the walnuts in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until toasted. Set aside to cool.

Preheat and lightly grease a waffle iron.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until brown and crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine waffle mix, eggs, vegetable oil, water, cinnamon, and salt. Using a whisk, blend the ingredients together until smooth. Stir in the pancetta. Pour the batter, using the amount recommended by the waffle iron manufacturer's instructions, into the preheated waffle iron. Cook waffles for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown.

Place waffles onto serving plates. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts and drizzle with maple syrup. Serve immediately