"We can stay up late, swapping manly stories, and in the morning . . . I'm making waffles!" - Donkey
There are few things that can generate excitement in my house like the possibility of having breakfast for supper, especially if breakfast for supper includes waffles. My kids love them, my husband asks that I make extras for leftovers—everyone's wild about waffles.
What's not to love, really? They're crispy and golden, and they have all those little indentations that are just perfect receptacles for maple syrup. They are also a snap to whip up, especially if you have this do-it-yourself waffle mix on hand.
This mix is so easy to make, and it's so much healthier than buying packaged mixes, which tend to be very high in sodium and unpronounceable ingredients. I like to double the basic recipe so I can have it on hand for must-have-waffle emergencies. With only a few minutes of preparation, you can have waffles in a flash—any time of the day!
Ingredients
For the mix:
Stir all ingredients together, store in an airtight container. This mix can be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled.
When it's waffle time, you'll need:
Beat waffle mix, egg, oil, and milk together until very smooth.
Spoon waffle batter onto hot waffle iron. Depending on the size of the waffle iron, you will need 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter per waffle.
Cook until golden brown and crispy, and serve with maple syrup, berries, yogurt, whipped cream, or all of the above!
(Yield, per 3/4 cup mix: 5 large waffles)
Want more breakfast ideas? Try my delicious and protein-rich Tofu Scramble, my Maple Coconut Granola, or my Overnight Coconut French Toast.
Watch how easy it is to whip up this handy mix!
Even before the air starts to feel crisp and the leaves start to turn, a large portion of the population becomes incredibly excited about the brief annual appearance of the much-celebrated Pumpkin Spice Latte. The very second the Pumpkin Spice Latte becomes available, people begin to rejoice, sing, and line up to partake. Pumpkin Spice Lattes multiply rapidly; they are everywhere, at every coffee shop, and they fill your Facebook feed with recipes and photos. Everyone, it seems, is in love with the Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Everyone, that is, except me.
Don't get me wrong: I like pumpkin spices, but I don't like them in my coffee. This has led to me being shunned by the community, or at least being subjected to extreme side-eye by my friends and acquaintances.
What I do love is pumpkin-based baked goodies, and specifically this pumpkin spice cake. The cream cheese frosting is not too sweet, and goes perfectly with this richly flavoured cake. It makes a great dessert, or even an accompaniment for a (non-pumpkin-spice) latte.
Ingredients:
For the frosting:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a mini-bundt pan. Don't have a mini-bundt pan? Use a muffin tin instead.
In a small bowl, whisk together flax and water. Set aside in the refrigerator.
Beat together brown sugar and coconut oil until crumbly. Add flax mixture, 1/3 cup oil, and pumpkin; beat until smooth.
Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
Spoon into mini-bundt pan (or muffin tin) and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.
To make the frosting: beat the softened cream cheese with the icing sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Add food colouring if desired.
Frost the mini-cakes, and decorate with small pieces of green candy for a stem (if desired).
This makes a fun dessert for Thanksgiving dinner, or any occasion!
(Yield: 12 mini-cakes)
Want more pumpkin? Try my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Snack Loaf! Did you buy a mini-bundt loaf pan and are looking for more ways to use it? Try my Homemade Doughnuts! Maybe you're just looking for a sweet treat. Try these Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies!
It's fall, and you know what that means—APPLES! I love berries, tomatoes, zucchini, I love everything about summer, but when the scarves and sweaters and boots come out of the closet, I find myself really jonesing for some fresh, delicious apples. I eye the produce displays carefully all during September, just waiting for the semi-local apples to appear. I pick up each apple and look at the sticker, sighing in disappointment if it's an apple from New Zealand or if it's a soft, wrinkly, last year's apple.
And then it happens. I walk into the grocery store, bags in hand, not knowing that today is the day—today is the day of happiness, today is the glorious day that the displays are full of "BC's New Crop" of apples.
I confess to you, on this glorious morning, faced with a plethora of apples, I find I have absolutely no moderation. I must have all the apples. I start filling produce bags with apples, all different kinds, and then lug them home, my arms dragging like a gorilla's. I eat them two at a time. I start making plans, delicious plans, about the fate of these crisp, fresh, delicious apples.
This is one such plan—a scrumptious salad with the tang of honey dijon and the protein hit of quinoa and chickpeas. It's so easy to throw together—I usually make the quinoa the night before—and it's absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Allow to cool completely.
Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey.
Toss together quinoa, chickpeas, and julienned apple, along with the honey-dijon dressing.
Enjoy!
Want more quinoa recipes? Try my Fiesta Quinoa Salad, or my Zesty Zucchini Quinoa Bowl. Quinoa for breakfast? Yes, indeed! Try my Breakfast Quinoa for a protein-packed start to the day!
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