Makes 12 waffles
One of the pluses of all this crazy weather is that there’s plenty of time to use up all that fresh pumpkin puree sitting in my fridge AND freezer! I’ve had my fill of pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin cookies. It’s pretty amazing all the places pumpkin sneaks its way into! I needed a more creative way to use my pumpkin puree and waffles for breakfast was the answer.
One of the things about pumpkin in everything is pumpkin spice. There are many variations but most have varying amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves. I took a slightly different route and added ground cardamom and freshly grated nutmeg. For me it made a world of difference and really woke my tastebuds up! The other thing that made a difference is FRESH pumpkin puree. It’s a bit of work, but if done ahead, you’ll have a ton of it for all your recipes, for a while. And, as always, the hard work is worth it.
The yellow/orange color of pumpkin screams of carotenoids. Carotenoids are a group of organic pigments found in plants and are responsible for the yellow, orange and red color of vegetables and fruit. The most popular of the carotenoids are beta-carotene (alpha and gamma, too), lycopene and lutein. How are they good for us? Well, carotenoids are powerful anti-oxidants, protecting our cells from free radical damage. They have anti-cancer properties and play a significant role in inter-cellular communication. “Researchers now believe that poor communication between cells may be one of the causes of the overgrowth of cells, a condition which eventually leads to cancer. By promoting proper communication between cells, carotenoids may play a role in cancer prevention.”¹ Carotenoids also enhance immune function as well as reproductive processes. All good reasons to incorporate these colored vegetables into your diet! (Start with these waffles!)
I also made these waffles for Claire. I opted for coconut milk and a blend of gluten-free flours (1/2 C oat flour, 3/4 C all-purpose gluten-free flour and 1/4 C coconut flour). I diced a waffle and topped with fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg and a drizzle of coconut oil. She LOVES this breakfast. She’ll eat both the GF/dairy-free version as well as this recipe below with the same enthusiasm. Yay!
You’ll need:
1 1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 C rolled oats
2 T coconut sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 t ground cardamom
a pinch of sea salt
1 C milk (or buttermilk if you have it!) – Any nut milk will also work well here.
3 large eggs, at room temperature*
1 C fresh pumpkin puree
2 T coconut oil
1 t vanilla
To make:
1. Preheat oven to 180° (to keep waffles warm) and prepare your waffle iron.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and soda, spices and salt. Whisk to blend well.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, pumpkin puree, coconut oil and vanilla.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir gently until you reach a smooth batter.
5. Lightly grease your waffle iron with some coconut oil (or butter if you’re going in that other yummy direction) and add about 1/4- 1/3 cup of batter and spread it to the corners. Close the lid and let waffles cook until they’re golden brown, until the light on your waffle iron goes off, or roughly about 3-4 minutes! (It’s best to follow the directions for your specific waffle iron.)
6. Put waffles in the oven to keep warm while you repeat the process.
7. Top the waffles with spiced fruit, maple syrup, whipped cream (or whipped coconut cream) or have some over easy eggs with them.
8. Enjoy!!
*If you have the time and are so inclined, separate the eggs and whisk the yolks with the other wet ingredients. Beat the egg whites with an electric hand mixer (or whisk if you’re brave!) until soft peaks form. After you mix the egg yolk/pumpkin mixture with the flour mixture and get the smooth batter, fold in the egg whites. You’ll get a fluffier waffle!
Claire’s Breakfast