Sweet or Savory Buckwheat Feel Good Waffles

There's nothing like fresh waffles on a Saturday morning to enhance one's gratitude for the weekend.

This particular waffle recipe has been well tested in a variety of settings and I can confidently say it is a community favorite ~loved by my family and friends alike. It also fits perfectly in the current culture that highly values food customization. It may have started with Chipotle - but now lots of other cuisines are joining the bandwagon and offering that perfect bite, just the way you like it. With this recipe, everyone's happy at breakfast time, whether they prefer their breakfast eggy, cheesy, filled with veggies or covered in chocolate.

Today I'll share with you this delicious recipe, and give you my tips on the perfect toppings to accommodate any palate.

Introducing, the Super Seed Buckwheat Waffles from Downshiftology.

Ingredients: buckwheat flour, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, coconut oil, and coconut water.

Not your typical waffle ingredients! One reason I love this recipe is for its incorporation of high protein and healthy fat ingredients like the sunflower and pumpkin seeds. The coconut water also adds a natural sweetness, so very little coconut sugar is needed. And the star, buckwheat flour, is high in protein, healthy carbohydrates, and despite having "wheat" in the name, is actually gluten free!

Buckwheat flour has its own unique flavor when used in baked goods, which can take some getting used to for some. That nuttiness actually lends itself very well to these waffles. It has enough substance to hold up to and support all the savory toppings, and that nuttiness works really well when slathered with a nut butter and helps cut the sweetness from syrups or other sugary toppings.

This recipe is relatively simple to make, and can even be prepped the day in advance. First you have to pulse your seeds in a food processor and add to the other dry ingredients. Then you add in your coconut oil and coconut water, and you're good to go!

Savory Topping Ideas

• Savory Style: Runny Fried Egg + Avocado + Everything Bagel Seasoning + Sautéed Kale + Green Onion + Cheese (optional - or it's great with nutritional yeast)
• Fiesta Style: Black Beans + Avocado + Cheddar + Fried Egg + Sautéed Onion and Bell Pepper + Salsa/Hot sauce
• Asian Style: Sautéed Veggies (with soy sauce/rice vinegar/sesame oil) + Fried Egg + Sriracha
• Vegan Style: Avocado + Cherry Tomatoes + Nutritional Yeast + Sautéed Veggies 

Savory style - with a fried egg, avocado, sautéed kale, green onion and TJ's Everything Bagel Seasoning! 

Sweet Topping Ideas:

• Almond Butter and Berries (or preserves)
• Peanut Butter and Banana
• Peaches and Whipped Cream
• Chocolate Chips or Cocoa Nibs
• Chopped Nuts
• Plain or Vanilla Yogurt (regular or dairy free)
• Pumpkin butter, vanilla yogurt, cinnamon and walnuts in the Fall! (Just a guess, but sounds good, right?)

Why pick one? Sweet and savory!
(this sweet one has yogurt, blueberries and almond butter)

Bonus Tips:

• With this color batter, it can be hard to tell by sight when the waffle is done - so just give it a quick tap and take it out when it is nice and crispy.
• If you make this and do find the flavor too strong for your taste, consider buying a "light" buckwheat flour. That's actually what the author uses in the recipe - but I quite like it with the dark flour.
• I tried this recipe both with a regular waffle maker and Belgian style. I definitely recommend the regular version for the best textural experience.

Powerhouse Chickpea Flour Tortillas

I am constantly searching for new, simple and creative ways to substitute in vegan and gluten free options for some of our favorite culinary delights. What's been the biggest challenge thus far? Sandwiches.

Sandwiches have always been such an easy go to for a quick and easy meal. And wraps are almost better - what doesn't taste better turned into a burrito? Throw anything in a tortilla and you've got a meal. Breakfast burritos, falafel wraps - throw some veggies, a protein, and a yummy sauce or flavoring and it's guaranteed deliciousness in a perfect handheld container.

I've been experimenting with chickpea flour recently in a variety of recipes. I tried it in a vegan quiche (not very tasty - this one still needs work), in chocolate chip cookies (also kinda meh), and now finally, in the beloved tortilla. And guess whatn- it works!

A simple blend of chickpea flour, water and some spices makes a thin batter that transforms into a delicate crepe or tortilla that can hold up to the heartiest of fillings. I give you, the chickpea crepe, courtesy of Sweetashoney (recipe here). These puppies are super tasty with a variety of savory fillings (really whatever you can dream up) and packed with protein! Make a batch, stick em in the fridge and eat them for days!

Step 1. Mix your batter in a blender (see recipe)
Step 2. Let it sit 30 minutes
Step 3. Lightly oil your pan with coconut oil 
Step 4. Pour in about 1/3 cup, let cook ~2 minutes per side

cooks super quickly!

Step 5. Fill with your favorite ingredients!

This one is filled with hummus, leftover falafel, a quick salad I made with sliced onion, radish, cucumber, tomato and unsweetened almond milk yogurt with some spices, lettuce and some leftover quinoa salad. Chickpeas three ways in one wrap!

Step 6. Store leftovers covered in the fridge.
Step 7. Fill with more yummy goodies and repeat!

This one has curried egg salad, cucumber, lettuce and tomato

I love the idea of having these in the fridge ready to go when you need a quick meal, because you can really throw in just about anything! Leftover curry, scrambled eggs, tofu or tempeh, any veggies - its so versatile! 

So not to fear my gluten free friends! The chickpea tortilla is here to save the day!

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The Best Darn Meatless Meatballs

Meatballs. Mmm. One of the few meat food products that I've actually missed as a vegetarian. I'm not sure why, but there is something so comforting about a plate of pasta topped with a few flavorful spheres of goodness. I've tried making meatballs in the past, once with lentils, but they just didn't cut it. 

I am pleased to report that I have found the BEST MEATLESS BALLS! Hallelujah! 

These use one of my favorite ingredients - that only came into my life in the past year or two.

Drum roll please....tempeh!

Tempeh is so flavorful and has such a delicious hearty texture on its own. It's no surprise that it turns into a satisfying ball. 

This recipe is miraculous, as it is also vegan (flax egg used) and gluten free (almond meal used to bind). This mixture of sautéed onion, garlic, flax, steamed tempeh, almond meal and seasonings is simply pulsed in a food processor, formed into balls, coated in more almond flour and then fried in heart healthy olive oil. 

They are delicate, and not meant to be tossed around, but oh so perfect on top of a plate of spaghetti squash (see my other posts to learn more about my obsession with this heavenly vegetable). They are light, flavorful and filling. And I promise your meat eating friends won't even bat one single eyelash!

Check out the full recipe from Kneed to Cook here! 

Tempeh meatballs served on pesto spaghetti squash and with sautéed broccoli and zucchini

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Simple Sweet Potatoes with Chickpeas and Tahini

Hello my lovelies! I'm back from my hiatus! I've been cooking up some delicious goodies the past couple weeks and will be sharing them with you over the next couple. Stay tuned for some mouth watering vegan gluten free delights!

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So , somehow I only recently discovered that I could follow some of my favorite food bloggers on Instagram! A dangerous discovery, because my Instagram feed is now full of delicious looking food. 

A week ago I hit this post in my feed:

Photo courtesy of Deliciously Ella 

Yum! Often these posts link to the blogger's website for the complete recipe, but this one is so simple that the blogger, Deliciously Ella, put the recipe right into the description on the post. Here it is below in its entirety: 

These stuffed sweet potato and chickpea beauties are one of my fave recipes. All you need is...Serves 4 - 4 medium sweet potatoes, washed- x1 400g can chick peas, drained - 3 tablespoons of tahini - 1 tablespoon of olive oil - 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds - Pinch of sea salt flakes - Handful of fresh coriander, chopped - Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 200c, fan setting.
Place the sweet potatoes in a large baking tray, pierce the skin with a fork a few times and place in the oven for 45 minutes.
Once the sweet potatoes have been cooking for 45 minutes, remove them from the oven and cut in half. Scoop out the middles and place in a large mixing bowl, along with the drained chick peas, tahini, olive oil, chilli flakes and sea salt. Give everything a really good mix and spoon back into the sweet potatoes skins. Place back in the oven for 15 minutes to cook through.
Once cooked, serve the sweet potatoes with a sprinkle of fresh coriander and sesame seeds.

I made a couple substitutions. I used white rather than orange sweet potatoes. I also didn't have fresh cilantro so I threw some dried into the mix. I also can't vouch for the heat level, as I left out the chili flakes. 

And to save you a google, 200c is about 390 F. I'm not sure what fan setting means, but just bake them however you normally bake taters. 

Here's how mine came out:

Not quite as beautiful, but SO delicious! The tahini makes it oh so creamy. It's a really filling nourishing dinner. My special hint is that broccoli goes really well. I ended up taking some broccoli with just about every bite. Next time I'll just dump a bunch of garlic sautéed broccoli straight on top! I think a big pile of sautéed kale would also complement it really nicely. 

Hope you enjoy this easy dinner as much as I did!