Delicious Vegan Cornmeal Waffles

Nothing says "I love you" like crafting a tasty breakfast for your partner.* One easy way to impress your beloved is to whip up some delicious and partially healthful waffles. This recipe yields a scrumptious crispy waffle kissed with the natural sweetness of corn and whole wheat. And sugar.

Delicious Vegan Cornmeal Waffles

Equipment Needed

• Small and medium mixing bowls
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Whisk or stiff silicone spatula/scraper
  
• Thin silicone spatula/scraper
  
• Flour sifter (optional - but you really should sift your flour)
• Cooking spray (optional)
  
• Waffle maker (I recommend the Cuisinart 2-slice Belgian Waffle Maker, available at Amazon for $39.95)

Dry Ingredients

• 3/4 c. unbleached white flour
• 1 1/8 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/8 c. cornmeal
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. vegan sugar
  

Wet Ingredients

• 2 1/2 c. soy milk
• 1/4 c. softened Earth Balance (or other vegan margarine)
• 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed meal plus 2 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with approx. 1/2 c. water

Directions

• Thoroughly mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately
• Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix with a whisk or stiff spatula (do not over-mix - it is okay to have pockets of margarine or small dough clumps in the batter)
• Let the batter sit for a few minutes; meanwhile, plug in the waffle maker and heat to desired setting (I recommend a higher setting for these hardy waffles)
  
• When the waffle maker is ready (indicated on the aforementioned Cuisinart by an obnoxious yet effective "Beep!"), lightly coat the waffle grid with cooking spray (optional), and pour desired amount of batter onto the grid (3/4 c. batter with my waffle maker - just fill a whole cup 3/4ths full); use thin spatula to distribute the batter near the corners of the grid and to scrape out the contents of the measuring cup
• Wait patiently while your waffle maker works its magic (my appliance indicates when the waffle is done by yet again beeping that horrifying beep)
  
• Keep prepared waffles toasty in a warm oven until they are ready to be eaten
• This recipe yields 6 waffles in the Cuisinart 2-waffle maker
  

A quick tip: in my experience, prepared waffles keep better overnight than waffle batter. Because it contains moisture-activated leavening agents (baking soda and baking powder), using wet batter the day after it was prepared produces flat, dense waffles. Reheated waffles, on the other hand, are crispy! Some might even say too cripsy and/or stale! Meh, each to his own. If you choose to reheat them, do so in an oven, for god's sake; don't use a microwave unless you enjoy soggy, soul-less waffles.

It's also smart to minimize the number of times you need to clean your frickin' waffle maker.

Enjoy!

*Actually, more literally, nothing says "I love you" like saying "I love you." Breakfast doesn't talk.

Little Money, Less Meat: The Thrifty Vegan Introduction

I have been a vegan for eight years. I have been aware of the piddly nature of my income for a few months. Luckily, this combination of restrictions, one voluntary, the other imposed by my lack of marketable skills, has forced me to adopt home cooking as my favorite hobby. (Note that home-cooking is not my new favorite hobby; homes are not fun to cook.)

Far be it from me to deprive the public of the culinary tips and delicious vegan recipes I acquire while hard at work in my kitchen. Thus, welcome to The Thrifty Vegan, Rebecca C. Brown's guide to living a tasty life of self-deprivation.

I might also accidentally tell you about my personal life or rant about political injustice in between posts about the merits of Tofutti cheese cakes and the importance of using an oven thermometer. (Seriously, you really need an oven thermometer.)

Happy reading and eating!