Weird and Wonderful Waffles

I know, they don’t look weird, right?  These waffles are AMAZING!  They taste really, really good. . . while I was eating them today I was thinking that they’re better than my usual recipes for waffles (and believe me, I know my waffles – there are no ho-hum waffles coming out of my kitchen).

Please don’t dismiss them out of hand when you see the ingredients.  Even if you are not a mom trying to sneak extra nutrition into your kids you will like these waffles.  I promise.  If you are a mom trying to sneak extra nutrition into your carb-loving kids you’ll be ecstatic. 

You’ll need a good blender for these, and a little foresight.  Yes, you need to soak something overnight, no it doesn’t take more than 2 minutes to accomplish.  I’m pretty sure you can do this with a regular blender, don’t try it if you know yours is terrible.  If you have a VitaMix you are contractually obliged to make this tomorrow morning, because I am very jealous and have VitaMix envy.   You might need to hit the health food store for some ingredients, but it’ll be worth it.

These come from a little known (perhaps because of it’s awful title) cookbook called Fiber For Life.  They are vegan (just incidental, overlook it if you don’t care), healthy, crispy, flavorful, and delicious.

Soaking the chickpeas and almonds.

drained and ready to add to the blender.

all blended into a smooth batter.  You can adjust the water if it seems thick.

Waffles after 8 minutes.

Naked waffle on a plate. . .see above for proper adornment.

Printable Recipe Here

Crispy Whole Grain Waffles (a.k.a. Weird and Wonderful Waffles)

1/2 c. dried chickpeas

1/3 c. whole raw almonds

2 1/2 c. water

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour*( I use white wheat)

1/4 c. wheat bran

2 Tbsp. sugar or maple syrup

3 Tbsp. flaxseeds (I use golden)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Optional: 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

The Night Before:  Soak the chickpeas and almonds together in plenty of water.  (If you get up in the morning and decide you don’t have time for waffles you can put the beans in the water in the fridge for a few days.)

In the Morning:

1. Drain the beans and almonds.  Blend the beans and all of the remaining ingredients in a blender until light and foamy.  This can take a while, and you may have to stir it once or twice to get the stuff on the top to go down.  But eventually it will be a smooth batter.
2. Let the batter sit while you pre-heat the waffle iron.
3. Even if you have a non-stick waffle iron spray it with cooking spray before each waffle. 
4. When the iron is hot pour on a heaping 1/3 c. batter for each 4 inch square waffle.  Close the iron, set a timer for 8 minutes (yes, I said 8 minutes).  Don’t peek.  When they’re done they’ll be golden brown and crispy.  They won’t smell” bean-y”, they’ll smell “almond-y” toasty and mouthwatering.
5. Serve with butter and syrup.

Apparently these can be frozen well. . . we never have leftovers.  This recipe fills my whole blender, so I have never doubled it. 

*You can use 1 cup of wheat berries soaked overnight in the 2 1/2 cups of water if you want – I do.  Just throw them in the blender in the morning.