Monday, May 1, 2006

VEGAN ORANGE-PECAN CORNMEAL WAFFLES (GLUTEN-FREE!)


After vegan cappuccinos, I'll continue the breakfast theme with waffles. This recipe is a variation on a recipe from one of my books. I love the combination of orange, pecan and cornmeal-- seems very Southern to me, and it's always delicious. I decided to use this flavor combo in my bean-based waffles, which I usually make with oats. These waffles are high in protein and fiber and great for anyone with allergies. Hope you like 'em!

PS: These bean waffles do not work for me in a Belgian waffle iron (the thicker kind), so use a good nonstick traditional type.  A good one is the round Cuisinart Traditional.  Other waffles irons recommended by Cooks Illustrated are:  Chef’s Choice WafflePro Express; Cloer Double Waffle Maker; Cuisinart 6-Slice Traditional Waffle Iron.

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA’S CRISPY VEGAN ORANGE PECAN CORNMEAL WAFFLES
makes 8-9/ 4” waffles   (wheat-free and can be soy-free)
Adapted from a recipe in my book “The Fiber for Life Cookbook”

Don’t be put off by having to put the beans on to soak the night before. This takes just minutes before you retire for the night and then, in the morning, the batter is quickly made in the blender while the waffle iron heats up.

These waffles take a little longer to bake than ordinary waffles (about 7-8 minutes), so you might want to make them ahead of time, or have two waffle irons going at the same time. They can be reheated quickly in a very hot oven for a short time (you just want to crisp and heat them, not dry them out), or in a toaster.NOTE: And, don’t worry, no one will suspect that there are beans in these waffles!

THE NIGHT BEFORE:
1/3 c. dried Great Northern beans OR chickpeas
(If you use other beans, be sure to see the Important Update at this post.)
Plenty of water to cover
IN THE MORNING:
1 1/2 c. fresh water
1/3 c. orange juice concentrate
1 c. cornmeal
2 T. oat bran (or you could use rice bran or wheat bran instead)
4 tsp. organic sugar or other sweetener
2 T. ground golden flaxseed (measure after grinding)
1 T. grated (organic) orange zest (see below)
1/2 T. baking powder
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. finely chopped toasted pecans

The night before:
Soak the beans in plenty of water to cover, with a few inches of water above the beans-. The beans can soak in water in the refrigerator for up to a week with no fermentation, if you aren’t sure when you’ll make the waffles.

In the morning:
Drain the beans. Place them in the blender along with all of the other ingredients. Blend until smooth and light and foamy. This may take several minutes.

Let the batter stand while you heat up your NONSTICK waffle iron.  

NOTE: USE A REGULAR WAFFLE MAKER, NOT A BELGIAN WAFFLE MAKER-- THE BELGIAN WAFFLE IS TOO THICK AND DOESN'T COOK PROPERLY WITH THIS BATTER! See recommended waffle irons above.).

NOTE: Even if you have a non-stick iron, this recipe will work better if you spray the grids with oil from a pump-sprayer.

When the iron is hot, pour on about a heaping 1/3 c. of batter for each 4” square waffle . Close the iron and set the timer for 7 minutes. Don’t check before 7 minutes is up. If the iron is hard to open, let it cook a couple of more minutes.

If the batter gets thicker on standing, add a LITTLE water, just until it’s the consistency you started out with.

The waffle should be brown and crispy. Serve immediately, or let cool on cake racks. When they are cool, they can be frozen in plastic bags or rigid containers. Serve with your favorite toppings.

If you don’t use up all of the batter, and you don’t want to cook the waffles ahead of time and freeze them, just refrigerate the batter in the blender with the lid on. You can re-blend the batter (adding a tiny bit more water if the batter has become too thick) just before cooking the waffles.

COOKING NOTE: If you don't have one of those microplane zesters yet, for citrus zest (and fresh ginger) use a little tiny box grater about 2 1/2" high. it works just beautifully and cost about $1.50 Cnd!


 Nutrition Facts (calculated using white kidney beans)
Nutrition (per serving—2/ 4” waffles): 324.6 calories; 25% calories from fat; 10.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 529.6mg sodium; 833.3mg potassium; 53.3g carbohydrates; 8.1g fiber; 14.1g sugar; 45.2g net carbs; 9.5g protein; 6.5 points. 




Enjoy!

5 comments:

  1. Bryanna,

    I love your chickpea waffle! Thanks for posting this combination. I will try it out.

    SIV

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  2. Love the waffle flavor. I intend to try this one soon. My family loves the original plain version.

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  3. Can't wait to try them. I use one of those adorable little box graters for zesting, too. :)

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  4. Most impressed with the recipe. Havn't tried it yet but I am sure it is fine. Just a note of caution - I think it is safer to pre-cook some kinds of soaked beans because of toxins in the raw form I know this is true of most lentils. Just ten minutes of a rolling boil or a few minutes in a pressure cooker or overnight in a very low simmering oven if you have a range cooker/heating boiler.

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  5. Emmie, I 'm well aware of the effects of raw beans. These soaked beans get thoroughly ground and thoroughly cooked in these waffles. The way waffles are formed provides heat on every surface, and it's a fairly thin object, and these waffles are cooked for a longer time than most other waffles. They are definitely cooked! It is the same as using raw bean flour in a batter.

    Also, a slow cooker does not get hot enough to the lectin that causes the problem.
    (See:
    http://www.foodreference.com/html/artredkidneybeanpoisoning.html )
    The beans must boil for 10 minutes to destroy the lectin.

    In addition, this problem seems to be applicable only to red kidney beans (one of my least favorite beans!).

    Symptoms from eating undercooked red kidney beans include nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain followed by diarrhea. The 7th Day Adventists have been using this method of making waffles for many years, and are among the healthiest people on the planet!

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