Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

I feel so badly that I can't participate in Vegan Mofo this year!  But, it's just not  feasible for me this year, as I am organizing a fund-raising event, which is taking up alot of time and energy. Next year!

But, we still have to eat, and I had some nice pears to use up.  I decided to make some muffins with them, and, before I had thought of pear muffins, I had been been considering making some corn bread.  This led me to an idea for pear muffins made with some cornmeal.  And then I thought adding some of my favorite organic candied ginger (it has some real zing to it!) would be nice, and why not a handful of pecans for good measure?  The results were excellent-- good enough to share with you.  They would make a wonderful breakfast muffin because they are whole grain, substantial, and rather rustic, but not heavy or overly-sweet.

BRYANNA’S RUSTIC GINGER-PECAN-PEAR MUFFINS WITH CORNMEAL
Makes 12

I meant to post this recipe for Valentine's Day, but it didn't happen!  But, better late than never-- these beauties would be delicious any time of the year.  I based them on the white bean/oat waffles that I developed for the first version of Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes-- low in fat; high in protein, fiber and other nutrients.  They also just happen to be gluten-free.

My two 12-year-old granddaughters ate quite a few of these for brunch this last Sunday after a sleep-over at our house.  They were quite surprised when I revealed the "secret ingredient", white beans, but that didn't deter them from eating more!

Don't be put off by having to put the beans in water 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. 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. Keep some ready-made in the freezer for quick toaster snacks-- they are great eaten out of hand with a little low-sugar jam.

NOTE: Use only dried white navy beans or Great Northern beans or split (white) urad dal for making white bean flour, or purchase bean flour made from only one of those varieties. (Chickpea flour is fine, too.)  
DO NOT use cannellini beans, red or white kidney beans, butter beans, broad beans or lima beans for making flour; nor should you use those 6 varieties of beans whole, soaked (but raw) and blended into recipes to be cooked or baked. Those 6 varieties of beans all need to be soaked for at least 5 hours, water discarded, and then boiled in fresh water for 10 to 15 minutes before simmering until tender before eating.  This eliminates toxic lectins which can cause all sorts of digestive distress in some people.  
And be advised that slow-cookers do not always get hot enough to get rid of the toxin, so soak and boil as advised above before finishing in a slow-cooker.  If using a pressure cooker to cook kidney beans or the other 4 varieties mentioned as problematic, you do not need to pre-boil for 10 minutes as the very high temperatures reached inside the pressure cooker are adequate to destroy the toxin, but definitely soak first and discard the water. (Info from this article.)
The toxin in white kidney beans at about 1/3rd the concentration of red kidney beans, and broad (fava) beans, butter beans and lima beans at about 5 to 10%. 

Don't panic about lectins, but be informed-- see https://authoritynutrition.com/dietary-lectins/  and http://www.medic8.com/healthguide/food-poisoning/red-kidney-bean-toxins.html

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!






Enjoy!