Stuff Your Summer Veggies Into Waffles
When summer vegetables come from the garden or farmers’ market, it’s okay to add zucchini to muffins and cakes. When you start to need a recipe that red peppers, carrots, green beans, and green peas will happily accept, you can get stuck.
Let me introduce you to Summer Vegetarian Waffles: This is a savory number that will work with just about anything you throw at it.
This waffle recipe uses regular batter with some savory spices and is modified to work with a little extra water. I have chopped vegetables and whenever you finely chop fruits and vegetables you can expect water to seep out. The thick dough thins a little after adding the ingredients, and it is ready for waffles.
The waffle iron is one of my favorite kitchen tools. Here are some of them that I like:
- Hamilton Beach Waffle Maker
- Cuisinart round waffle maker
- Belgian waffle iron CRUX with double rotation
I grated one small carrot and a medium-sized zucchini into a medium-sized bowl. You can chop them however you like, it is better to use a food processor or chop the vegetables with a knife. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl to evenly distribute seasonings and baking powder. Add milk, egg and neutral oil to the dry mixture. Whisk to thoroughly mix the dough. Pour the chopped vegetables into the dough and mix with a spoon until smooth. Spray the waffle iron – we don’t want it to stick – and cook the waffles as you normally would.
The waffles will be tall, fluffy and with ribbons of shredded vegetables. There is no sugar in this recipe, so you won’t see the same browning as you would with sweet waffles. I made mine dairy-free, but I tried one with shredded cheddar cheese, and I have to say, for those who aren’t sensitive to dairy, this is a fantastic idea. The waffles are browned and crispy where the cheese flows out and meets the hot iron to give you little surprises .
I used zucchini and carrots, but anything that doesn’t exude excess water will do (sorry, tomatoes). Try adding corn, chopped green peas, green beans or bell peppers, and cheese if you like. This recipe makes about six four-inch wafers. Enjoy them with cream cheese or eggs.
Summer vegetarian waffles
Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup non-dairy milk (any milk can be substituted)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 cups grated vegetables (I used 1 ½ cups zucchini and ½ cup carrots)
- ¼ cup grated cheese (optional)
Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl to combine. Add the egg, milk and oil to the dry mixture. Whisk to mix thoroughly. Add chopped vegetables and cheese if using. Knead the dough until the steam stops coming out of the iron and the waffles are firm and the cheese is browned in places and browned.