It shouldn’t surprise you to know that I am thinking about food all the time. Aside from the obvious fact that I must nourish myself several times throughout the day, I am also always thinking about flavors, imagining textures and combinations. To be honest it can be maddening at times to the point of being overwhelming. When I look into my fridge or cupboards I don’t see work or “nothing to eat”, I see endless possibilities. Oh where to start?
I keep a fairly well stocked pantry. For this I sometimes get chided by my wife- until the other day when she decided to prepare dinner. As she pulled together her menu she said, “I might have to go to the store- do we have fresh cilantro?” “SURE! I said” “Well, what about coconut oil, I’m sure we don’t have that.” Uhh… well yes, in fact we do. Plenty in fact.
And this is how I like it. Tools in the toolshed. Brushes, paints and canvas for the artist/painter. This is my playground. I can make stuff. {rubbing hands together with delight}
I’ve been playing around in my mind with the idea of a savory waffle. Something earthy and toothsome and not just a block of doughy something. I had a ball with this concept, and came up with several really fun ideas (maybe soon to follow), but ultimately decided to land on this one. This waffle is laced with shredded carrots, and red pepper flakes. I made the batter a bit wet so the waffle came out crispy, and not as bready. For tang and texture I topped it with yogurt cream that is laced with fine olive oil and topped with blue cheese. Finally for an acid balance and snap I topped it with a lightly dressed peppery arugula salad.
An added bonus is the waffle is gluten free. A decision I made by choice. I used some chickpea flour in the batter, which also gives it a little extra protein, but if you don’t have a pantry like mine, feel free to switch it out with regular ol’ all purpose flour. No harm there.
btw- I love my waffle iron. It’s a pretty basic version. It goes right onto the stovetop. No cord, no honkin’ thang that will hog your counter. This one is slim and sexy and always at the ready. If you need to you can purchase a waffle iron like mine HERE
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- 1 cup yellow corn meal
- 1/2 cup chickpea flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1 whole egg
- 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt, plain
- 2 teaspoons fruity olive oil
- 1 oz blue cheese, thinly sliced (or crumbled)
- 3 cups baby arugula leaves
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper flakes and carrots. Toss to combine.
- In a separate small bowl combine the oil, milk and egg.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir smooth. The batter will be fairly wet. Let it rest while you prepare the waffle iron.
- When the iron is hot, pour half the batter over the iron and cook until the edges are a deep golden brown to almost too dark. You want the waffles crispy and crunchy on the outside with just a little tenderness inside. Repeat with the second half of the batter.
- While the waffles are cooking, in a small bowl combine the yogurt with a pinch of salt and some pepper. Stir until nice and smooth.
- In a separate bowl add the arugula and tomatoes. Drizzle the olive oil and vinegar over and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve place two waffles per plate and top with the yogurt sauce. Drizzle a little fruity olive oil over the yogurt. Then top that with the arugula salad and blue cheese.
- * alternatively you may add the blue cheese into the yogurt and stir that smooth, or use a blue cheese dressing. It's all good.