Waffle-mania

My mom gave me a book of a thousand waffle recipes (more like 100...but still), and I've tried a few and I'm going to post my two favorites (so far) here.

Broccoli-Cottage Cheese Waffles

Don't knock it till you try it. These are a savory waffle that can be served as lunch or an early dinner. Great for springtime or St. Patrick's day because they are bright green.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. Broccoli, trimmed. (I just got a regular bunch from the grocery store, seemed to work out fine
• 1 C Cottage Cheese
• 1 1/2 C Milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 C flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 4 scallions (thinly sliced, white part only)
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/4 C olive oil

Cook the broccoli until it can be pierced easily with the point of a knife. Drain and cool for 10 minutes. Blend up the broccoli and cottage cheese with a food processor. (I used an osterizer, which took a little more shaking and stirring than a food processor, but blended the broccoli just fine.) Blend until completely pureed, about 90 seconds. Add the milk and eggs to the blender and blend for another 30 seconds.

Whisk together the dry ingredients until combined. Pour the blended broccoli over the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add the scallions, garlic, and olive oil.

Make the waffles according to your waffle iron's directions.

When I made these we cut them in half, broiled them with a layer of cheddar cheese, and served them folded over like a calzone with a slice of tomato in the middle. The cook book suggested you eat them with a dollop of plain yogurt or roasted red peppers. You could even try them topped with Ratatoulli (from a previous post).

I have no idea what the fat and caloric intake is for these, but they seem pretty healthy, and they prevent cancer, I'm sure of it :).

Oatmeal-Banana Waffles

I just made these about an hour ago, and they were pretty tasty. They seem like a good way to get some whole grain without it being whole wheat (blech).

Ingredients:

• 4 T (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 C Old-fashioned oats
• 1 C flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 3 T packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 C buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 medium-size, very ripe bananas, thinly sliced crosswise

Melt the butter and reserve for later. Whisk together the dry ingredients including the brown sugar. In another bowl, beat together the eggs and the buttermilk until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and mix until just combined. Mix in the banana slices and the butter.

Make waffles. You'll probably have to use a wooden spoon or metal spatula to spread the batter around your waffle iron since the batter is very thick. You may also have to wait longer than usual to cook the waffles for the same reason. They should be golden and crisp when done and fluffy in the middle.

Eat these with syrup, fruit preserves, or any of your favorite waffle toppings. I think it would be excellent with more fresh bananas and cinnamon sugar on the top or fresh raspberries and whipped cream.

You really should try the broccoli waffles, not only so you can make people panic, but so you have some veggies in a fun new way.