Buttermilk Waffles with Strawberries and Almond Butter

Thrilled finding the first local strawberries of the season at the farmers market! Of course, they will be tasty in the morning fruit and yogurt bowl. However, the real show stopper is a buttermilk, Belgium waffle for those lazy weekend brunches. These strawberries are so sweet that only a thin honey-glaze will satisfy those sweet-tooth noshers.

ONWARD:

Most recipes for Belgium waffles call for granulated sugar and white all-purpose flour which gives most a huge sugar-rush followed shortly by a sugar crash. Not a good way to start the day. To tone it down, substitute with a protein flour like garbanzo bean flour. The vanilla sufficiently satisfies sweetness without added sugar. The key to a fluffy buttermilk waffle is to choose a whole buttermilk, not a low-fat variety which will create a deflated version. In place of the whipped cream try almond butter. Think of this as an open-faced nut butter and jelly sandwich, without all that sugar. And who doesn’t love a pb&j sandwich?

6 Belgium-size waffles

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, sliced

2 tablespoons local honey

1 cups garbanzo bean flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg separated

¾ cup buttermilk, Bulgarian-style, 3.5% milkfat

¼ cup unsweetened almond milk or whole milk

¼ cup sunflower seed oil (plus more for brushing or spraying waffle iron)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons almond butter

DIRECTIONS:

1.     Toss the strawberries with the honey. Set aside.

2.     In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the garbanzo bean flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3.     In another mixing bowl whip together the egg yolk, buttermilk, almond milk, oil and vanilla.

4.     Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.

5.     Preheat a waffle maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Preheat an oven to 300°F for holding cooked waffles hot.

6.     Whip the egg white until it forms soft peaks. Gently fold it into the batter.

7.     Brush or spray the waffle maker with oil. Spoon one-half cup of the batter into the waffle iron or according to the manufacturer’s directions. Cook for about three to four minutes until browned. At this point cooked waffles may be held in a 300°F oven until all the waffles are cooked.

8.     Top each waffle with a tablespoon almond butter and one-sixth of the honeyed strawberries. Serve immediately.

This recipe can successfully be doubled. Wrap and freeze extra waffles to pop into the toaster for a quick breakfast on the run.