Cornmeal Waffles

These waffles would be a great addition to your next brunch - using cornmeal gives them a heartier flavor than flour would alone. Try them with a little bit of extra maple syrup drizzled on top, and some sliced strawberries - and I highly recommend a few strips of vegan bacon on the side!

First, lightly spoon 1 cup all-purpose flour into a measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine the flour in a large bowl with 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt.

Make 1 and 1/2 cups vegan buttermilk by pouring 1 and 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice into a measuring cup, then filling with plain soy milk (such as Silk) to equal 1 and 1/2 cups. Let stand 5 minutes to clabber (sour) the mixture.

Combine the 'buttermilk' with 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil, and the equivalent of 2 egg yolks using egg replacer (with Ener-G, that's 1 tablespoon powder whisked into 2 tablespoons warm water - don't forget that when you make egg 'yolks' you need less liquid than if you were approximating the full egg!).

Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients, and pour in the 'buttermilk' mixture, stirring just until moist. Set aside.

Next, he original recipe said to beat 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form. If you're using Ener-G, that means 2 tablespoons powder whisked into 4 tablespoons warm water. I still am not sure if the entire 12 minutes of beating with a mixer are necessary for recipes such as this (it's not as complicated as, say, getting a souffle to rise), but I went the full 12-minute effort last time I made waffles, and was rewarded with a fluffy, light final product, so decided it was worth the full 12 minutes here as well. (For the previous recipe, see my post for Chocolate Chip Waffles).

Meanwhile, coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat.

Gently fold the 'egg whites' into the rest of the waffle batter. Pour 1/2 cup batter per square of the waffle iron, spreading all the way to the edges, and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. A nifty trick I learned is that a waffle is done when your waffle iron stops smoking - it's a great tip, because the last thing you want to do is lift your lid midway to check on them, as doing so messes up the cooking process. My cornmeal waffles took about 4 minutes.

Repeat the cooking procedure with the remaining batter. You'll have 7 waffles total, of 250 calories each.

Cost:
yellow cornmeal $2.69
plain soy milk $2.49