5 November 2016

Savoury Buckwheat & Cheese Waffles



The last waffle recipe i posted has now become one of my most viewed recipes, so I knew this recipe had to be something special, last time I tried making sweet waffles for a weekend breakfast they went a little wrong, which put me off making them for a while, but thinking back I didn't have all of the right ingredients and that's probably where the lack of success lies.


I've had the idea of these waffles in my head for a while now, and a bag of unopened organic buckwheat in the cupboard for a few weeks. I wanted to make a recipe that was packed with nutrients and suitable for most dietary types, so these waffles are vegan and gluten free...making them the perfect weekend brunch food to share with friends, without having to worry about individual requirements.



I still had some unopened organic violife slices in the fridge that I was sent to review and I was thinking how to incorporate them into a recipe, when I had a brainwave of placing a slice in the middle of the waffle mixture on the waffle iron, the result? Grilled-cheese-meets-waffle and it is truly something amazing. The organic slices have the addition of sunflower seed kernels to the recipe, which makes the texture slightly different to the regular slices - I liked them, however, I still prefer the texture of the regular slices, if eating in a sandwich, for example, but that's not to say that you won't prefer them to the regular ones! That said, the taste of the organic slices is slightly more tangy than the regular slices and they melt really well too, so there is definitely a place for them in my cooking, especially these waffles!


The flavour of buckwheat is quite an unusual one, its rather strong and quite nutty, but also deeply savoury, making it the perfect medium for these waffles, I bought whole buckwheat groats so I could use it for other applications too and used my nutribullet milling blade to grind it up, however a food processor should also be sufficient in this case. Buckwheat, making up 1/2 of the 'flour' in this recipe is actually a seed, rather than a wholegrain, packed with protein & fibre and sources of manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and antioxidants. Whole oats were also ground up to make the flour in this recipe, oats contain a fibre known as beta-glucan which has been shown to lower cholesterol in the blood, which can reduce the risk of heart disease. They also contain manganese, copper, Vitamin B1, B7 and many other nutrients too. To act as a binder for these waffles I also used a tbsp of chia seeds, which whilst being a great egg-replacer, also contribute to your daily omega 3 intake (the essential fats!). For an extra boost of vitamins, these protein, fibre packed waffles are then layered on top of vitamin A and K rich rocket and topped with baby tomatoes containing vitamin C, K and potassium. The great thing about the cheese inside, is not only does it taste amazing, is that it also helps with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins A and K from the veg! 

So to recap, these waffles are:

  • Good for you
  • Delicious
  • Filled with melted cheese
  • Gluten free/Allergen free
  • Quick to make

Savoury Buckwheat  & Cheese Waffles | Yield: 4-5 waffles | Serves: 2-3 | Time: 20 mins

You'll need


  • Waffle iron
  • Oil in a spray bottle
  • Spice grinder/food processor
  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Measuring cups & spoons
  • Chopping board
  • Knife
  • Dessert spoon

Ingredients



  • 1/2 cup organic buckwheat
  • 1/2 cup organic whole rolled oats (GF certified if needed)
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp dried chives
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • pinch pepper
  • 1 cup water + 3tbsp
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 4-5 slices violife organic
To serve:
  • 50g rocket
  • 100g baby plum tomatoes, sliced
  • 1/2 red chili, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 1 tbsp of your favourite vegan pesto/ flavoured oil (allergen free)

Method


  1. Pre-heat the waffle iron and spray with oil.
  2. Add the buckwheat, oats and chia seeds to a spice grinder/food processor and blitz until a fine flour is formed. Then transfer the flour to a large mixing bowl and add the baking soda, garlic powder, onion powder, chives, oregano salt & pepper and mix together. Add in the water and oil and whisk until a smooth, thick batter is formed. Then pour in the apple cider vinegar and whisk again quickly.
  3. Using a dessert spoon, spoon the mixture into each side of your waffle iron. Put 3 spoonfuls on initially, spreading it out slightly, then top with a slice of cheese and finally two more spoonfuls. Repeat on the other side, close the lid and cook for 5-10 minutes* before repeating the process. My waffle iron made 5 waffles from the batter, but depending on the model you have this may differ.  
  4. Remove the waffles from the waffle iron and cut in half diagonally ready to serve.
  5. Arrange the waffles on a bed of rocket and top with the tomatoes, chili and pesto/ flavoured oil (for a nut free version). Serve up and enjoy!
Cassidy xx


*I have a 700w waffle iron and mine took 7 minutes.


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