Lemony Corn Waffles w/ Blueberry Drizzle

I love waffles.

They're extravagant. Classy, without being snobbish (like a crepe). Deliciously crispy on the outside, warm and soft on the inside. And the waffle grid provides the perfect compartment to ensure ample syrupiness with each bite (unlike the pancake).

I admit, I am sort of a snob about food. I try not to be to uppity about it most times, but I hold firm in the belief that most fast-food is an insult to your body and intelligence. And I really don't think it tastes good either.

Food is much more than calories in and calories out. Cooking and preparing food provide the vehicle to connecting to people and places around you and it helps to remind you of all the wonderful variety the world has to offer. For example, take the waffle. So many ways to make a waffle, yet we have the Ego waffle, very likely the most consumed waffle in America and what is it, really? I contend it is NOT a waffle, but rather an over processed, bland, square-shaped poor imitation of the real thing. I think Ego waffles should not even be considered food, let alone breakfast food.

Not only that, you miss so much of the beauty of the process of waffle making when all you do is pop a frozen grid (that was made in a factory, 2,000 miles away, six months ago) into your toaster.

Not only can homemade waffles be much better for you (you are able to control to quality and quanity of ingredients you use), there's something about the process of making the flour (I make my flours in my Blend-tec), getting a dozen ingredients out, having my kids dip their fingers in everything as they try to "help" me, pouring the thick batter onto a hot waffle iron, and then waiting patiently, only to be rewarded minutes later with a warm, golden, crisp waffle.

Our breakfasts tend to be pretty low-key during the weekdays (cooked cereal like millet, oats, amaranth (this is a new one we tried out last week), quinoa, with fruit or smoothies), but on the weekends, it's all about decadence: waffles, crepes, muffins, hash browns, ect. After all, you deserve something nice after a long week, right? And these waffles that we made this weekend, let me tell you, they are on a whole new level for me. Corn + Lemon + Blueberry= Taste bud Heaven.

This recipe is my own but I did receive much inspiration from Isa Moskowitz, an amazing vegan chef (check out Vegan with a Vengeance). I've realized that I don't really follow recipes anymore. I just look at it for inspiration and make it my own (the wannabe artist in me). I don't recommend doing this however if you're just starting out with vegan cooking, or just plain cooking for that matter, because a lot of the ingredients may be new to you and it's better to just trust the recipe and follow it with exactness (I learned the hard way the first little bit). This is especially true when baking or using flours.

The waffles are gluten-free but can easily be converted to wheat flour.

Lemony Corn Waffles w/ Blueberry Drizzle

• 1/2 c. amaranth flour, 3/4 c. potato starch, 1 tsp. xathan gum (OR use 1 1/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour or white flour OR 1/2 c. whole wheat & 1/2 c. white flour IF YOU USE FLOUR, add 2 TBS. cornstarch)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt (I use Celtic sea salt)
• 3/4 c. cornmeal (I used Corn Masa, found in the Mexican section of the grocery store)
• 3 TBS. raw cashews, 1 TBS. chia seeds, 1/4 c. ground flax seed meal (OR use 1/3-1/2 c. cashews)
• 1 cup soy milk (don't substitute with rice milk)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 c. soy yogurt (for those dairy consumers, dairy yogurt works too)
• 1 TBS. honey or agave & 4 dates (OR 2 TBS. honey OR 1/4 c. sugar)
• Zest and juice from 2 lemons

Preheat waffle iron. Mix dry ingredients. In blender, put in all the wet ingredients, EXCEPT the lemon zest. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. In a bowl, mix the lemon zest, wet and dry ingredients until blended (if you use wheat flour be careful not to over mix). Use the batter immediately. One batch makes about 4 Belgian waffles. (I tripled my batch because we like to have leftovers for a snack or to use for another breakfast. These are freezable. Just pop it the toaster (like an Ego! I know I'm a hypocrite, but you already did your work to earn these, and besides they taste soo much better and are also a lot better for you too) to defrost).

Top with ample amounts of Blueberry Drizzle.