Delicious Whole Grain Waffles

If there's one thing I've learned in the past 2 years since I started this blog, it's that homemade foods are often simpler than they appear.  I grew up on Eggo frozen waffles, with the occasional homemade version from Bisquick (until one day my dad decided the ancient, caked-on waffle maker was just way too hard to clean, and into the garbage it went!).  As an adult, my mom bought one of the fancy belgian waffle makers to use on ski trips, but we still used a mix and even that way they seemed like such a big deal to make.  Frozen waffles, of course, are super-easy, and there are lots of brands of supposedly more wholesome varieties.  But upon closer inspection, like so many processed products, it's hard to find a whole grain, organic version that doesn't have all sorts of additional ingredients like flavors, preservatives, dough conditioners, etc that I could do without.  And that's not even considering the price tag!

So after about a year of doing without waffles altogether because I wasn't happy with the choices in the store, I finally decided to invest in a waffle iron.  I found a recipe on All Recipes that was packed with wholesome ingredients but promised to be delicious.  With a little bit of skepticism, I gave them a try on my new waffle iron and was blown away.  Somehow, miraculously, these waffles are 100% whole grain, incorporate flax seed, and are LIGHT!  They crisp up beautifully, are just a tad sweet, and are enthusiastically gobbled up by my 3-year-old.  I would venture to guess that you could serve these to any crowd and no one would ever guess the ingredient list!

So make a double batch, throw the extras in your freezer, and enjoy wholesome AND convenient waffles any time you want!

Delicious Whole Grain Waffles

adapted from All Recipes

Dry Ingredients

1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup flax seed meal

1/4 cup quick oats (or wheat germ)

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients
2 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk

1/2 cup oil (may sub half for unsweetened applesauce if you wish)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  In a large bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.  Pour dry into wet and quickly whisk just until combined.  Allow batter to sit while preheating waffle iron.  Pour batter into waffle iron in batches according to manufacturer's directions, and cook until crisp and golden brown.  Serve immediately, or let cool, freeze in a zip-top bag, and reheat in the toaster whenever you want.

Makes 11 waffles (1/2 cup batter each)