To cook for friends is fun.  I adore it.  To cook for family is something more. Enjoying my extended brood, even for breakfast, is a highlight in my week. Last Thursday, my eldest son Sean and his wife Jami, along with grandchildren Rhyan and Piper, had a few appointments in our city and I said, “Why don’t you come beforehand and have breakfast with us?” It mean they got up at odarkearly, but there weren’t too many complaints and Grandma was happy to have the challenge of a wheat, egg, dairy, peanut, and pineapple-free meal to cook.

below:  Rhyan with Piper at lunch a few months ago

I knew Piper, who had the allergies, might love some waffles. Maple syrup would be messy and great; berries would be perfect. Everyone else could eat them, too, (though we ended up making a few gluten waffles as well), and I could surely come up with a frying pan full of sausage and bacon.  Maybe even an egg casserole for the rest of us without that allergy. The waffles, however, proved not quite as easy as they first sounded–though they ended up being just wonderfully good to eat in the end and could now be my all-the-time go to waffle recipe.

I began with a GF flour blend from the wonderful blog minimalist baker.com that I had modified for use in a Christmas cookie recipe for Piper; see below for photo.  (Please go see Dana at this great site!) Minimalist had used it, in part, to make a vegan gluten free waffle, so I knew I could do that. No problem.  BUT! The more I worked, the more I liked the waffle with a new twist that relied more on oat flour along with a bit of flax seed meal for crunchy texture and nutty taste.  Nutty taste without nuts is cool for a little girl who can’t eat peanuts. Eliminating potato starch and tapioca flour made all the difference and meant bakers had two less flours to buy–a real boon for gluten-free cooks and bakers, in particular, who often feel they must buy the store out to make every dish.

Not only did I like the waffles better, both Dave and  I liked them well enough to make them for ourselves regularly and we’re gluten eaters from way back.  This says a lot!

As the sun rose over the eastern plains outside Colorado Springs, I mixed the last bit of flour, poured the liquid ingredients in a separate container to have at the ready, and made a quick gluten-free egg and green chile casserole to serve along with the waffles. Before I knew it, the kids were all here, the coffee was made, Dave had baked the waffles, and everyone was at the table chowing down. Piper had to pose with her new glasses, of course.

Try this:

GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN WAFFLES

makes 4-6 waffles

• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk (I used shelf life milk.)
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/4 cup canola oil, plus more to brush waffle iron (I find sprays stick up the waffle iron.)
• 1/4 cup agave nectar (or maple syrup)
• heaping 1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 1 3/4 cups gluten-free baking mix (see mine below)
• pinch kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon flax seed meal

1. In a 2 cup measuring cup, mix milk with vinegar and set aside for  a few minutes. Add oil and agave nectar. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 150 degrees F.

3. Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl or cup; pour in wet ingredients. Mix until well-blended. Let set 5 minutes while waffle iron pre-heats.

4. Brush waffle iron lightly with canola oil for each waffle (or as needed) and pour on 1/2 cup batter; spread a bit with wet rubber spatula.  Bake until done to your liking. We liked these pretty crispy and set the waffle iron at its highest setting (7 for ours). Place  each baked waffle directly on the preheated baking rack in the oven to keep warm until all waffles are baked.

5. Serve hot with real maple syrup or fresh fruit.

Note:  Minimalistbaker.com notes she freezes these up to a month and reheats in toaster. I did not try that with my leftovers, but rather sent them home with Miss Piper for a snack or a Saturday breakfast treat.

MY GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR MIXTURE FOR WAFFLES:

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup white rice flour
• 3/4 cup GF oat flour
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum  (minimalistbaker.com notes this is unnecessary, but I did use it.)

Mix together well in a large bowl.  After making, you’ll have a bit leftover that you might store in a small jar in the freezer for when you need a GF thickener for a soup or vegetable dish.

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PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE: Gluten Free and Vegan waffles

Sing a new song; make a new waffle,

Alyce