Making home made waffles was always one of those things that got on my nerves, even before starting a low-carb lifestyle. I really hated having to stand there for what seemed like eternity, just to make a few uneven, somewhat mushy waffles. And then, there's the mess of batter all over your counter to go along with it. It used to be so much easier to just open a box, throw them in the toaster, gripe about how you wish you had a 6 or even an 8 slot toaster so you could make breakfast for everyone in a flash, and move on.
Well, if it's not clear to you yet, going low-carb doesn't come with a lot of prepackaged options, and that's not really a bad thing. Yes, you start out a chipper, bright eyed optimistic, "I can cook every meal, every day, and even pre-plan and freeze some stuff and love it all, all the time" fresh healthy food fanatic, and then you find yourself getting nostalgic as you roam through the supermarket with all of it's colorful boxes full of frankenfood, reminiscing about how it used to be so nice to have "dinner" ready in less than 10 minutes (even though said dinner contained more chemicals than the materials used to make your couch) and suddenly you find yourself making meals out of little more than Cheese Crisps, a glob of peanut butter, and maybe a strawberry or two. Hasn't happened to you yet? Wanna come cook for me??
Of course I'm being a bit sarcastic (just a teeeeensy bit), but it is a fair representation of what I go through fairly regularly. I love to cook. I really do. Sometimes though, I just don't want to (cue 3 year old tantrum). When I get like this, I pull out my big binder full of fantastic low-carb recipes that at some point I swore I would make, and I pick one. I'm ALWAYS ooooh-ing and ahhhh-ing at the waffle recipes, since I'm a big time waffle-aholic, but just like standard waffle recipes, low-carb recipes just seem to fall a little flat. The thing is, even with standard non low-carb waffle recipes, without a good waffle iron, standing there forever waiting for your waffle is an exercise in futility. It's just not going to come out right unless your iron gets nice and hot. Does that mean you have to spend a ton? Nope! Look for one that has an adjustable thermostat and keep it cranked up high while it's preheating. I got this one right here as a Christmas gift, and I love it! In fact, that's the one I used to make these fantastic pumpkin waffle sticks.
Oh, you want to make pumpkin waffle sticks too? Of course you do! I used this fabulous recipe I got from 24/7 Low Carb Diner. Lisa always has spectacular recipes, so I had a feeling these would be great! You know what? They were! I'm not the biggest fan of flax, and some brands can taste down-right yicky, but when I do use flax, I always choose Flax USA's. It doesn't have that really bad aftertaste, and it's really nutty and mild flavored.
Where was I again? Oh yeah. The waffles. These waffles were great! Super filling, which made making sticks out of them so much better, and even though the batter wasn't pourable, it still spread out pretty well on the hot iron. The only thing I did a little different, was I added a little splash of vanilla extract. It just seemed like it needed it, but would be just fine without it. I also used plain erythritol instead of Swerve, so I used a little less. 1/4 cup to be exact. My waffles look a little dark, but they tasted really great and I think my addition of vanilla may have darkened them up just a little. The best part about these? They were nice and firm. No floppy mushy waffles here! YES! Exactly what I was hoping for. Give them a chance to cool off a bit, and you'll find them nice and firm. Even better, was they kept nicely in the freezer, toasting up beautifully a few days later for a quick breakfast. Next time, I'm doubling the batch so I have enough to put away in the freezer for when I have another battle with the no-cooking blues.
If you want to enjoy some wonderful pumpkin waffles too, please visit this link - 24/7 Low Carb Diner - Happy Harvest Waffle Sticks.
Enjoy!
