Monday, March 25, 2013

Meatless Monday - Pineapple Sweet Potato Quinoa Waffles


There are days when I just can't come up with anything interesting to make for dinner.  On those days that I seem to lack inspiration I inevitably go the "breakfast for dinner" route.  When Barry was little, he would get so excited when he came down for dinner and there were waffles or pancakes on his plate.  There's something a little forbidden and naughty about syrup on your supper, I guess!  Luckily, Hubs still gets excited about it too.


Since I've been having a love affair with quinoa lately, I was a little excited when I ran across this recipe.  This looked like a "good for you forbidden and naughty" breakfast for dinner!  Not only was there quinoa, but sweet potato.  In case you're new to this little nutritional powerhouse, here's what Wikipedia says about it......

Quinoa (pron.: /ˈknwɑː/ or /kɨˈn.ə/Spanishquinua, from Quechuakinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like cropgrown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the true grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beetsspinach and tumbleweeds.

Today, people appreciate quinoa for its nutritional value. Quinoa is considered a superfood.[14] Protein content is very high (14% by mass), yet not as high as most beans and legumes. Nutritional evaluations of quinoa indicate that it is a source of complete protein.[27][not in citation given][28] Furthermore, it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is also a source of calcium, and thus is useful for vegansand those who are lactose intolerant.[29][30] Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.

So, there you go!!   I posted this Quinoa Granola recipe a few months ago and am still eating it every morning (with modifications to keep it interesting) for breakfast.



If you're feeding this to your kids, there's no need to mention that there's anything "good for them" in there.  All by themselves there's just a tinge of sweetness.  You'll get the nuttiness of the quinoa and whole grain flour and the sweet potato keeps them really moist.  But the best bite is when you get a little nugget of pineapple.  A sweet surprise.  Top these with fresh fruit and a little syrup and you'll fool the littlest diners!  Heck, really throw them off with a light dusting of powdered sugar.  Do what you have to!  


Here's the recipe:

Pineapple Sweet Potato Quinoa Waffles
CHEFS Catalog

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups quinoa flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sweet potato, cooked and mashed
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Directions:
Note:  Quinoa flour can be made at home with a food processor or wheat grinder.  Grind equivalent amount of whole quinoa in the food processor until reaches flour consistency. (I ground mine in the food processor and it takes a good five minutes.  Mine was still a little gritty but completely unnoticeable in the waffles.)

Preheat waffle maker.  Spray waffle plates with nonstick spray or light coat of oil.

In a large bowl, sift together quinoa flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  In a medium bowl, beat together the honey, eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined,  Add mashed sweet potatoes and pineapple, and fold into batter.

Ladle batter into waffle maker, according to manufacturer's directions, and close plates.  Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.  Continue the same with remaining batter.


2 comments:

  1. They were excellent!

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