Imagine if you took cheese crackers and made them vegan, and then puffed them up into a fluffy, crispy waffle. That’s about the best description I can come up with for these! This recipe was inspired by Jo Stepaniak’s “crock cheez” recipe from her Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, which I highly recommend. These could make a great snack served in quarters for a Super Bowl party or other gathering; if you’re planning on using them for a meal you may wish to decrease the salt from 3/4 t to 1/2 t, as they are relatively salty (just like cheese crackers).

I was trying to come up with a catchy name blending the words “cheese” and “waffle,” but that yielded things like “weesle,” “chaffle” and “wacheese.” These, of course, sound like a sneaky animal, a painful injury, and a reaction to airborne irritants. Not very appetizing! So, they’re just “cheddar cheesy vegan waffles” for now.

Along with being pretty tasty on their own, they’re great served with additional applesauce on top, and you might also try them smothered with a generous portion of vegan chili.

Ingredients

• 1 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C rolled oats
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 3T nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 1/2 T miso (light or chickpea)
• 1 t onion powder
• 3/4 t salt (if you don’t want them as salty as cheese crackers, reduce this to 1/2 t)
• 1/2 t paprika
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 1/4 t dry mustard powder
• 2 C soymilk
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 C canola oil
• optional: 1 T prepared horseradish

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate medium bowl. Be sure to break up the clumps of miso very well, as it has a strong flavor. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix just until blended. Allow the batter to sit for 3 to 5 minutes. Cook on a generously oiled waffle iron, generously sparying both grills with oil before each waffle.