Kicky Waffle Syrup on Textured Rice Vegan Waffle

Makes 1 1/4 cups

This topping will go with many neutral vegan waffle recipes. It has a bit of a kick from the ginger. It’s a topping I recently started making in bulk to put on my oatmeal, and I’ll also be making a batch for our waffle party. Accompany with non-dairy vanilla ice cream, dried cranberries, and walnuts, if you like.

I snapped the photo without the tripod, while pouring the syrup, so it’s not super-artsy. Cool purple-pink plastic plate, though! And I didn’t get any syrup on the camera.

• 1 cup real maple syrup
• 1/4 cup molasses (preferably blackstrap)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until the spices are dissolved and syrup is desired warmth. Pour generously over your favorite waffle.

This waffle topping recipe blends sweetness with two types of gentle warmth: temperature and a bit of spice. If you live somewhere with cold winters as we do, this can be especially welcome! Yields 3/4 cup.

• 1/2 cup peanut butter (may be smooth or crunchy)
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring constantly. Continue 1 to 3 minutes, or until peanut butter is melted and mixture is well-blended and thoroughly heated. Spoon over your favorite vegan waffle, and do a little dance around the table. To add tartness and texture, top with thinly-sliced fresh apple.

This eggless, dairy-free, wheat-free waffle recipe was inspired by a “baby carrots with ginger and sage butter” recipe that I originally found at Astray.com, attributed to Shepherd’s Garden Seeds Newsletter. Jen and I both enjoyed the recipe so much that I decided it needed a waffle counterpart! Also, winter is a great time for root vegetable waffles.

I decided to test these on more than one waffle iron, so you get to see both the round (from the Waring WMK300 waffle iron) and the square (from the Magic Chef TSK-293W waffle iron) versions. I think the orange and brown blend together nicely, perhaps catalyzing a new trend in waffle fashion!

We didn’t have fresh sage in our front yard garden or fresh ginger in stock, so I used rubbed sage and ginger powder from our local food co-op. They still came out very tasty, with just enough gingery snap to warm up the palate. (If you try it with fresh sage and ginger before I do, post your comments on how it came out!) These are on the “savory” end and have a relatively dense, healthy and wholesome feel to them. The 2 T of brown sugar is just enough to add a slight sweetness.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C buckwheat flour
• 1/2 C rolled oats
• 1 C grated carrot, measured after grating (I used the food processor)
• 2 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t ginger powder
• 2 1/2 t rubbed sage (or substitute 2 1/2 t dried sage or 2 t ground sage)
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 C unsweetened plain soymilk
• 3 T canola oil
• 1/3 C unsweetened applesauce
• 1 t lemon juice (optional–adds a slight amount of additional “zing”)
• 2 packed T brown sugar (I used light brown)

Sift together the dry ingredients in one bowl, and whisk together the wet ingredients (including brown sugar) in another. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix just until blended. Cook on a generously oiled waffle iron and enjoy!

Makes just under four Belgian-style vegan waffles.