• 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.

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.