Sweet Potato Waffles

Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin C, potassium, calcium, and are full of good for you antioxidants.  Pack all of that into a delicious waffle and you've got yourself the perfect breakfast- delicious and good for you (and let's face it, that doesn't happen often).  These waffles are great topped with maple syrup, whipped cream, candied pecans......or all three.  This recipe will make 6-8 big waffles, so if you only need a few, do yourself a favor and throw the rest in the freezer for a quick breakfast on a rushed morning.  All you need to do is pop one in the toaster.

I make my own sweet potato puree by piercing a sweet potato with a fork, wrapping it in foil, and baking it in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  Then I scoop out the flesh, and throw it in the food processor to puree it (you can also use a hand mixer).  You can also buy it in a can, but make sure you buy 100% pure sweet potato puree without any added sweeteners or flavoring.  If you have the time, it's easy and much cheaper to make your own, so it's worth it. 

• 1 C whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 Tb baking powder
• 2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 1 1/2 C milk
• 1/2 C pureed sweet potato
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinammon
• 2 Tb agave nectar
• 1 Tb brown sugar

Preheat and lightly grease your waffle iron.

In a small bowl, combine the sweet potato puree, brown sugar, egg yolks, and agave nectar.  Set aside.

In another small bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks have formed and the volume has tripled.  Make sure their is absolutely no egg yolk in the whites or else the whites won't whip properly.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and cinammon.  Slowly add the milk and mix using a hand mixer.  Next, add the sweet potato mixture and thoroughly combine all of the ingredients.

Lightly fold in the egg whites.  This will make your waffles light and fluffy.  To fold, use a spatula and start at the far end of your bowl, scrape from the bottom and fold over the top into the middle.  Continue to do this, turning the bowl a quarter turn each time, until all the egg whites are combined.

Pour the batter into your waffle maker.  IMPORTANT- do not overfill!  Each section should have only about 1/2 C or less of the batter.  It might not look like a lot, but it will increase in size as the batter cooks, just like a cake would.  If you overfill it, you will have a huge mess on your hands and the waffles will be raw on the inside.  I know from experience, it once took me almost two hours to clean all the crevices of my waffle maker. 

My waffle maker beeps when the waffles are done (how awesome is that?), but if yours doesn't, buy a new one.  Just kidding, they cook for about 3-4 minutes and should be golden brown when finished. 



Chocolate Chip Zucchini Pancakes

I developed this pancake recipe when my girls decided to go on a vegetable strike.  Knowing they would never even fathom going on a chocolate strike, I decided to combine the two in order to keep their vegetable intake at an acceptable level.  My children will devour nearly anything you put chocolate on or in, so these were an instant hit.  They are fluffy, flavorful, and come on- it's essetially cake for breakfast.  You can't get any better than that.

• 1 C. all purpose flour
• 1/2 C.  whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 C. shredded zucchini (about one medium zucchini)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 Tb. light agave nectar
• 1 1/4 C. whole milk
• 1/4 C. vegetable oil
• 1 C. mini chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Add the shredded zucchini and toss with your hands to coat each piece with flour.  This will help the zucchini from clumping.  It should look like this-

and then this-

 In a small bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients except for the chocolate chips.  Whisk

 until it's thoroughly combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until everything is incorporated. 

Add the chocolate chips and stir.

Cook the pancakes in a skillet on medium high heat for 6-7 minutes per side.  You can tell when it's  time to flip them over when little bubbles form on the surface.

This recipe makes 12 medium size pancakes,but can easily be doubled.  I like to make a big batch on a Sunday and then freeze them in a Ziploc bag for easy breakfast all week long- you just need to pop them in the microwave. 
See?  All full of fiber and none the wiser-

White Chocolate Cranberry Orange Scones

 

Scones make me feel fancy.  Plus, they're delicious, and when you have scones in your house it's fun to offer them to guests because then they think you are fancy.  Scones are great for breakfast, brunch, a late night snack, and are wonderful for entertaining.  These particular scones are so moist and flavorful that you don't need any butter or jam.  Make sure you try one right out of the oven- a warm white chocolate cranberry orange scone will change your life.  Or, at the very least, it will change your breakfast.

 

• 3 1/2 C. all purpose flour
• 1/2 C. sugar
• 1 3/4 Tb. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 C. VERY cold butter, cubed
• 1 egg
• 3/4 C. milk
• 1/4 C. half and half
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 Tb. orange zest
• 1 C. white chocolate chips
• 1 C. sweetened dried cranberries, chopped

 

 

Preheat the oven to 400.


In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. 


Add the cold butter to the flour.  Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter. If you don't have a pastry cutter you have two options- go old school and use two knives, or go new school and freeze the butter, then grate it into the flour using a cheese grater.


In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, vanilla, and orange zest.


Add the milk mixture into the flour mixture and combine.  Make sure not to overwork the dough because you don't want the butter to get too warm.


Add the cranberries and white chocolate chips to the dough.  You might have to use your hands at this point, the dough is relatively thick.


On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 30-40 seconds.  Form the dough into a log 2 inches in diameter. 


Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces on a little bit of a diagonal.  Place the pieces on a lightly greased baking sheet. 


Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

 

 

Ham and Cheese Mini Quiches

 

Anything I can eat for breakfast that I can hold in one hand while getting the kids ready for the day in the other is a definite winner in my book.  These mini quiches fit the bill perfectly.  They are actually great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even appetizers for your next party.  I like mine with ham and cheese, but you can switch up the ingredients to suite your own unique taste.

 

•  2 premade pie crusts (or you can make your own)
• 5 large eggs
• 1/2 C half and half
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/3 cup shredded swiss
• 1 Tb chives, chopped
• 2 slices of deli ham, chopped (I use Polish ham, but any kind will work)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 425.


In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt, and pepper.  Make sure the yolks and whites are fully combined.


Add the remaining ingredients, stir.  Set aside.


Roll out your pie crusts onto a large floured surface.  Using a 2 inch circular cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles out of the dough.  If you don't have a cookie cutter, you can use a small ramekin or souffle dish and use a knife to cut around the dish. 


Fit the pie crust circles into the bottom of an ungreased muffin tin.


Spoon the egg mixture into each individual muffin tin.  Each pie crust should be filled almost to the top.


Bake for 18-20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.