Healthful waffles from scratch

Yesterday, I talked about adding a bit more nutrition to a packaged pancake/waffle mix. Today, here's a recipe I developed for waffles that feature whole grains, a small amount of salt and just  a little sugar. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family has.

Lori K's healthful waffles
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned or quick oats (not instant oatmeal)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions
Mix dry ingredients together in a 4-cup measuring cup. In another cup, mix milk, egg yolks, oil and vanilla well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients slowly, mixing vigorously. Whip egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter. Bake in waffle iron until crisp. Dry extras in a 170-degree oven while you eat the last batch and freeze.

Options: Add 1/2 cup chopped raisins, Craisins, hazelnuts or pecans.

The video below shows a technique for folding in the egg whites. The recipe he's using is for fluffy Belgium waffles, but my recipe works fine for a traditional waffle iron.

Nothing like Nutella

Nutella, that lovely Italian spread of nuts and cocoa, raises even graham crackers to the level of treat. I really wanted some on a waffle this morning, but alas, there was no jar of Nutella in my pantry. But I did have a dark chocolate bar and some blanched hazelnuts, and I was quite pleased with the result. It was chunkier than Nutella, which has the consistency of chocolate frosting out of a can. I suppose if I wasn't in such a hurry, more processing would have made it smoother.

Choconutty spread

1 large dark chocolate bar, 4.2 ounces

1 cup whole raw hazelnuts

2 tablespoons canola oil

Break up the chocolate bar into the food processor and add the hazelnuts. Process until the mixture starts forming into a ball. Add canola oil slowly until the ball relaxes back into a smooth mixture. Makes about 1 cup of spread.

Ooolala - coffee with an extra kick

Using up the remainder of my Peets espresso grind Italian roast, it seemed a little strong. I thought back to my favorite afternoon drink in Provence, the cafe noisette, a small cup of espresso with a dollop of rich cream. Not having any cream on hand, just my ordinary 1 percent milk, I foamed it up and, playing off the literal meaning of noisette, added a shot of Torani hazelnut syrup. Umm, that hit the spot. Noisette, although it means hazelnut in French, refers to the color of the drink rather than the flavor. But I love the flavor of hazelnuts as well.