SWEET + SAVORY CORNMEAL WAFFLES

I'm reading Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist very slowly. Slowly because I honestly don't read for pleasure that often, and I like to savor the self-help/spiritual sort of books instead of plow through them. I know it's not new, but a friend lent it to me and I can't really think of a better time to read it than the beginning of summer. I'm just shy of halfway through and while I am not exactly Shauna as she describes herself (busy, extroverted, over booked), a lot of what she writes feel familiar to what goes on in my own head. I get overwhelmed easily, so I'm learning how to respect my own pace. I'm trying to ask my mom for help and book baby sitters a week in advance so I can work, I need at least a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood for my sanity but more time to exercise is ideal. I know that one play date in a day is usually enough for my introverted self, that I don't like taking both kids to a grocery store, and NO ONE accompanies me to a mall. I am quieter in groups and feel most connected relationally in a more vulnerable, one on one conversation. I have learned most of these things by not having them and missing them. It sounds high maintenance written out, but I'd like to think of it as figuring out who I am and what I need and just owning it. She describes it as learning when to say "no." She has these few paragraphs that made all those feelings feel permissible: 

"What's changing everything for me is a new understanding that we get to decide how we want to live. We get to shape our days and our weeks, and if we don't, they'll get shaped by the wide catch-all of "normal" and "typical," and who wants that?
"You can live on a farm or out of a backpack. You can work from your kitchen or in a high-rise. You can worship in your living room or a cathedral. Isn't that beautiful? And exciting? And so full of freedom? ...You get to make your life. In fact, you have to. And not only can you make it, you can remake it."

And then a few chapters later she says, "and I know that should is one of my warning signs - that frequently I pay more attention to how I should feel about something than how I actually do feel about it." That all seems related and familiar to me. Anyway. Perhaps I'll have more nuggets for you when I get to finishing it, but I like sharing things I need reminding of myself in the meantime.  

I book marked these waffles from Nicole's new book that focuses on poetry inspired by food and cooking and eating and all things involved with that. She shares poems, her notes and a collection of recipes that are tied to the writing for her. This house is an easy sell on waffles of all kinds. The kids prefer sweet and I insist that an egg in the morning helps me stay full so I made a savory version for myself and Hugh. You don't have to complicate anything, they are perfectly fine with butter and maple or plain yogurt. To wake up to them halfway done, I'll make the strawberry sauce the night before and then mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl so all I have to do in the morning is mix in the wet ingredients. Spoken from someone who gets the request for waffles often.

SWEET + SAVORY CORNMEAL WAFFLES // Serves 4
Waffle recipe adapted from Eat this Poem by Nicole Gulotta

You could keep these gluten free by using a gluten free all purpose flour. To make them dairy free, you could replace the buttermilk with a dairy free version - generally 1 cup plant based milk with 1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice. The waffles' texture is sort of dry, as cornmeal sucks up moisture, making them perfect for a generous amount of toppings. To get ahead, make the waffles and keep them warm in a 250' oven while you cook the rest. The strawberry sauce can be made in advance and rewarmed in a small pot. 

3/4 cup cornmeal, medium or fine ground
3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. melted butter or neutral oil, plus more for the waffle iron

*If you are making the strawberry sauce, start there, as that is hands off once you get them in the oven.

Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. In a glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, maple, eggs and butter or oil together. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined. Let the mixture hydrate for 5 minutes or so while your waffle iron heats up. 
Once hot, grease your waffle iron with butter or coconut oil. Pour about 1/3 cup batter into the center and cook according to the waffle irons instructions. 
Top your waffle with strawberry sauce, or dress it up savory with arugula, vinaigrette, a fried egg and a generous sprinkle of feta cheese. 

/roasted strawberry sauce/

2 cups halved strawberries
1 tsp. olive oil or other oil
2 tbsp. maple syrup
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350'. On a parchment lined baking sheet, toss the strawberries with the oil, maple and salt and spread in an even layer. Roast for 20 minutes until the strawberries breakdown. Remove to cool slightly. Transfer the strawberries and all their juices to a bowl for serving. 

/ savory waffle /

arugula
jalapeno vinaigrette
fried egg
feta cheese

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ALMOND MEAL QUICHE WITH SWEET POTATOES, MUSHROOMS + GREENS

There is a recipe for a vegan mushroom tartlet in our first book that I can’t say I make often. How’s that for salesmanship? We used a tofu base for the filling and have this amazing almond meal crust that makes the meal friendly for people with dietary restrictions. I always dream about that crust, tender almond meal with just enough rosemary, so I turned it into a larger quiche-type recipe that fits a little more fluidly into our everyday. Because my kids wake up way too early, they are moody in the morning and seemingly hungry instantly, having things ready saves me from the whining and frustration that I can’t make food appear immediately. Hard boiled eggs, cut fruit, healthy muffins or grainy pancakes that I’ve made in advance help me throw things on their plates quickly so I can enjoy my coffee while it’s still warm. It also makes the moments when I spend time on something with a few more steps, that much more special. Sure, this recipe has a few steps and a couple dirty pans, but once it’s made, it’s truly an all day meal option that feels special. You could really go all sorts of ways with the vegetables in the filling - maybe some asparagus or slow roasted tomatoes with a saltier cheese. 

Here, I am making the crust in the pan, cooling it completely, then moving forward with the filling from there. You’ll want to use a cast-iron or other oven-proof pan (pictured is a greenpan non-stick which is also oven-proof). A traditional pie pan will be great too!

Almond Meal Quiche with Sweet Potatoes, Mushrooms + Greens
Serves 6 / One 12” skillet

For the crust

2 cups almond meal
4 Tbsp. coconut oil or butter
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves
salt and pepper

For the filling
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 small shallot
5 ounces baby spinach
1 cup leftover roasted sweet potatoes
5 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream or plain, non-dairy creamer
dash of cayenne
1/2 tsp. each sea salt and pepper
4 oz soft goats cheese
fresh parsley, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350’.

In a bowl or food processor, combine the almond meal, coconut oil and rosemary, salt and pepper and pulse to combine. The mixture should looks damp. Press it down in an even layer on the bottom of the skillet and up the sides as well as you can. Damp hands helps. Bake for 15 minutes or until it smells a little toasty. Remove to cool completely.

In another skillet, warm the oil. Saute the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper until they begin to brown. Add the shallot, and saute another minute. Add the spinach, turn off the heat and the residual heat will wilt it down. Stir in your roasted sweet potatoes.

Whisk the eggs, cream, cayenne and salt and pepper together very well. get some air up in there. Tip the vegetables into the prepared crust, then the egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle the goat cheese all over the top. Bake 20 minutes until the center is set. Remove to cool for it to set further. Garnish with fresh parsley.

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CURRIED CAULIFLOWER RICE + CHICKPEA SAUTE

Weeknight dinners. Humpf. Actually most dinners lately. It's tough to not be making two different meals with toddlers whose utensil skills are questionable. Sometimes we all eat the same thing but often times it’s a different version of the same thing. Maybe taco salad for Hugh and I but those goods wrapped in a tortilla for the kids. Cleo just absolutely destroys anything in her path so it doesn’t really matter what form I give it to her. Half will be on the floor (some by default and some intentionally thrown), most certainly clumps in her hair and hopefully enough food in her belly to satisfy. I see how many of you respond to the feeding babies posts and I want to be better about giving you weeknight dinner ideas. I’m bad at it too, hence why there aren’t many here. But as a friend told me as we were talking shop recently, (paraphrased) “there are so so many food blogs and cookbooks now, you need to help people solve a problem.” So I thought of my problem, ironic as it may seem given what I do for work, and what seems may be your occasional problem as well. What are we making for dinner that is wholesome and quick-ish? I’m not of the camp that sells “quick cooking”. I think the recipes I write are pretty simple, but I don’t over sell them as such because I think the process is part of eating well. You don’t get great or even good food without putting in some effort, sorry. People who are selling you otherwise are fooling you. We have to eat. Whole foods keep us feeling well. Yes, everyone is short on time for one reason or another but real food sustains us. It is wellness and community and conversation and necessity - those things don’t always come fast. Maybe they aren’t a homemade croissant whose process spans over two days or a beautiful “buddha bowl” with 8 different recipes within a recipe, those things feed creativity and help us enjoy the art of cooking but they are not peoples everyday regardless of what Instagram leads you to believe. So let's shoot to get dinner on the table - something fresh and at least one vegetable. It is a responsibility and it is not always beautiful but we’re doing the work and that matters. 

This one pan meal is a great weeknight dinner. I love that it makes enough for leftovers too and for the kids, I wrap it up in a soft tortilla because apparently that’s my answer for anything they may push back on. “It’s a burrito, you guys!” You could even replace the chickpeas with shredded rotisserie chicken and it’d be whole30 and paleo and all that. Warm, well spiced, just creamy enough, under 30 minutes and wholesome - I really like it. 

So, Greenpan is celebrating their 10-year anniversary and brought on a few bloggers to share recipes using their cookware. I’ll be sharing another great meal recipe with their products next week as well (we’re doing it!). Traditional non-stick pans are coated with PTFE and PFOA which release toxic compounds once overheated. They are also easily scratched which makes matters even worse with releasing the bad stuff. If yours are scratched, replace them! The ceramic that coats Greenpans is made from natural materials and is naturally nonstick so you can get away with using less oil and butter without food sticking. I use a combination of stainless, cast-iron, and certain foods in non-stick pans. You don’t get as much of a sear or color on foods in the later, but you also don’t have to use as much fat to cook with. This pan has been my morning workhorse for eggs and pancakes. Plus you certainly can’t beat the clean up. 

Thank you for supporting me and this site in doing sponsored work so we can continue doing the work we love here. 

Curried Cauliflower Rice + Chickpea Saute

Serves 4

Recipe adapted from A Sweet Spoonful

Most curry blends already have cumin and coriander in them but they vary widely on heat factor. If yours is not super spicy, you can just use more, but exclusively curry powder. If yours is on the warmer side, I’d follow the spice yields below. As a general rule, sweetness cools down too much spiciness as will the yogurt topping, but most store-bought curry powders are pretty mild.

2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger, depending on taste
2-3 tsp. curry powder, depending on heat
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
3 cups riced cauliflower*
2 cups cooked chickpeas (one 14-oz. can, drained, will do)
1 cup vegetable stock
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 cups greens, such as spinach, chard, baby kale etc.
1 cup coconut milk, more as needed

whole plain yogurt, for serving
green onions and cilantro, for serving
toasted cashews, for serving

* Cauliflower rice comes “pre-riced” at most stores now (Traders, Sprouts, Costco. I’m aware different stores stock different things). If yours does not, simply take one small head of cauliflower, break it into florets and pulse in your food processor until it is rice like in size. Do not over pulse and make a puree.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, warm the coconut oil. Add the onion and a few pinches of salt and saute until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and saute another minute. Add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, another pinch of salt and stir. Add the riced cauliflower, chickpeas, stock, raisins and stir until the cauliflower is softened. About 5 minutes.

Fold in the greens and let them wilt slightly and then stir in the coconut milk. I like a stew-ish consistency with this, you can use less if you want it drier, or the entire can of coconut milk if you want more broth. 

Serve the bowls with a dollop of plain yogurt, green onions, cilantro and toasted cashews. 

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