Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles

I took a trip to my parents’ house this past weekend. While my mom claims I was more interested in seeing the color-changing leaves than her, I did seize the opportunity to make both her and my dad a big Sunday morning breakfast. I also took advantage of the pumpkin she miraculously had waiting for me in the cabinet. One of the best parts of coming home is of course raiding the kitchen cabinets.

Good morning.

I’ve been going pumpkin crazy these past few weeks, more so on the computer than in my kitchen, as I’ve been perusing through tons and tons of pumpkin photos and recipes that have been gracing the front pages of blogs/websites. By the end of the day, I’m often convinced I should be eating pumpkin for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That probably wouldn’t be all that bad of an idea considering it’s packed with fiber, vitamin A, and a significant amount of iron. Although, then the orange puree would be bound to lose its novelty.

These pumpkin waffles were just that, a novelty. It’s not too many times a year I can say I devoured a plate of pumpkin waffles for breakfast. I first stumbled upon this idea on Prevention RD and of course was immediately sold. Pumpkin and breakfast– currently two of my obsessions– certainly sounds good to me.

These are a tad dense due to the whole wheat. However, rather making a reach for white flour and wasting away a ton of nutrients, just crisp them up a minute or two longer than normal in the waffle iron. Serve with a dollop of butter, toasted walnuts, and a drizzle of maple syrup, all of which I must say are mandatory toppings for this autumn meal.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles (Slightly adapted from Prevention RD)

(Makes about 8 waffles)

-1 cup pumpkin puree
-4 egg whites
-1 cup soy milk
-1 Tbsp. lemon juice
-1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
-2 tsp. baking soda
-Pinch salt
-2 Tbsp + 2 tsp. light brown sugar
-2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
-1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
-1 tsp. ground ginger
-1/2 cup walnuts

Directions:

Mix lemon juice with soy milk, and let sit 10 minutes. (This creates a vegan, buttermilk-like liquid.)

Heat skillet over medium-high. Add walnuts. Toast, stirring occasionally, until outsides are brown, nearing black. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Stir the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger together in a small bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg white, pumpkin, and vegan buttermilk. Stir into the dry ingredients and stir just to combine.

Heat a waffle iron or skillet over medium high heat and spray with nonstick spray. Pour half the batter into the preheated iron or pan.

If making waffles, cook according to manufacturer’s suggestion. If making pancakes, cook until bubbles appear on the top, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook an additional minute or two. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with maple syrup. Yield: 4 servings (4 large waffles or 8 pancakes).