My littlest wanted waffles (again!) and he is firmly ensconced in the picky eater (or no eater) phase of childhood. Um, as I'm learning, of which there are many. That said, the love of waffles does not seem to be waning and he decided, at least for this week, that he adores bananas. So, we need protein for sure, and I need to use the rest of my caramel plant-based creamer. Great, bananas foster (because how adorable when he tries to say it...) protein waffles today little dude. Fantastic!
No caramelization needed for these waffles, they get their flavor from the vanilla protein powder, vanilla yogurt, and the plant-based creamer. Combine that with the fresh bananas and it truly tastes like bananas foster without the fuss. It's also a great option for families (like me) where anything that tastes like dessert (but isn't quite as terrible for you) is touted as delicious and will absolutely be consumed by even the fussiest of eaters. Whip these up on a week day even for a power filled morning. Leftovers are great for the weekday mornings - just pop them in your toaster and they come out hot and toasty again!
Sustainability Spotlight: I've talked about how bananas have evolved to be more sustainable, but I haven't really said what those changes entail specifically. According to the Rainforest Alliance, certified sustainable banana farms are a stark contrast to conventional banana farms. In sustainable banana farms, the views are "...wide leaves of banana plant stretch(ing) for miles into the distance, waiving gently in the humid breeze. Purple banana flowers and bunches of green bananas hang down from the plants." The ground is covered with green for miles including the spaces between the banana rows.
In conventional banana farming, the ground is often bare soil from the overuse and over-spray of herbicides. The green groundcover is significant in a sustainable farm since the runoff of any chemicals (which is also decreased in a sustainable banana farm) is inhibited by the plants which prevent soil erosion and help hold moisture in the ground in droughts. This aids in assisting with the overall impacts of water use (or overuse) in the banana farms as well.
Limiting herbicide use cares for the soil itself which provides necessary nutrients to the banana plants increasing the production of the plants for quality and quantity of bananas, and also the longevity (how long the plant can produce) which decreases overall operational costs to the farmer. It also aids in the farmer retaining healthy and viable plants longer which producers larger plants, thereby sequestering more carbon dioxide and aiding in higher amounts of oxygen production.
Choosing Rainforest Alliance Certified bananas at the store not only promote your dedication to selection of environmentally preferable products at the store, but it also benefits the farmers that have chosen to be certified and place a higher "value" on sustainability. Your purchase of these bananas supports the farmers in the alliance and aids in promoting that other farmers which become Rainforest Alliance Certified will have more opportunity for success in your selection of their products at the market.
Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients:
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cups almond flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 scoop vanilla plant-based protein powder (I use Garden of Life Plant-Based Sport)
Wet Ingredients:
2 cups caramel plant-based creamer (I used Starbucks Caramel Macchiato Almond-Oat)
1/4 cup plain (or vanilla) plant-based yogurt (I used Forager Cashewmilk Plain)
1/4 cup avocado oil
1 orange (juiced)
Fresh banana slices
Directions:
Pre-heat Belgian waffle maker
Mix all Dry Ingredients in a medium bowl with a whisk till incorporated
Mix all Wet Ingredients in a large measuring cup (or small bowl) and whisk till incorporated
Add Wet Ingredients to Dry Ingredients and mix with a spoon just until incorporated and moist (do not overmix)
Cook waffles according to manufacturer's directions on the waffle maker (mine is 3 minutes one side; 4 minutes on the other) until the waffles are fluffed and golden.
Remove waffles (batter makes ~4 large Belgian waffles) from the maker and set on a plate angled so that they crisp vs. steam.
Serve waffles topped with fresh banana slices
With love & hope for a better future for all of us - Jamie