Belgian Waffles with Quick Lemon-Berry Compote

My kids love waffles and truthfully, so do I! They like plain (which is nice sometimes / on the go) with some maple syrup, but I find that sometimes I want something a bit more "fancy." I would love blueberry waffles, but mostly the kids complain about their inclusion because I find that in waffle pans, the juice tends to burn on the waffle and make the end result less than yummy. The solution: a quick lemon-berry compote which goes on top of the waffles. The kids can have their plain and I can have my fancy too; win-win!

For this recipe, I pair my tried and true waffle batter with a quick stove-top berry compote finished with some lemon for zing. If you don't have arrowroot powder, I recommend you consider trying it out. I have replaced all my cornstarch with arrowroot and I'm in love with how quickly arrowroot seems to reach the consistency stage I am seeking vs. cornstarch. Of course, you can interchange the ingredient in this recipe (it just might make the compote take a bit longer).

Sustainability Nod: The waffles use almost exclusively pantry items and the berry-compote utilizes frozen berries. Frozen berries can come in bulk (limited packaging) and preserves the fresh season crop for use all year round so we are not shipping the "fresh" berries across continents (literally) if you feel like you want some out of season. Health benefits have been widely studied and most conclude that there is little to no loss in nutritional benefit from frozen vegetables or fruits. Finally, if you need any more convincing, check out my article about "Informed Choices: BPA" for consideration of swapping any canned goods in favor of frozen.

Ingredients:

• Waffles:

  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup almond flour

  • 2 tbsp baking powder

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1.75 cups oat milk (or almond milk) - if you really want fancy, use plant-based creamer!

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup

  • 1 tbsp vanilla paste

  • 6 tbsp avocado oil

• Quick Lemon-Berry Compote:

  • 1 cup frozen berries (any kind - I use Mixed)

  • 1 tbsp agave syrup

  • zest of 1 lemon and 1/2 lemon juiced

  • 1/4 tsp arrowroot powder

Directions:

1. Add all waffle dry ingredients (flour through salt) to a medium bowl and whisk till combined.

2. Add all waffle wet ingredients to 4 cup measuring cup and whisk till combined.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just moist (do not over mix); set aside.

4. Heat waffle maker per manufacturer's instructions and once ready, add waffle batter. Cook ~3-4 minutes on each side. Makes ~4 Belgian Waffles.

5. While the waffles are cooking, heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add all lemon-berry compote ingredients except the powder. Stir infrequently until the mixture starts to bubble (~4-5 minutes). Mash slightly with a fork and add arrowroot powder and cook for another 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat

Serve waffles with (or without) the compote.

Let me know if you tried this one out; I'd love to hear / see it!

With love & hope for a better future for all of us - Jamie