Meatless Monday: Breakfast-for-Dinner Waffles

By: Lauren Miyashiro

Meatless Monday is a global movement, a way of life. It’s not a campaign to turn everyone in the world vegetarian or vegan; in fact, many involved are meat-lovers. Eating less meat has been proven to reduce the risk of disease, curb obesity and has important environmental impacts, too. Will you join us in giving up meat, just for one day a week?

It seems a shame to limit waffles and pancakes to before noon. Weekday mornings are busy and rushed, so syrup-laden short-stacks are usually reserved for the weekend only. I’ve accepted that cereal is as good as it’s going to get in terms of breakfast before work, but I refuse to wait until Saturday to fulfill my waffle craving. Luckily, there’s an easy solution: breakfast for dinner.

For all you fellow breakfast enthusiasts, try these corn waffles with blueberry syrup for tonight’s Meatless Monday dinner. Besides being super tasty, there’s something more fun about eating meals out of order. But don’t feel too guilty about sneaking in theses sweet bites. This crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside waffle uses fresh seasonal ingredients and has a good amount of protein and fiber to keep you satisfied.

If there are leftovers (it's doubtful), freeze them! You can reheat the waffles in the oven, but I like to pop them in the toaster for an awesome breakfast on the go.

BLUEBERRY SYRUP:
3 cups blueberries
1/3 cup blueberry honey or maple syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Juice of 1 lemon
WAFFLES:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup finely ground white cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1 large ear corn, shucked
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, separated and at room temperature

For the blueberry syrup: Combine the blueberries, honey, butter and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the berries begin to burst and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

For the waffles: Preheat a waffle iron. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat, swirling the pan until lightly brown and nutty, about 4 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk the cornmeal, flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and allspice in a large bowl.

Shear the corn kernels from the cobs with a knife, working over a large bowl or tube pan to catch the kernels. Run a knife along the cobs to press out the milky juices. Discard the cobs or save for making a broth. Blend the corn, buttermilk, melted butter and egg yolks in a mini-food processor.

Lightly stir the buttermilk-and-corn mixture into the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, whip the egg whites until they hold loose soft peaks. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the whites and beat until they hold a soft peak. Use a rubber spatula to fold about a quarter of the whites into the batter to lighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites.

Cook the waffles according to waffle iron directions. Warm blueberry syrup in the saucepan over low heat if necessary. Serve with warm blueberry syrup.

More Meatless Breakfast-for-Dinner Ideas:

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