Sprouted Buckwheat Coconut Waffles with Kabocha Coconut Sauce (gluten free, vegan, sugar free, candida friendly)

Waffle attempt numero dos!  I couldn't help myself, I needed to try making another waffle recipe.  Today is a buckwheat day, so it was time to pull out the old buckwheat groats and see what would happen.  I always end up combining buckwheat with coconut it seems, I really like the flavors together.  And this recipe is no exception!  I think these waffles are pretty great, and each one packs a major nutritional punch.  Buckwheat, amaranth, coconut, and flax seed all have lots of healthy fiber, as well being natural sources of healthy protein and amino acids.  In fact, amaranth is one of highest sources of both in the gluten-free "grain" world, and along with buckwheat, is a great low glycemic "grain" option. And let's not forget about all the healthy omegas from the flax seed.  Or all the benefits from the coconut.  In addition to being ever so tasty, coconut provides a ton of nutritive value.  Coconut oil and meat provide lots of healthy antioxidants, fatty acids, polyphenols, and vitamins, most notably lauric acid, capric acid, and caprylic acid, all of which have naturally antifungal, antimicrobial, and antibacterial properties.  What does that mean?  It helps to regulate healthy bacteria in the gut, for starters.  That's important for everyone, especially those of us with pesky Candida issues.  And coconut is a good source of protein, and is also low on the GI scale.  

Like my other waffle recipe, this recipe uses the whole amaranth and buckwheat grains, not their flours.  The soaking process helps to neutralize phytic acid, and starts the sprouting process, activating important enzymes, breaking down proteins, and making it more digestible overall.  Hooray!  So, make sure to leave time to let your grains soak before  making this recipe.

After pulling the first beautiful batch out of the waffle maker - and being really pleasantly surprised at how great the waffle looked - I decided I needed a sauce.  A coconut base seemed fitting, and I remembered the can of coconut milk in my pantry.  Then I remembered the Kabocha squash I had in the fridge that didn't get used in my soup last night.  Perfect!  Squash and pumpkin, particularly Kabocha, often get combined with coconut in southeast Asian cuisine, so I figured it was the perfect choice.  

I love kabocha squash.  I fancy myself a bit of a squash aficionado, and I think kabocha is really wonderful.  The flesh is dense and very sweet, the color bright and vibrant, and the skin totally is totally edible and very nutritious - once cooked it becomes very soft, unlike many other squash skins.  Kabocha is used a lot in Japanese and macrobiotic cooking, I love to use it to make soups, fun little squash-agar agar "jiggler" treats, or just to eat it plain.  Anyway, the sauce was super yummy and really beautiful, and ready in about 8 minutes, just in time to pull out my second batch of waffles from the waffle maker.  I ended up with a ton of sauce, so I'm freezing the leftovers in small batches to use for my leftover waffles.  Or just to eat plain when I want something sweet and pudding like -the natural sweetness of kabocha and coconut are really decadent, even without added sweetener!  It is so rich and flavorful, it begs the question "Is this really vegan?".  Make sure to find organic or all natural coconut milk, since many commercially produced varieties can be filled with all sorts of strange preservatives or additives.  I chose lite coconut milk, since full fat gives me trouble sometimes, but choose whichever you prefer.

3/5/09 UPDATE: I ate two leftover frozen waffles for breakfast today, and they were awesome!  I put them in the toaster oven to thaw, and toasted them for about 5-7 minutes until they were warmed through.  The inside was still soft, and the outside was crisp!  So, the waffles passed the frozen and thawed test with flying colors.  I also thawed my leftover squash sauce to use for dunking.  It was a pretty great way to start a Thursday.

SPROUTED BUCKWHEAT  COCONUT WAFFLES 

yield: approx 5 5-inch square waffles

3/4 c whole dry buckwheat groats

1/4 c whole dry amaranth grain

2 T shredded coconut

2 T coconut flour

2 T melted coconut oil

1 T ground flax seed

water to cover soaked grains + 1/2 c

1 tsp vanilla extract (alcohol and gluten free)

pinch cardamom

stevia (or agave nectar) to taste

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp corn-free baking powder

1/4 tsp vitamin c crystals (optional, helps with leavening)

1. Place buckwheat and amaranth to soak in water overnight or for at least 5-6 hours. 
2. Drain grains well in a very fine sieve - amaranth is very small and likes to escape.  If you don't have a fine sieve, just try dumping out as much of water as you can, or use something fine and meshy like cheesecloth.
3. Transfer to a blender, or if using an immersion blender, a large cup or bowl. 
4. Level grains, and add just enough fresh water to cover. Add the coconut, coconut flour, salt, cardamom, baking powder, vitamin c crystals (if using), melted coconut oil, flax, vanilla, agave and stevia, and 1/4 c of the additional water. Blend well.  Coconut flour absorbs liquid like crazy - so, if necessary, add the additional 1/4 c of water to make a thick, but still spoonable, batter.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes for flax to absorb some of the liquid.  If it seems to thick, don't hesitate to add a little extra water.
5. Heat up waffle iron, greasing lightly with coconut oil. When ready, fill waffle iron with batter. Close iron and bake as directed in waffle iron user's manual, until waffle stops steaming and starts to smell done. I found that about 8 minutes in my waffle iron yielded a well cooked waffle that had a beautiful golden color and seemingly impossible crispy crust.

Remove from iron and let cool a minute or two on a rack, the waffle will continue to crisp up.  

KABOCHA COCONUT SAUCE (vegan, gluten free, sugar free)

yeild: approx 2 c sauce 

1 c organic lite coconut milk

1 1/2 c Kabocha squash, peeled and diced (or other dense, sweet squash like Hubbard or Buttercup)

optional, if more sweetness is desired: pinch stevia  - or if sugar isn't an issue for you use agave or a little maple syrup (the maple would be really good!)

optional: fresh or dried ginger

optional: 1 T flaxseed oil

1. Steam Kabocha until soft, or microwave in a covered dish with a little water for 5 minutes until tender.
2. In a blender or with an immersion blender, mix coconut milk and cooked squash until smooth, adding more coconut milk as necessary to reach desired consistency.  
3. If desired, add a pinch or stevia or a squirt of agave to taste, some fresh or dried ginger for added kick, or a tablespoon of flax oil.
4. Serve warm over waffles!  Freeze leftovers to use later.  Or just eat it because it is that good.  :)

Comments

[Dylan]

the question is.. did they thaw will?

[Kim]

Why yes, they did thaw well! I thawed them and crisped them up in the toaster oven. Delicious!

[Lindsey]

These look fab! I don't think our local healthy grocer has amaranth any longer. Do you have a suggestion for a substitute?

[Kim]

hi Lindsey!
You could use any other whole grain in place of amaranth - whole grain quinoa, millet, and sorghum all work very well in this basic waffle formula as well. I even made waffles with soaked wild rice and millet! I have made a bunch of different waffles with different grains, check out those recipes on the blog too.

Good luck! I hope you like them :)

[Lindsey]

Kim - yes, these were FABULOUS! I did actually find the amaranth, so we made them as written and LOVED them! So tasty, and honestly, unbelievably health for a 'bread' product. This is a 'bread' I can eat with no guilt!

[Kim]

Hi Lindsey,
I'm so glad you liked them! I know, all the sprouted waffles are totally guilt-free, right? Any guilt-free bread product out there I am a big fan of, because at heart, I really really really love bread : )

Thanks for letting me know how they turned out, and I hope to see you around the blog again!
Kim

[Holly Rhoads]

This is a great site! These waffles look great. Im alergic to wheat so Im excited to check out more of your stuff :)
I added you to my blog roll. Thanks!

[Carlin]

Hi Kim,
love your site! I"m a naturopath, and I eat the way you do pretty much, and recommend mostly the same for my patients, so I recommend your site a lot and always get great feedback-thanks!

What kind of waffle maker do you have? I just bought the only one I could find here in Australia, and my waffles were really small with not much height- but I think it was due to the restrictions of the actual maker. They looked nothing like the beautiful big fluffy waffles in your picture.

Anyway they still taste yummy!

Must get a better waflle maker I think!

[Kim @ Affairs of Living]

CARLIN- Thank you for recommending my site, I am so flattered! I am so happy that you and your patients have found useful information here. :) Wow! As for the waffles, yes, I would definitely suggest getitng an iron. However, if you dont' have one, you can thin the batter slightly and make wonderful pancakes instead.

I have a waffle maker by the company Oster, I bought it at Target, a department store here in the US. I think you guys have Target in Australia too, but it is a copycat Target of the American company and not at all related! Funny, huh? Anyway, my waffle maker has removable waffle plates with a non-stick coating. I don't normally use non-stick, but I make an exception for the waffle iron. the non-stick coating and removable plates makes cleaning much easier. It makes two 5-inch waffles at a time, and works quite well. I think it was roughly $30 USD or so, but I don't think this model is made anymore. You can find many similar waffle irons online or at kitchen stores, for probably the same cost or ones that are more expensive. I have always wanted to try a cast iron waffle maker, perhaps some day!

[Donovan]

Can this recipe work well with pancakes? I tried making pancakes and had just a little trouble with them. Heat and mixture issues. Would you recommend waffles as better or easier to make?