Veggie Waffles
Root vegetables have a longer shelf life and can last longer in the crisper drawer. After a while they loose their richness of flavor, but they still carry nutritional value. One way I like to use up extra root vegetables on-hand is to make veggie waffles.
What vegetables to use for the veggie waffles?
I like to use carrots, parsnip, turnips, rutabaga, yams, potatoes. I add shredded onions for flavor and any bean or lentil sprouts. All these vegetables combined contribute to a waffle-like texture and bring out each other’s flavors. In other word, these are elevated potatoes latkes loaded with other vegetables.
Wash and peel all the vegetable and shred them. Boil some water in a medium pot. Add some salt and add the shredded vegetables. Give them a good stir and let them boil for one minute. Drain them in a colander. The parboiling will jump start the cooking process, and prevent the vegetables from oxidizing, especially the potatoes. (Shredded potatoes will oxidize them really quickly, turning them almost black.)
The resulting vegetable blend is ready to be used as a waffle mix or it can be frozen for later use as a hash.
I also add an egg and flour to the mix as well as spices: such as paprika, pepper, coriander.
What to serve it with?
The veggie waffles are good as is, but I like to serve them with sour cream, boiled or poached eggs, butter, or even maple syrup.
These were the waffles I made for an Easter Sunday breakfast, topped with soft boiled eggs, chopped chives, tarragon, and radish sprouts.
Veggie Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 carrot peeled and shredded
- 1 parsnip or turnip or rutabaga (peeled & shredded)
- 1 yam peeled and shredded
- 2 potatoes peeled and shredded
- 1 onion shredded
- ½ cup bean or lentil sprouts optional
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 eggs beaten
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Shred all the veggies. Blanch everything except onions and sprouts in boiling water for only a minute and let them drain in a colander to remove excess water.
- Mix them and season with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Stir in the beaten egg and mix to evenly distribute the mixture.
- Add the baking powder to flour and mix until combined.
- Heat the waffle iron on medium heat and brush it with melted butter or oil.
- Place the veggie mixture onto the waffle iron (1/2-1 cup) and press it. Cook for 3-5 minutes and flip the iron.
- Cook for another ~4 minutes until the top is crispy and the center is cooked.
- Repeat the same process for the rest of the mixture.
