Vanilla Coconut Almond Waffles

Sometimes you just need to have breakfast for dinner, and sometimes nothing else will do but waffles.  Yesterday was such a day for me.  I was craving some Belgian waffles hard core after my Mom was talking about them and saying I hadn't made any in a while...which was true.  I used to make them on Sundays for brunch every so often and have a few people over to enjoy them, but I believe it has been over a year since I have done that.  This time though, I was going to make them for dinner, and I wanted them to be substantial, so I decided to create a new vegan recipe with added protein.  Of course I wanted them to be every bit as delicious as the butter filled rich version I used to make, but not be able to tell.  I decided that coconut and almonds would be the perfect addition to my waffles to give them a wonderful fragrance and aroma instead of the usual vanilla.  I wasn't sure how they would turn out, because I added soy protein powder to them, but I didn't even notice it in the finished product!  My kitchen smelled like wonderful brunch as they were cooking, and my mouth was watering in anticipation of the delicious waffles I was about to dive into!  They were crunchy on the outside, fluffy in the middle, as Belgian waffles should be, with the added toasty flavors of coconut and almonds...perfection with some persimmons and maple syrup!  If you feel that you need to make breakfast for dinner, you should!  Try this recipe out if you like!

Vegan Vanilla Coconut Almond Waffles

Makes 4 Belgian waffles

Waffles:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup organic soy protein powder
1/2 cup toasted finely shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped toasted sliced almonds
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup organic full fat coconut milk
3/4 cup organic soy milk
3 Tbsp agave nectar
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp pure almond extract
3 Tbsp Earth Balance butter, melted

To serve:

1/2 cup toasted large flake coconut
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

2 persimmons, sliced (or fruit of choice)

1/4 cup crasins

maple syrup

Heat oven to 250 degrees, and place a baking sheet in there (to keep waffles warm and crisp while you cook the others).  Preheat waffle iron while you mix together ingredients.  Whisk together whole wheat pastry flour, protein powder, coconut, almonds, baking powder, sea salt in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together coconut milk, agave nectar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and earth balance, then whisk into dry ingredients until well blended.   Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the waffle maker and cook according to maker's instructions, then when cooked, remove to oven to stay warm while you make the remaining waffles.  To serve, scatter coconut, almonds, and fruit over waffles, and drizzle a bit of maple syrup over as well...enjoy!