Strawberry Banana Blender Waffles

Have you been enjoying all the fresh local strawberries?! Here in Michigan the strawberry season marks the true beginning of summer and the days are long and hot and it's strawberries that help us ring in the the summer solstice. My family likes to pick and eat as many as we can while they are perfectly sweet and fresh from the plant. Don't you think they are just sweeter we you eat them right from the plant?!? Maybe it's just the whole fun sensory experience, but I think they just taste best too!

If you haven't made it to the farmer's market or u-pick field yet- I think there is still time to look for some... at least I think that is how it is here in Michigan, maybe another good week or so of picking... so get out there and hunt some down. 

And then you can think about making these waffles, pie, jam, and put some away in the freezer for smoothies and crisps this winter... they are so many ways to enjoy frozen berries that you won't regret putting some away!

But while you got fresh strawberries these waffles make it feel like you are running a fancy pants diner with a gorgeous breakfast and a decent cup of coffee and good conversation. I hope you give this recipe a try. If you got a blender and a waffle iron- then you got it! Happy summer, friends!

Strawberry Banana Blender Waffle Recipe
{gluten, dairy, egg, soy, seed, nut and refined sugar-free}

In a large high powered blender add the following....
2 ripe bananas
2 cups of fresh or defrosted frozen strawberries
1/2 cup of date puree paste
1 lemon squeezed and zested
1 cup of plant milk (coconut, rice or others....)
2 TB of maple syrup
2 TB of avocado or olive oil
2 TB of apple cider vinegar

2 cups of certified GF rolled oats (or a mix raw dry quinoa and oats here)
1 cup of rice flour (or sub sorghum, quinoa, or millet)
1/3 cup of tapioca flour
1/3 cup of potato starch
1 TB of baking powder (corn-free version)
1 ts. of baking soda
1 ts. of sea salt

Put all of the ingredients above in a blender and blend.... until it is smooth and bubbling. If your mixture seems a little too watery you may need to add 1/4 cup of flour to the mix depending on how watering your berries were... but add the oat or rice flour to thicken up if needed... It is so great because all the mess is in your container- that you can even pour right to the waffle iron or skillet! SCORE!

Then I use my waffle iron according to it's instructions and then even cook for a bit longer than that to get the crispiness we desire. Because this recipe is vegan and has no eggs it can tend to be a bit soft (or soggy) if you do not cook long enough. So its about a 3-4 minute cook time on my iron- but that might be different on yours.  This recipe makes about 6 waffles or 12 pancakes. When I make them, we usually eat half and have the rest in the fridge ready to toast up for the rest of the week- so a great leftover!!! Make a big batch and stick them in the freezer ready to go! 

You can also make pancakes with this recipe. Pour from the blender onto a skillet and make small or large pancakes if you desire. I usually cook with some coconut oil on the skillet to get a crispier finish to pancakes.  Cook 3-5 minutes on a skillet to each side. 

Top the finished product with more fresh bananas, berries, organic powdered sugar or pur maple syrup. It feels like you reached fancy breakfast heaven, especially if you haven't had such since going GF. These little babies have a way of bringing more hope (and healing) to the GF/vegan journey if you ask me. You all of a sudden believe in making your food options feel that much bigger and better and more open! Your willing to leave the losses and bitterness behind and keep going forward.

I hope that for you my friends. Much love and light as always, xoxo