Banana Coconut Waffles

Christmas is a wonderful time because it's filled with family traditions, old and new. Every year since I can remember, my family has gone out to breakfast Christmas Eve morning and then to my Aunt Renee's house for a party in the evening, always with amazing food and cocktails. On Christmas morning we open presents at my house and then head to my Grammy's house in Amesbury, MA to once again gather with the whole family. We order Chinese take-out, have a yankee swap and always happily over indulge in an impressive table spread of desserts. These traditions have stuck for years, but some fade out as we all get older, such as when we were younger, we'd all sleep on the floor in my oldest sister's room on Christmas Eve and my parents would read us The Night Before Christmas. The excitement is no longer worth sacrificing the comfort of my bed (and our rooms aren't really "ours" anymore as three of us have flew the coop) and I don't believe my brother could fit in that box anymore.... or the Pikachu costume :)

One of the newer traditions we've developed is to cook a big breakfast Christmas morning for my grandparents who recently moved into an addition on our house and my Aunt Karen and Uncle Rick. My aunt and uncle's children have grown up and are married so they alternate the days they celebrate Christmas together, which allows them to come join us Christmas morning for breakfast!

Here's the Christmas morning crew enjoying their meal!

This tradition is fun for me because I get to take the reigns for breakfast preparation and decide what to make. This year, we catered to everyone's dietary restrictions with vegan/gluten free banana coconut Belgian waffles, traditional Belgian waffles, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, juice and coffee. I was so happy with the way the waffles came out and couldn't wait to share the recipe! My sisters definitely approved...

You know the recipe is a good one when you're taste testing crew is made up of ten people with different taste preferences and they all love it. These banana coconut waffles are crisp on the outside, and moist and tender in the middle. They don't have the same super light/fluffy texture of traditional Belgian waffles - they are more like a quickbread but they're absolutely fantastic. They smell amazing when you're cooking with the flavor combination of bananas, coconut and cinnamon. If you're not a huge fan of bananas, don't shy away from this recipe because the banana flavor is fairly mild. They are sooooooo good.

This recipe is sure to please anyone, whether or not they're vegan/gluten free, and it's a great treat for a special occasion! It's healthy too, without sacrificing any great taste. My aunt even said it was her favorite thing on the plate, even compared to the traditional Belgian waffles! This is a recipe I'm excited to save and use for holidays and cozy weekend mornings.


I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and has fun plans for the New Year!




Vegan & GF Banana Coconut Waffles

Ingredients:
1 banana, mashed
1 1/4 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk of your preference)
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
2 tbsp maple syrup or agave
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup oat flour (oats ground in food processor)
3/4 cup gluten free flour blend
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Directions:

• Mix together banana, milk, flaxseed, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla until well combined.
• In a separate bowl, mix together remaining ingredients except for the shredded coconut. 
• Whisk the banana mixture again to incorporate any banana that may have sunk to the bottom of the bowl and pour into the dry mixture. Stir just to combine then fold in the coconut. 
• Make sure your waffle irons are hot and ready - a Belgian waffle iron or a regular iron works fine. Spray it well to grease it. A lot of waffle irons come with a cup that measures the correct amount to add to the iron, but generally it's around 1/2-1 cup of batter - use you're judgement. 
• Cook the waffles until the waffle iron dings that it is complete or generally about 4-5 minutes.
• Serve with maple syrup!