You see, Meghan was sweet enough to gift me with a fancy little waffle maker for my birthday a few weeks back. Gifts like this are awesome because, while I've always wanted a waffle maker, I'd never buy one for myself (also see: George Foreman Grill (thanks Dan!) and hand-held mixer (thanks Mom!). I also recently learned that waffles can be made fresh, and then frozen to be reheated in the toaster oven one morning when you're not in the mood to mess with batter and dirty dishes.
So I rushed home yesterday after work to throw together the waffles for her, using the yummy Trader Joe's Multigrain Baking & Pancake Mix Meg and I had tried a couple weekends back. It's such an easy thing to throw together, that I wouldn't bother making them from scratch if I wasn't planning something special (see: pumpkin pancakes that I plan on making someday soon).
Lets start with the pancakes.
One cup of the mix is added to vegetable oil, water, and two egg whites. Do you know how to separate the whites from the yolks? It's incredibly easy and makes you look like you know your way around the kitchen, so learn it here: egg whites!!!
Mix it (but not too much or the waffles will end up tough).
Rinse the blueberries in the cute little strainer you got for a buck and gently fold them in.
I made the waffles a little too large. I'd say a couple spoonfuls is all each waffle really needs. I dunno, eyeball it.
Not ready yet.
Maaaybe I bit the side off one...I'll never tell.
Oh hell yes.
You can't tell but I used my heart-shaped cookie cutters on a waffle for this shot. You also can't tell that I threw all this into a tupperware and ate it for breakfast at work.
Onto the salad!
Meghan basically made a BLAT salad with some things added for good measure. The "bacon" she used was that of the tempeh variety, which even this carnivore is a fan of.
Beautiful green onions bought for a buck from the farmer's market that morning. Sliced and thrown in.
Slicing the avocado. 
Tossing with her hands, which she swore were clean. 
Meghan's "secret ingredient" (they're actually vegetarian!)
Meghan makes the dressing with equal parts vegan mayonnaise and soy milk, which sounds kinda gross, right? But it's actually very good when mixed with a handful of fresh dill and some dried dill for good measure. I'll probably end up making it with both regular mayo and plain old milk.
So basically you just saute bacon, be it regular or faux, along with a can of drained chickpeas. Add to that tomatoes, greens, avocado, bacon bits, and a quick homemade buttermilk-type dressing, and you've got a really yummy, filling salad. I'll be eating it for lunch all week!
What's your favorite thing to bring to a pot luck? Mine is deviled eggs and/or cupcakes.
8 comments:
waffles = yuuum.
I made lemon pecan waffles for my dad for father's day and they were a hit. Blueberry sounds equally delicious.
a few clarifications:
the tempeh bacon i use is lightlife's Fakin' Bacon: http://www.lightlife.com/product_detail.jsp?p=tempeh_smokystrips
for the dressing, in addition to fresh and dried dill, i use plenty of pepper, garlic powder, salt and spike.
and i also don't use the chickpeas straight out of the can. i think it goes a long way flavor-wise to sautee them with a bit of olive oil first.
oh, and g: the waffles are yum! still have 4 in my freezer. i better be invited over to try pumpkin pancakes. sounds awesome!
for pot lucks...caprese skewers! with either grape or cherry tomatoes, tiny mozerella balls (in the seasoned olive oil from tj's) and fresh basil, all placed on a toothpick. then i usually drizzle some of the remainning oil over the top when they are all lined up on the plate, finish with a dusting of s & p. they are cute, easy peasy and super delish!
For pot lucks I usually make Bami, which I'm an old hand at. My Nasi Goreng is better, but the uninitiated usually have no idea what to make of that, so I end up taking it all home for myself anyway. (Which isn't the worst plan, either.)
For some reason, though, people aren't as scared away by Bami. And it also has the benefit that no-one there really knows how it's supposed to taste, which gives me the leeway of a less-than-stellar batch. Which happens.
I love you Georgia, but whenever you do a food post I always feel like a gay man forced to suffer through straight porn.
Still, well done.
For potlucks, I usually bring white bread and velveeta slices Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, and a case of Steel Reserve... because I's classy, and loves me some health food.
For real though, Georgia... on the extremely off chance that any such Domestic Tuesday Swap occurs between you and me, I damn near require bacon (real bacon)to be a major part of the meal... and you can expect likewise in the meal I'd make for you. Unless you're *that* kind of Jewish.
Great idea for a salad--the BLT combo simply rocks. I made some BLT bites--cherry tomatoes stuffed with B, L (green onions) and few other things. It seems like a lot of vegetarians are good cooks. Makes sense, though, you all have to be inventive.
Hmmm, pot lucks...pasta salad and brownies.
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