I have always been a sweets person, so pancakes, french toast, muffins and waffles have always ranked high on my breakfast wish list. I also love healthy, whole grain foods.

These waffles are my version of the classic plain buttermilk waffle we love for its simplicity, but veganized and enriched with the nutritional powerhouse, chia . They are not as dense and heavy as traditional waffles are. These are light and crispy with a satisfying chew. Serve them with fruit and coconut whipped cream, simply with syrup or just grab one and it eat plain like my husband does!

Vegan Buttermilk Waffles

Yield: 8-6in diameter round waffles

Ingredients:

2 cups soymilk (or any non-dairy milk)

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour

4 Tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground chia

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

½ cup seltzer

Procedure:

Preheat waffle iron.

Measure soymilk and add vinegar. Mix and set aside to curdle.

Sift the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and ground chia. Whisk to blend well.

In a separate bowl, mix oil, vanilla, and soymilk mixture. Whisk to blend, then add seltzer and stir once or twice, just to incorporate.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix unti the large lumps are gone, but do not overmix. There will be a few small lumps left.

Lightly oil waffle iron, and using a ½ cup measuring cup, pour batter into center of iron and lightly spread in a circular motion towards the outside edge.

Cook according to waffle iron directions.

Note: After cooking, place waffles on a cooling rack. If you put them on a plate, they will get soggy from the steam. If you need to recrisp them, simply heat the oven to 400 and put them straight on the oven racks for 2-3 minutes.

Read more about chia seeds!