Since my husband has given up being a vegetarian, I have found it nearly impossible to be as true to my special diet as I'd like to be. I've gone back and forth with vegetarian myself and have the occasional bites of meat. (Don't hate me, I'm only human!) However, I am vigilant in my efforts to make sure that at the very least, my weekly work lunches stay vegan. This has been tricky, considering I went from cooking and doing my weekly prep for two, down to one. Cooking for one is not as easy as it sounds, but is absolutely doable.
These crispy waffles make for a great weekly breakfast-for-lunch prep, alongside this smoky crispy bacon. I hope you do something this Sunday!
Waffle Ingredients
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 pinch pumpkin spice (pumpkin pie spice)
2 cups almond milk
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
5 tbsp. melted vegan butter
2 vegan eggs
2 tsp. natural organic sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Rice Paper Bacon Ingredients
Rice paper sheets
1 cup water
Cooking spray of your choice
For Bacon Marinade:
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp liquid smoke (hickory)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. tahini
1/4 cup water
Pinch of black smokehouse pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Directions for Waffles:
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all the try ingredients: flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice. Whisk together until mixed well.
In a glass measuring cup, add the apple cider vinegar and almond milk. Whisk together until frothy and let sit for 5 minutes (this makes a vegan buttermilk replacement). Mix together 2 tbsp. of vegan egg powder with 4 tbsp. of warm water. Set aside.
In another medium sized bowl, add the vanilla extract, melted butter, vegan eggs, and almond milk mixture. Whisk together well.
A little bit at a time, add the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Whisk together until well mixed. Cover bowl with saran wrap and place in fridge for 20 minutes.
While waffles mix is prepping, prep the bacon.
Directions for the bacon:
Preheat over to 350 degrees F.
Take pastry brush and moisten one piece of rice paper. Take a 2nd piece of rice paper and place on the first. Coat with another layer of water. Take a 3rd piece of rice paper and place on the already moistened side. Make sure all pieces are bonded together.
Take a sharp knife and cut the rice paper into bacon-sized strips.
In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the bacon marinade.
Take the marinade and "paint" both sides of the rice paper slices.
Spray a foil-lined cookie sheet with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway. Lightly baste the bacon with the marinade when flipping through the bake. Repeat the process until you have achieved the desired texture. Do not under OR over bake. Bake longer for more of burnt, crispier texture. I accidentally over baked mine more than I like, but it made for a very crispy bacon!
Set the bacon aside and go back to the waffle mixture.
Waffle Cooking Instructions:
Spray down a waffle iron with non-stick spray. Heat the waffle iron on high. Add the mixture to the waffle iron and cook until golden brown (about 10 minutes). Waffle mixture makes 3 large waffles.
I hope you did something fun this Sunday!