Healthy Pumpkin Waffles

Happy October! Unfortunately, we don’t see much of a seasonal change out here in Hawaii but I gotta admit that I absolutely live for fall ( and especially winter ) in the islands. Temps start to drop a bit, white ginger is in full bloom and the surf starts to pick up big time. It’s magical.

As much as I love fall decor, it always seems a bit out of place in our lit’ tropical bungalow. So instead of spending money on ceramic pumpkins and fall-themed wreaths, I invest in my fall pantry. Squash, pears, apples, persimmons, pomegranates, dates, and sweet potatoes turn into my go-to ingredients. I tend to bake more, roast more, and overall eat more “cooked foods” during this time of the year as well. Because honestly, who wants to heat up the oven during a hot Hawaiian summer? Um, not me.

So here’s my first simple recipe of the season: Super healthy pumpkin waffles! I used oat flour here. You can buy oat flour in the grocery store but honestly, you can just make it yourself. I actually make a huge batch of it ahead of time and store it in my pantry. Just add quick oats to a highspeed blender and blend until you get a fine powder. So easy.

I purchased this cute little waffle maker at Target for like $10! However, if you are making several waffles at a time, I would purchase something larger. The waffles take about 5-6 minutes to bake so you don’t want them getting cold if you are making a larger batch.

Healthy Pumpkin Waffles - makes 3 mini waffles, feel free to double or triple recipe. Use 1/4 cup of batter per waffle.

• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tb oat flour

• 1/2 cup nut milk ( I used almond )

• 1/4 cup 100% pumpkin puree

• 1 Tb coconut sugar

• 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

*Add all ingredients to a highspeed blender and then blend until well combined. To make a mini waffle, use 1/4 cup of the batter and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. A cooking spray might be needed. I used avocado oil. Cooking time is approximately 5-6 mins.

Japanese Sweet Potato Potstickers

How’s everyone doing?

Surreal times right?

Sorry I’ve been a bit M.I.A. I started working 5 days a week vs. a mixture of nights and days so photographing food in proper daylight has been a challenge.

I have some extra time now though…

So, I could go on and on about the impact of the Covid-19 virus here on Maui. Sadly, most of the island is out of work, or at least, we’ve been put on hold. To be perfectly honest though, I need a break from all the doom and gloom right now. I’m sure we all do right? So I’m not going to get into the icky stuff here.

So since I haven’t left my immediate neighborhood for the last 14 days, I’ve had plenty of time to go through my pantry, fridge, and freezer ( like so many people have I’m sure ) and take a solid inventory of what I have on hand. Going forward, I plan on doing my absolute best to grocery shop just once a week. Maui goes into full lockdown mode tomorrow, March 25th. This means only essential errands or solo activities are allowed outside the home. Lucky for us, this still includes surfing ( yay! ). My husband has actually been the one braving the grocery stores for the last 2 weeks and I’ve been doing the cooking ( per usual ). I honestly have not been around another human since March 13th and I gotta say, it’s been eye-opening.

Anyway, so these delicious Japanese Sweet Potato Potstickers… You don’t need many ingredients and they are so fun to eat. Plus, it’s sort of meditating when it comes to the actual folding part and since some of us have a lot of time on our hands now, why not?

BTW - I’ll let you look up how to do the potsticker folding on YouTube. There are tons of tutorials on there. It's probably easier than a written step-by-step from me anyway.

Stay safe and healthy my friends. A L O H A!

Japanese Sweet Potato Potstickers - makes about 30

• 1 large Japanese Sweet Potato ( purple skin, yellow inside ) a yam would work too.

• 1 large shallot, minced

• 1 clove of garlic minced

• 1/4 inch of fresh ginger, skin removed and minced

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 1 Tb sesame seeds ( optional )

• 1 Tb soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos

• 1 handful of chopped cilantro ( optional )

• 1 package of store-bought potsticker or wonton skins ( check the label to make sure there’s no egg added )

Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

• 1/4 cup low-sodium tamari or low-sodium soy sauce

To make the potsticker filling, peel and chop the sweet potato into small cubes and steam until easily pierced with a fork.

In the meantime, saute the shallot, garlic, and ginger in sesame oil over med-high heat until translucent ( about 5 mins )

Mash steamed sweet potato cubes until creamy. Add shallot/garlic/ginger mix, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and cilantro. The mixture should have a similar consistency to cookie dough.

Place potsticker wrappers on a large cutting board. Place 2 tsp of the sweet potato mixture in the middle of each wrapper, rub water along the edges of the wrapper, fold, and seal.

Place in a steamer basket and steam until cooked through. About 3-5 mins.

*Or if not cooking right away, place all potstickers on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen, place potstickers in a zip-lock bag.

*Steaming will take slightly longer when ready to cook if potstickers are frozen.

ENJOY!

Fig, Chickpea and Quinoa Salad

When I make a salad, they tend to end up looking more like a main course verses a side dish. All of my salads tend to have most of these components…something crunchy, something herby, something tangy, something creamy, something salty, and something sweet. I give myself bonus points if I’m able to incorporate something warm as well ( like potatoes, root vegetables, or cooked grains ).

I came across some gorgeous fresh figs on sale recently at Wholefoods Market and I couldn’t pass them up. I mean, normally fresh figs are about $10 a basket here but these were only $3.99! So yaaaa… I had to grab a few.

When it comes to measurements for my salads I generally don’t use them ( dressings being an exception ). I toss together whatever amount of one particular ingredient I’m feeling that day. Sometimes it’s more greens, sometimes it’s more quinoa, and sometimes it’s a lot more “cheese”. So feel free to play with the ingredients with this recipe.

This salad is so satisfying and surprisingly filling. Just layer everything in a large bowl, pour in some Maple + Mustard dressing, and toss. Makes a perfect easy light dinner. Enjoy!

Fig, Chickpea and Quinoa Salad

• Romaine Lettuce - approximately 2 to 4 cups chopped

• Fresh or dried sliced figs - approximately 4 fresh figs or 4 dried figs

• Cooked Quinoa - about 1/2 cup cooked ( sweet potatoes cut into 1” cubes and baked make a great sub! )

• Crumbled Vegan Feta - about 1/4 cup or you could use another type of other crumbly/creamy vegan cheese ( Violife Brand Feta is delicious, it has a flavor and consistency similar to goat cheese. I find this at Wholefoods Market )

• Cooked Chickpeas - about 1/3 - 1/2 cup

• Chopped Walnuts - a handful

• Fresh Tarragon - handful ( optional but so delicious in this dish )

• Fresh chopped Green Onions of Chives - a handful

Maple + Mustard Salad Dressing

* I don’t consume a lot of oil and tend to replace it with other ingredients ( like water ). However, for this dressing, I make an exception.

• 3 Tbs neutral-tasting oil like sunflower oil

• 3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

• 2 Tbs white wine vinegar ( champagne or apple cider vinegar can be used instead )

• 2 Tbs maple syrup

• 5 tsp dijon mustard

• 1/4 tsp salt

• cracked black pepper to taste

Place all dressing ingredients in a sealed jar and shake until well combined. You should have plenty of dressing to make a few servings of this salad.