Pecan Waffles with Sautéed Cinnamon Bananas

I was craving breakfast for dinner the other night–waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, the works.  But, this craving hit during a particularly busy week when I wasn’t able to get to the gym as much as I would’ve liked.  As much as I wanted to, I just couldn’t justify carb-laden waffles dripping with maple syrup and a heaping helping of bacon when I had only worked out once that week.  Oh, I wanted to.  I tried.  Then I found this recipe.

With absolutely no flour in the batter, I began to feel better about waffles for dinner.  The pecans, along with the Greek yogurt on top, really brought in the protein factor.  Sautéed bananas and honey took the place of syrup–quite deliciously, I might add.  Finally, I was good and went without bacon.  The scrambled eggs stayed.  There was still plenty of butter, but I didn’t feel so bad about it anymore.

I’ll admit, I was nervous when I first mixed up the batter.  I wasn’t sure how it was going to cook up into a beautiful golden waffle.  But it worked.  It was quite a bit darker than your regular waffles would be, but given the pecans, honey, and cinnamon, it makes sense.  The result was delicious.  The waffles had a richer flavor and left us feeling full and energized instead of weighed down.  The great result already have me thinking of how many different adaptations I can make to this recipe…

Pecan Waffles with Sautéed Cinnamon Bananas

adapted from epicurious

Ingredients:

For the waffles: 

2 c. unsalted raw pecans

4 large eggs

8 TBSP (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 c. honey

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of salt

cooking spray

For the bananas: 

1 TBSP unsalted butter

1 tsp. coconut or vegetable oil

3 ripe bananas, sliced

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

For serving:

1 c. plain Greek yogurt

1 c. honey

1/2 c. toasted pecans, halved or chopped

Directions:

1.  Preheat a waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s directions.  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F with one rack in the middle position.

2.  In a food processor, pulverize the pecans until finely
ground.  Pour into a medium mixing bowl and add the eggs, butter, honey, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Blend well.

3.  Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and pour in the appropriate amount of batter.  (Amount will change based on size and shape of the waffle iron and the depth of wells.)  Close the lid and allow to cook until steam stops coming from the machine and the waffle separates easily from the iron.  Set right on the oven rack to
crisp up and keep warm while you cook more.

4.  To make the bananas, melt the butter with the oil in a sauté pan over medium
heat.  Toss the bananas and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Add the bananas to the pan and cook for about 6 minutes, turning once, until
golden brown. Set aside.

5.  Place the waffles on warmed plates, top with yogurt, honey, bananas, and serve.  Serves four.