Rhubarb Waffles with Rhubarb Sauce and Buckwheat Pancakes

Yes, this is yet another breakfast post from Rosemary. I swear I'm not a one-trick pony. I just really like pancakes. They're easy and there are so many fun variations! So here are a couple more ways to enjoy the most important meal of the day. Pictures will come soon.

 Rhubarb Waffles with Rhubarb Sauce
Rhubarb season is upon us! At least it's upon our parents, so therefore it is on us as well. I'm always curious to find new ways (besides the old rhubarb crisp stand-by) to use up this curiously tart vegetable. 

So this is another recipezaar.com find. It's one of those few recipes that I wouldn't do that much to alter. Basically, you cook down your rhubarb with sugar for a bit, then strain out a good amount of the pulp. The pulp goes into the waffle batter much like you might use applesauce, prune puree, or a squash puree to replace fat and add moisture. You continue to cook what's left in the pan (a bit of pulp and a whole lot of yummy red syrup) to make a lovely sauce. Although, I cooked mine a couple minutes too long, so it was more of a jelly. I advise stopping short of jelly. But whether you do or not, the flavor is great and a welcome alternative to maple syrup. If you want to keep more of that rhubarb tang, cut back on the sugar a bit. I think I'll do that next time just because I enjoy that added dimension of flavor.


1 1/4 lbs rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch pieces (about 5 cups)
1 1/2 cups sugar (again, reduce this to get more of the tangy tartness coming through)
3 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1 3/4 cups flour (any combination of all-purpose and/or whole wheat flour should work. The original recipe only called for 1/4 cup of whole wheat, but I went for 3/4 and it was fine. Next time I'll do more.)
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt


1. Combine rhubarb and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over med-low heat. Cook until rhubarb is tender and translucent.
2. Using a slotted spoon, reserve 1 cup of rhubarb pulp for later use.
3. Boil remaining pulp and syrup over med heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. (You can do the first 3 steps ahead of time and refrigerate until you're ready to make the waffles.)
4. In one bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt). Set aside.
5. In another bowl, whisk your egg whites until they're good and frothy. Add milk, oil, and the 1 cup of rhubarb that you set aside in step 2.
6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing just enough to get things wet. Don't overmix!
7. Cook in the waffle iron of your choice and serve with rhubarb sauce on top.


Buckwheat Pancakes

Using whole grain flours other than whole wheat is a great way to add variety to the diet, which improves overall quality of the diet. It's not that any other flour is necessarily more nutritious, but every grain has a unique combination of nutrients, making it higher in some and lower in others than another flour. Beyond that, each flour lends its own unique properties in the kitchen, giving different tastes and textures. So rather than trying to disguise these grains as regular wheat products, enjoy their unique flavor! Here is one of many buckwheat pancake recipes that you can try.

3/4 cup buckwheat flour (available in health foods section of grocery store, health foods store, bulk bins section of some grocery stores or online. Looks like gray sand...even on the other side of a diaper, so be careful when feeding to toddlers and babies as I learned the hard way.)
3/4 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat and they were perfectly soft and fluffy, so I'll stick with it)
1 tbsp baking powder (if you don't like them so fluffy, add a little less)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar (granulated or brown)
1 1/2 cups milk (more for thinner batter)
1 egg
3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

1. Mix dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, salt) in one bowl, set aside.
2. Mix wet ingredients (sugar, milk, egg, oil) in another bowl.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir just until dry ingredients are moist. There will be lumps. Leave them be. They'll cook out and if you beat until smooth, your pancakes will be tough.

Rosemary