[A treat on Mother’s Day or any day, these Grain Free Waffles with Fresh Strawberries and Strawberry Cream are vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, yeast-free, and low glycemic. Suitable for Stage 2 and beyond on an anti-candida diet.]
Mother’s Day is one of those holidays that seems to command some kind of ritual or tradition. In the house of my childhood, we always celebrated Mother’s Day with a special brunch.
The routine was perfectly reliable: as soon as my father was awake on Mother’s Day, he’d march into the kitchen, set down a potted plant on the table in front of my mother, and present her with a card. The interior was embossed with a mushy, multi-verse message, set in sharp contrast to Dad’s own florid handwriting at the end of the poem, which said simply, “Your husband, Alec.”
Of course my mother would cry (because, well, my mother cried at everything) and then we’d all have brunch–which my mother would cook.
The table always heaved with a huge array of meats–bacon rippled and still crackling from the frypan; kielbasa sausages, grilled and bursting at the seams; deli smoked meat, turkey, salami–and two or three blocks of cheese (my father was a butcher after all). But the carbs that made an appearance tended to be prepared convenience breads like bagels, loaves of rye or pumpernickel, or sometimes, English muffins. On the rare occasion, we’d have “homemade” pancakes (aka Aunt Jemima mix).
But waffles? I can’t remember having them even once in the 18 years I lived at home, or during any of my visits back after that.
So it makes sense that I’d mix up waffles for Mother’s Day this year, right? Seems my goal is to do things a little differently from my parents here in the RH household.
Now that I’ve taken on the role of “mother,” this coming Sunday will feature no meats on the table; no potted plants (they might contain molds, after all, really not good for candida); no actual children; and a golden stack of grain-free, egg-free, dairy-free, candida-diet friendly waffles with a dollop of luxuriously creamy, sweet and tart strawberry cream on top.
Of course, I understand that I’m technically not a real mom (I don’t have human children), but in my heart, I would argue that I experience all the same emotions as any “real” mother, and I certainly embrace that role. (It looks like science agrees with me; and so, apparently, do the dogs). And, as some of you know, our sweet Elsie girl was recently operated on to remove several cancerous tumors; the experience really brought out the maternal instincts in me.
So, even though I can’t rightfully claim the title, we will, nevertheless, enjoy a lovely brunch together with our Girls this weekend. No doubt the HH will present me with a card (no romantic poetry here) and his own unique gift to demonstrate his affection (such as a car charger for my cell phone–makes my heart go pitter-pat!).
After I wipe the tears from my eyes, we’ll likely kiss, and the HH will lean over and whisper, “So, what are we having for brunch?”
Hmmm . . . . maybe not so different from my mom’s Mother’s Day, after all.
Grain Free Waffles with Strawberry Cream (Egg-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free, Candida Diet)
A grain free waffle that’s almost cake-like inside, reminiscent of Belgian waffles. Perfect for breakfast or dessert.
For the Strawberry Cream (must be made a day ahead):
1 cup (240 ml) full fat coconut milk
1 cup (240 ml) fresh strawberries, washed and hulled, plus more for garnish
zest of 1/2 lime
juice of 1/2 lime
15-20 drops vanilla or plain pure liquid stevia, or to taste
3/4 tsp (3.5 ml) xanthan gum (for corn-free, use this brand)
For the waffles:
1-1/2 cups (360 ml) unsweetened almond, cashew or other alternative milk of choice
1 Tbsp (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup (60 ml) xylitol (or use stevia to taste)
2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil, preferably organic
1-1/2 cups (150 g) almond flour (I used this brand)
1/3 cup (40 g) coconut flour
1/2 cup (90 g) potato starch
1 Tbsp (15 ml) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) baking soda
2 Tbsp (30 ml) finely ground flax seeds or flax meal
1/8 tsp (.5 ml) fine sea salt, or to your taste
At least 8 hours before you serve the waffles, make the strawberry cream: Combine all ingredients except xanthan gum in a powerful blender and blend until smooth. Sprinkle xanthan gum over top and blend again. It will thicken up, but still be more or less liquid. Refrigerate at least 8 hours for the cream to firm up. (Note: if you don’t mind a looser cream, or if you forgot to start early, you can certainly use it as-is!). Makes about 1-3/4 cups (420 ml). Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Make the waffles: In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, measure the milk and add the vinegar, xylitol and vanilla. Stir a few seconds to begin dissolving the xylitol. Add the oil and mix again. Set aside.
Begin heating your waffle iron.
In a medium bowl, sift together the almond flour, coconut flour, potato starch, baking powder, flax seeds and salt. Add the liquids and stir just to combine (don’t overmix or the waffles won’t rise). Pour into waffle maker and cook according to manufacturer’s directions. In my Breville (large, Belgian-waffle sized) maker, these used about 1/2 cup (120 ml) batter each, and took about 7 minutes total. In my Cuisinart (smaller, round) maker, these took about 6 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings. May be frozen.
To serve: Top each waffle with a dollop of cream and some sliced strawberries. Dig in!
Suitable for: ACD Stage 2 and beyond; sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, yeast-free, vegan, low glycemic.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. If you choose to purchase using those links, at no cost to you, at no cost to you, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.
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A sweet post, Ricki! I laughed about “no actual children.” You’re a mom in my mind! I have an actual child, who is an adult now, but my parenting continues to happen with big old furbaby Sonny. We are his Mom and Dad. 🙂
I don’t remember waffles growing up either. Maybe we had the frozen ones later on. I know they entered my life at some point, but I really can’t remember when. It might have been during college. Mom was a big pancake maker, but they always came from a box.
Your waffles look fantastic! I love that they’re grain free. Happy Mother’s Day, dear! xo,
Shirley
Thanks, Shirley! And thank you for the mom validation. I sure do seem to go through all the same emotions as my Mom friends! And glad you like the look of the waffles. I loved them! Hope you have a great Mother’s Day, too. 🙂 xo
Great recipe! How can I sub xylitol? It’s poisonous to dogs & my dogs like the one waffles from your first book & will insist on these waffles, too.
Kathryn, that’s the best reason to get rid of the xylitol I’ve ever heard! 😀 If you can have it, you can use an equal amount of coconut sugar or maple sugar. If you can’t have those, my understanding is that erithrytol is safe for dogs. I’m not fussy on it, but I know lots of people use and like it. So glad your pooches like the waffles! LOL! Hope you have a great Mother’s Day. 🙂
Can either Water chestnut flour or chick pea flour sub for the almond flour? I have very high oxalates as well as yeasts and fungi and almonds, as well as most nuts, are very high in them, as is flax, potato and chia. Any suggestions for subs for the flax and potato starch?
Hi Phyllis, I think that once you replace the almond flour, the potato starch and the flax, you essentially have a completely different recipe. I couldn’t predict how the waffles would turn out in that case, and I wouldn’t be able to vouch for the quality of the recipe. There are lots of waffle recipes online that don’t use these ingredients–maybe try one of those instead? Sorry I can’t be more help!