Pumpkin Belgian Waffles

So with fall comes pumpkins...yum!  Although I did not intentionally plant pumpkins this year, I ended up with a rogue pumpkin plant in with my zucchini and yellow squash...a pleasant little surprise!  So, we now have organic pumpkin in the freezer awaiting Thanksgiving, but I had to keep a bit out and make something with the fresh pumpkin.  Many years ago, my husband and I stayed at this bed and breakfast that looked like it was straight out of Gone With the Wind.  They made us the most delicious Sour Cream Belgian Waffles I had ever had in my life and were gracious enough to give me the recipe.  Well, last weekend, I modified that recipe to include that fresh pumpkin, and if I do say so myself, they were super yummy.

Pumpkin Belgian Waffles

4 eggs, separated- hold whites

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 Tbsp. vanilla (I use vanilla bean paste)

8 ounces sour cream

4 ounces pumpkin puree

1 1/2 cup gluten free flour blend (you can use all purpose flour if you are not gluten-free)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. honey

Mix egg yolks, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla, sour cream and pumpkin together.

Mix the dry ingredients together, then add to the pumpkin mixture.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks are formed.

Add hot water to your batter a little at a time, until batter is the consistency of cake batter (should be thick, but pourable).  Fold in egg whites.

Bake in your waffle iron to desired crispness.  Top with butter, pecans and maple syrup.

Granola

I have been very absent from the kitchen lately due to my day job and required travel.  Coming home, I am ready for fall.  I love fall!  There is nothing better than cool days, a warm sweater and warming everyone you love from the inside-out.  One thing that definitely speaks fall to me is maple syrup, so the recipe today is homemade granola.

I love granola and had assumed it was a thing of the past when I went off of gluten.  Much to my delight, I discovered gluten free oats and made some delicious granola at home.  Homemade granola, warm from the oven is divine.  If all you have had is that dried out stuff that costs a fortune from the store, you are missing out.  Once you have made your own granola, you will never buy it again- trust me!

Granola
3 cups gluten free rolled oats
1 cup Irish oats
1 cup natural almonds
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup other dried fruit of your choice (I like mixing cranberries and blueberries)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted (for dairy free, use 1/2 cup canola oil)
1/3-1/2 cup good quality maple syrup

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Spray a large sheet pan with nonstick spray.
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add the maple syrup until the mixture is slightly moist through out, but not saturated.  Spread mixture out evenly on sheet pan.  Bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, turning the mixture with a spatula every 20 minutes until mixture is an even color.

Let cool in sheet pan.  The mixture crisps as it cools.  When cool, use a spatula to scrape granola from pan and break it into chunks.  Store in an airtight container.  Enjoy granola atop Greek yogurt with fruit.