Healthy Matcha Waffles I was always a pancakes-kind-of-girl growing up. Every Sunday morning my family would pile into the car and drive to our local diner, Brownies, for some really greasy, disgustingly delicious brunch food. Picture the most quintessential diner heart attack food - now you're there! Haha. I would order a stack of flapjacks with butter and syrup and always got an extra side of syrup. I usually also got a side of corned been hash or bacon, and literally could almost finish it all - even at 10 years old. Yikes! These days, my kind of brunch usually involves much more of the color 'green', at least a few vegetables, and usually a mimosa or two. But sometimes, you just want to go back and have those childhood favorites - without the guilt or greasy food hangover! These days I prefer the snap of a crispy waffle more a pile of soggy pancakes, and lucky for me we just got a new waffle iron for Christmas! It was time to test it out and make some crispy waffles to satisfy my cravings. I didn't just want any old waffles, so I used my sugar-free protein batter base and added a pop of color and antioxidants with the addition of matcha powder! The matcha powder turned them a lovely shade of green, too. Might have to whip these back out in time for St. Patty's day this year!
I can promise you after rounds and rounds of testing - nothing binds together the batter AND gives the cooked waffles a crispy edge like adding in some protein powder. Plus, all of a sudden my waffles carry a protein content of over 20 grams. BONUS! Now they're not only a great breakfast addition, but the perfect post-workout snack, too. The freeze and reheat really well, and I've taken to making a double or triple batch and freezing the leftovers for easy grab-and-go breakfasts. Let's get out the waffle iron and get cooking!  INGREDIENTS 1 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour (both work well! For GF use 1/2 c almond + 1/2 c Teff flour) 1/4 cup vegan protein powder* 2 tablespoons matcha powder 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/3 cups water 2-3 drops vanilla stevia (optional, for a sweeter waffle) 1 tablespoon oil DIRECTIONS In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, protein powder, baking powder and salt. Create a well in the center of the mixture, and pout into it the water, stevia and oil. Whisk the mixture together until the batter just comes together. Its okay if there are a few lumps! Do not mix until smooth - unless you want flat, chewy waffles. Ick! Let the mixture set for about 5-10 minutes, let scoop the appropriate amount of batter into your waffle iron and let it cook up until the waffle is perfectly fluffy with crispy edges. Keep it going until all your waffles are cooked up. Enjoy! (I like mine with butter and syrup or a bit of peanut butter and fruit!) Leftovers freeze and reheat really well - I highly recommend making a double batch and sticking some in the freezer for easy toaster breakfasts later! NOTES Makes 2-4 waffles, depending on the size of your waffle iron. *I use Sprouts brand Vegan Vanilla Protein Powder. It's pea protein based and has just 1 g of sugar per serving, which is how I am able to keep the sugar in these waffles nearly nonexistent. Use your favorite protein here, but account for textural differences if it is not pea protein. I usually use softened coconut oil here, but you can sub in any flavorless oil you like. 
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Vanilla-Glazed Matcha Scones Until recently, there was another Matcha Scone recipe on this site. It was from my gluten-free days that had mixed results when people made it. To be honest, I never really got the hang of baking with gluten-free flours, and it seemed like everyone that made the recipe got a different result. So, a few years later, I've decided to revisit the recipe and figure out what was going on. Except this time, I've ditched the GF free flours in favor of a more predictable wheat-based flour - I don't have any kind of wheat allergy - and had fantastic results! I scrapped the old recipe entirely and started working from the proportions for a scone recipe from my Homestyle Vegan Cookbook and guys- they came out SO WELL! These scones are 1000x better than the first one were. They're sweet, fluffy, and moist inside - the PERFECT scone, especially if you like matcha! It's important to use a high-quality matcha powder to get a vibrant green color in your scones, too. The light drizzle of vanilla glaze sweetens them up just enough - they're perfect for breakfast AND dessert! Plus, we're only 2 months from St. Patrick's Day and they'd be PERFECT leprechaun-inspired fare for themed parties or as something to help soak up all the Guinness. 😝 Either way, LET'S EAT! Scroll down for the recipe, friends.
INGREDIENTS Matcha Scones 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 2 tablespoons matcha powder 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ginger 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons cold vegan butter 3/4 cup mashed banana 1/4 cup almond milk 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla Vanilla Glaze 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk 1/4 teaspoon vanilla DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. To make the scones, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, matcha powder, baking powder, ginger and salt. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the cold vegan butter until small crumbs form. Pour in the mashed banana, almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla and stir together with wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form a 1-inch thick disk. Cut the disk into 8 equal scone wedges, like a pizza. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes, until golden. Place the scones on a wire rack to cool. While they cool, prepare the maple glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, non-dairy milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Drizzle the glaze over completely cooled scones and enjoy! NOTES Makes 8 scones. Leftovers save well sealed in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
Matcha, Cherimoya + Strawberry Ice Cream
Ice cream season has arrived! At least, it has if you live in Southern California like us. The weather here lately has been verging on August temps and I am ba da ba ba baaa NOT loving' it. But this ice cream, packed with summery flavors, provides absolute relief from the miserable heat. A bowl of Matcha, Cherimoya + Strawberry ice cream topped with fresh strawberries? OH HELL YES. This whips up to be super creamy- so if you're not a hard serve kinda gal let it soften up a bit before eating and it's just like old school soft serve.
I'm already a huge matcha fan, and started incorporaring it into more than just my lattes with this Matcha Green Tea Scone recipe about a month ago. Since then, I want it in everything- including my ice cream. Its gives the best earthy, sweet flavor and pairs so well with the cherimoya. The cherimoya is a totally new discovery to us. A friend kept telling us it tasted- on its own- like frozen yogurt, so we picked some up from the farmers market last week to try it for ourselves. When soft and ripe, the 'custard apple' really does have a light, sweet, almost frozen yogurt like taste...but I just couldn't stomach the soft, stringy, milky white texture. So, we blended it up! Since its not super sweet, we tossed in some fresh strawberries to sweeten the deal, plus a splash of maple syrup. Omit the maple syrup for a sugar-free option, or feel free to sub in whatever sweetener you prefer in its place. The vanilla helps balance the earthy flavors with the sweet, and the whole bit comes out a lovely shade of green. This recipe is high in potassium, vitamins C + B6, and antioxidants plus a whole lot of good fats & fiber, so have two servings if you like- I won't tell. 
INGREDIENTS
1 - 15 oz. can coconut cream (OR 2 - 15 oz. cans coconut milk, 'water' drained) 1 tablespoon matcha powder 1 cup cherimoya, seeded and skinned 1 cup fresh strawberries 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 vanilla bean, scraped (OR 2 teaspoons vanilla extract) DIRECTIONS Wash + rinse the cherimoya well. Use a spoon to scoop the meat from the middle and remove the large black seeds- they're poisonous! Wash and hull strawberries, and cut vanilla bean in half and scrape insides into small bowl. In a food processor or high speed blender combine all ingredients until creamy, then pour into a loaf pan or deep bowl, and freeze at least 8 hours- until hard enough to scoop. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out hearty portions into a bowl and enjoy! 
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