Waffles worth waking up for

I’m pretty savvy when it comes to making healthy food choices. And at the very least, when I do make unhealthy choices, I usually know what I’m getting into. Waffles, however, seem to trip me up. When I selected healthy breakfast recipes for our cookbook EatingWell for a Healthy Heart with Dr. Philip Ades, I was surprised when I compared our healthy waffle recipes with traditional versions—waffles can be really unhealthy!

Many traditional waffle recipes use melted butter in the batter. But for Dr. Ades, a leading cardiac researcher at the University of Vermont, using butter in recipes is an absolute “no-no.” He’s adamant about the importance of limiting saturated fat as part of a heart-healthy diet. (We had to keep all the recipes butter-free in EatingWell for a Healthy Heart, including our recipe for Amazing No-Butter Apple Pie!)

Anyway, we developed this delicious waffle recipe (recipe below) that even Dr. Ades could approve of. Here’s how we made it healthier:

• Reduce calories and fat and eliminate saturated fat by using canola oil in place of butter.
  
• Use egg whites in place of whole eggs to cut down on calories and saturated fat.
  
• Replace all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour to add fiber.
  
• Top waffles with fresh fruit or yogurt instead of whipped cream or additional butter to keep fat and saturated fat down.

Here’s how our waffles stack up against traditional versions nutritionally:

Traditional Waffles:

• Calories: 560
• Fat: 27 g
• Saturated Fat: 18 g
• Sodium: 938 mg
• Fiber: 2 g

EatingWell Waffles:

• Calories: 241
• Fat: 4 g
• Saturated Fat: 0 g
• Sodium: 450 mg
• Fiber: 3 g

EatingWell Waffles

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups nonfat buttermilk (see Tip, below)
1 large egg, separated
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional)
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons sugar

1. Stir whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, the egg yolk, oil and vanilla (if using) in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon just until moistened.
2. Beat the 3 egg whites in a grease-free mixing bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add sugar and continue beating until stiff and glossy. Whisk one-quarter of the beaten egg whites into the batter. Fold in the remaining beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula.
3. Preheat a waffle iron. Brush the surface lightly with oil. Fill the waffle iron two-thirds full of batter. Cook until the waffles are crisp and golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing the surface with oil before cooking each batch.

Makes 6 servings.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 241 calories; 4 g fat (0 g sat, 2 g mono); 37 mg cholesterol; 41 g carbohydrate; 11 g protein; 3 g fiber; 450 mg sodium; 285 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Selenium (17% daily value), Folate (16% dv).

Tip: No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk”: the ratio is 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.

By Jessie Price

EatingWell food editor Jessie Price's professional background in food started when she worked in restaurant kitchens in the summers during college. She started out testing recipes for EatingWell and then joined the staff here full-time in 2004 when she moved to Vermont from San Francisco.

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