PB2 and Banana Waffles

You know I have been experimenting several times a week with my new waffle maker!  And finding all kinds of fun and delicious combinations… The Captain is such a great guinea pig for my creations.  And if you know me at all, you HAD to know this was coming.  PB2 and Banana Waffles.  Oh my!

I never cared for peanut butter as a child. The only way I would eat it is in PB and Banana sandwiches… which my own Mother never made for us, but I do recall having them at a young male cousin’s birthday party once.  I think that may be the only time I ever ate peanut butter.  Then, fast forward to my early 20s when my first Mother-In-Law showed me how to make my own peanut butter in the blender… with Just raw peanuts.  It has been love ever since.

And now I have discovered PB2 which is just peanut flour, really.  I use it regularly in my kitchen and I have discovered it is a very good sub for grain flours sometimes.  So it was a natural that I was eventually going to make PB2 and Banana Waffles.  Hope you like them too.

PB2 and Banana Waffles
Makes 2 servings

• 2 Tbs PB2
• 1 large banana
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup egg whites

1. Mash half of the banana in a medium bowl.
2. Cut the other half into slices and set aside.
3. Add the PB2 to the mashed banana and blend in the egg and the egg whites till well combined. 
4. Spoon batter into your waffle iron and bake according to instructions. Remove them to a plate and keep warm while you cook the rest of the batter.
5. Top waffles with banana slices and a bit of syrup serve warm.

Per serving, including banana slices but not syrup
Weight Watchers P+  = 4.
Calories 144; Protein 13g; Carbohydrate 17g; Fat 4g; Fibre 2g.

Printable Recipe

Coconut Banana Egg-ffles

Ever since I bought a waffle maker last week I have been playing with ingredients… mostly eggs I admit… but I have been trying to come up with a real ‘waffle’ recipe. So far I have not succeeded, but these Coconut Banana Egg-ffles is honestly one of my better failures!

It is kinda eggy but just  not too eggy so it is worthy of a bit of syrup or a some applesauce or fruit for topping.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.  Next time I would add some cinnamon and a bit of vanilla… yes, there WILL be a next time….

My ingredients made 5 waffle ‘squares’… I just divided them between 2 plates to serve.  And if you are a vegetarian and don’t eat bacon, just don’t use it of course.

Coconut Banana Egg-ffles
Makes 2 servings.

• 4 large fresh eggs
• 1 medium banana
• 1 Tbs coconut flour
• 1 Tbs crumbled bacon

1. Blend eggs, banana and coconut flour in a medium bowl.
2. Pour approximately 1/2 cup of mixture into waffle iron, or the amount recommended for your own waffle iron.
3. Sprinkle with a few bits of crumbled bacon on the top.
4. Cook according to instructions.
5. Remove to plate and keep warm.
6. Repeat until all batter is used.
7. Serve warm with a bit of syrup or fruit.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 4.
Calories 179; Protein 14g; Carbohydrate 4g; Fat 11g; Fibre 2g.

I used my immersion blender to mash the banana and mix the ingredients.

I don’t overfill my waffle iron with batter cause I am afraid of messy cleanups!

Revmove from waffle iron and keep warm while the rest cook.

Add some topppings and get ready to dig in.

Printable Recipe

Spicy Kabocha Tomato Soup

Friends that know me won’t be surprised that my first recipe of the New Year is a homemade soup… this time it’s Spicy Kabocha Tomato Soup… On these cool, wet, and dreary days we can have during the Winter on the West Coast, I often eat soup at noon and for snacks and at dinner. 

I love the comfort and warmth that spooning into a thick and tasty homemade soup brings.  This one fills that need quite nicely.  It’s simple and you likely have the ingredients on hand. It is vegan, but if you want, you could make it paleo by using a bit of turkey or beef broth in place of the water.

I am sure that a butternut squash or an ambercup squash would sub quite nicely for the kabocha that I used. They are about the same texture.  Even a sweet potato would work, but of course that raises the calorie count and therefore the Weight Watchers P+ values considerably. You decide.  The squash I used yielded almost 3 cups of cooked flesh.

You could prepare the squash a  day or so ahead of making the soup and keep it in the fridge if you like.  Then just put it all together in about an hour when you want to make soup.  Mmmmmm.  I know you are gonna love this as much as I do.

Spicy Kabocha Tomato Soup
Makes 6 one-cup servings.

• 1 medium size kabocha squash
• 1 – 28 ounce can diced tomatoes (946 ml)
• 1 cup water
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 2 Tbs curry powder
• 1 cup sliced white onion
• coconut oil or spray to coat soup pot
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash the kabocha squash. Then cut in in half horizontally and remove the seeds. Bake it in the oven, cut sides up for 45 minutes at 350°F.  Allow to cool about half an hour and then remove the peel and cut the flesh into large chunks.
2. Coat the inside of your soup pot with coconut oil, about 1 tsp, or use a spray.
3. Place the onions and garlic into the soup pot over MEDIUM heat and cook about 10 minutes till translucent. Do not allow them to brown.
4. Add the squash chunks and contents from the can of tomatoes along with 1 cup of water and up to 2 Tbs of curry powder and stir altogther.
5. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower heat, cover and allow to simmer for 45 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool about 15 minutes. Blend in batches or with your immersion blender.  It will be very thick.
7. Serve with salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with yogurt or sour cream if desired.

Per serving without garnish.
Weight Watchers P+ = 0. *
Calories ; Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 17g; Fat 1g; Fibre 3g.

* The only item that actually needs to be counted here is the coconut oil and 1 tsp divided amongst 6 servings is negligible.  The vegetables are zero P+.

Printable Recipe