Breakfast for dinner has never tasted this good! These Savory Veggie Waffles with Herbed Kefir Cheese are a refreshing take on a typical waffle house favorite and the latest addition to our Lifeway + Simple Mills series. It’s a veggie-filled feast that makes enough to share, which is definitely a good thing!
Ingredients
- 3 cups + 1/3 cup Lifeway Organic Organic Plain Whole Milk Kefir
- 1 2/3 cups Simple Mills Pancake and Waffle Mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (any hard cheese will work)
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
- 1 large handful of baby spinach, chopped
- 1/4 large orange bell pepper, finely diced (green and red work)
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper, or more to taste
- Cooking spray
Directions
- For the Kefir Cream: the night before you’re ready to cook, line a fine mesh strainer with coffee filters or a paper towel. Pour three cups of kefir onto the paper towel to strain/drain. Cover with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, scoop out the now thick kefir cream and store the liquid whey in the refrigerator for later use. The yield of kefir cream should be roughly one cup.
- In a medium bowl, combine kefir cream, parsley, chives, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before topping waffles. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- For the waffles: in a medium-sized bowl, combine the remaining 1/3 cup of kefir, the eggs, and the oil. In large bowl, combine the Simple Mills mix, starting with one cup, and cheese.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until everything is well incorporated. Add additional waffle mix until the batter becomes thick. Fold in the scallions, spinach, and orange pepper.
- Heat a waffle iron according to manufacturer’s specifications. Once hot, spray with cooking spray and pour 1/4 - 1/3 of the batter onto the hot waffle maker (the amount will vary by waffle maker size – if you pour too much, it will over flow).
- Cook the waffles again according to the specifications on the waffle maker, or for a few minutes until golden and crispy. When cooked thoroughly, remove the waffle and allow to cool slightly before topping with kefir cheese, additional scallion, pepper, spinach or cheese. Enjoy!
- This batter is much thicker than typical Belgian waffle batter. Adjust the amount of Simple Mills mix and kefir to achieve a different consistency, if desired.
