Follow Your Tummy

Ever get a random craving so strong that it leaves you completely confused as to where it came from? If you’re like me, you’ll puzzle over it for a good, oh, 20 seconds before deciding you really don’t care and just want to eat the food that will make your stomach happy.

 

Last week in the early evening, the time for deciding what to prepare for dinner rolled around, and the first thought that entered my brain was, “Waffles.” Despite a long laundry list of other more typical meals I could have prepared, all of which were more nutritious, I just couldn’t shake the urge to eat—and make—waffles.  

 

To compromise (and ease my guilt) for cooking breakfast for dinner, I threw a few more traditional dinner ingredients into the batter before spooning it onto the griddle. While waiting for the telltale sign of a steaming waffle iron to know my “dinner” was ready, I whipped up a little savory sauce to top it off. And the resulting meal was, by far, the highlight of my day.

 

 

Ham, Cheese, and Spinach Waffles

serves 2 (two waffle squares each)

Try the waffles with and without the yogurt-dijon sauce; both taste delicious, in my opinion! If you don’t have a waffle iron, the batter would also make great pancakes. Parmesan or any other strong cheese would work well in place of the asiago.

waffles

1 egg

½ c. milk (skim or 2%)

½ tbsp oil

½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp sugar

⅛ tsp salt

⅔ c. flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 large handfuls spinach leaves

¼ c. ham, finely diced

2 tbsp grated asiago cheese

 

yogurt-dijon sauce

2 tbsp yogurt

1 tsp Dijon mustard

 

1. Take one handful of spinach and cut the leaves into strips by slicing the spinach parallel to the direction of your curled fingers. Lightly coat a medium pan with non-stick cooking spray, and sauté spinach until wilted. Add in ham and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Plug in the waffle iron and allow it to preheat while mixing up the waffle batter.
3. Whisk the egg with a fork in a large bowl until frothy. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. Add in the sugar and salt, stirring well. Mix in the flour and baking powder, smearing the larger lumps against the side of the bowl. (It’s okay to have small ones!) Gently mix in the cooked spinach, ham, and cheese.
4. Pour ¼ of the batter into each waffle square, and cook according to manufacturer’s directions, or until waffles turn golden brown. Plate and serve immediately.
5. If serving sauce, stir yogurt and mustard together in a small bowl while waffles cook. Place half of the sauce on each plate along with the waffles.