I intended to start 2021 off with some gluten free waffles from a mix. I woke up all excited for breakfast, just to realize I had given away the last pancake/waffle mix left in my pantry. Had to improvise. I regularly purchase mixes at Walmart or Reasor’s in Tahlequah – mostly under 5 bucks per meal, feeds 3-4. To save the day, I DID have gluten free plain muffin mix on hand, so I used that to make these “Carrot and Coconut Waffles (Gluten Free + Vegan).” Took about 10 minutes with a cheap waffle iron (one of the items in my arsenal, despite the fact that I do hate small appliances).

I followed the directions off this package with these nutritional details but I used: (1) coconut milk instead of regular dairy milk, (2) olive oil instead of butter, (3) apple sauce instead of eggs. Topped with vegan “butter” and pure maple syrup. You can always throw in last night’s leftover sweat potatoes or cooked carrots to the batter to beef it up or make it go further to feed more people.

Giving things away is common in many Indigenous communities and I’ve seen an owner of a small material thing, such as jewelry item, give that item to the admirer after receiving a compliment on that same item. That wasn’t the case with my missing pancake mix. Just gave it away. I need to keep better track of my pantry.