Hello! & Zucchini Waffles

Hello!  I’m Dorothy, and I am honored to be a new contributor to Just Between Friends.  Isn’t Jonie spectacular?  She invited me to share some of my favorite recipes with you, and I am excited to do just that.  Before I get started with today’s recipe, here is a little bit about me:

 I love Taylor Swift, cream slushes at Sonic, and Swedish Fish.  A schoolteacher and student-at-heart, I also love grammar, math, literature, and history {especially in the form of biographies}.  My little family of three {me + husband + son} is everything to me, and together we inspire my kitchen adventures.

simple
I am a list-making, schedule-planning, goal-setting kind of lady.  When I noticed that my mornings and early afternoons were more open than my evening dinner-time rushes, I started using those empty a.m. slots to prepare in advance as much as possible.  Daily routine:  simplified.

delicious 
My husband, Curtis, is a talented engineer and a devoted, committed husband and father.  He is also a wonderful self-taught chef.  Growing up, he ate regularly at restaurants {and we’re not talking Wendy’s} and developed a very mature palate.  As a result, he has a taste for finer foods than my favorite three-ingredient casserole standbys.

nutritious
Nursing my sweet baby boy was so satisfying.  I loved knowing that I, my body, was providing little Henry with all the nutrients he needed to grow.  Grow he did!  Now he eats what we eat, and I am more mindful than ever of creating nutritious and balanced meals for our family.

So.  The recipe.  It’s simple.  It takes less than fifteen minutes to prepare, guys.  You can even make the batter in advance and keep it in the fridge.  It’s delicious, you’ll see.  It is nutritious, too; it’s a breakfast food with vegetables in it!

• 1 small zucchini
• canola oil
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
• 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 2 C milk
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat a waffle iron.  Puree the zucchini in a blender or food processor.  Mix in enough canola oil to make 1/3 C of the zucchini-oil puree.  Mix all other ingredients except the egg whites together.  Add the zucchini-oil puree and mix.  Gently fold in the egg whites.  Spray the waffle iron, pour in the batter, and cook for two to four minutes or until crisp and golden-brown.

Top with buttermilk syrup, and serve with bacon and milk.
{Healthy Remix} Top with hot applesauce and strawberries, and serve with turkey bacon and milk.