Dairy-Free Memorial Day Waffles

Blueberries, strawberries, and coconut-almond syrup on whole-wheat, crisp waffles.

My kids like to color pictures of flowers for the cemetery on Memorial Day Weekend.  We started this tradition years ago.  I print a bunch of line art flowers from the web, and the kids color them with markers while we drive to the cemetery.  Markers make the colors bright so they look like real flowers. Crayons are just too dull and dim.  When we get to the cemetery, we tape the pictures to sticks and stake them by the headstones of the loved ones we are remembering.

Along with visiting the cemetery, we love to eat.  Blueberries and strawberries are often on sale for a discounted price during the Memorial Day weekend, and I love pairing the berries together for a colorful red, white, and blue look.  I love the flag cakes, but I prefer a crisp waffle with lots of fruit over cake.

These waffles are made with whole wheat flour, and are light and crisp.  Because the waffles are made without milk or butter, they will not brown quickly like traditional waffles made with milk.  I usually double the recipe and will sometimes add an extra egg or two for more protein to keep the kids full.

If you don’t have dairy allergies, I think whipped cream, buttermilk syrup, yogurt, or even vanilla ice cream would finish the red, white, and blue look perfectly.

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Dairy-Free Whole Wheat Waffles

2 cups whole wheat flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar (if desired)

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

2 cups water

Whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add the eggs, oil and water.  Mix thoroughly.  Pour about 1/2 -2/3 cup batter in hot waffle iron.  (Or the amount that your waffle manufacturer recommends.)  Bake in hot waffle irons until the waffle stops steaming.  Serve with strawberries, blueberries and coconut-almond syrup.

Coconut-Almond Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp coconut extract

Bring sugar, water, and almond milk to a low boil on a medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Take syrup off the heat and add coconut extract.

I changed my simple syrup to a lighter recipe by having the sugar to liquid ratio a 1:1 ratio instead of 2:1. It is less sugar and the kids don’t notice a difference.  I would suggest that you try 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 1 cup liquid first if you are used to a more sugary syrup.