Zucchini Waffles

By admin on September 1st, 2009

I must admit.  This recipe required a creative delivery.  The Omnivore was having a bad day and he hopefully asked me the question, “What’s for dinner?”

I am sure he wanted me to respond, “Let’s go out, honey, and get some chicken wings, cheesy pizza, and baby back ribs.”

But I didn’t.  I swallowed hard, though, because I knew the last thing the Omnivore was prepared to have for dinner was a waffle. And so I started out with a safe subject: sausage.  And threw in a side of cornbread. He bought it.

But I had to disclose soon thereafter that the said cornbread would be cooked in a waffle iron. And that’s when the Omnivore mentioned the maple syrup.

NO!  This is not breakfast for dinner, people.  This is dinner.  Hearty, savory, and healthy dinner.  I slowly reiterated the word corn bread and mumbled some pathetic excuse about how it was too hot to turn on the oven to bake the cornbread so I figured I’d just make it in the waffle iron.  And then I exited stage right.

Turns out, he loved the waffles.  And the beans that adorned them.  He had not-a-clue that the waffles contained the dreaded zucchini.  And instead of the deliciously grilled vegetable that accompanied my plate, he ate some meat product of ambiguous origin.

His only critique of the meal was the request for the addition of something crunchy, perhaps bacon.

Zucchini Corn Waffles (eight 4″ers, adapted from Cooking Light)
1 c AP flour
1/4 c corn meal
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t dried basil
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 c buttermilk
1 c shredded zucchini
1/2 c cream style corn
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Combine flour with next 5 ingredients.  Combine buttermilk and next 5 ingredients.  Incorporate wet and dry.  Coat waffle iron with nonstick spray and spoon 1/3 batter per 4″ iron.  Cook 5-6 minutes until steaming stops.

Pinto-Tomato-Topping
1 tomato, diced
1 cup pinto beans
1/2 cup sweet corn
1 t chili powder
1/4 t cumin
1/4 cup sliced scallions

Saute tomato in spices until tomato begins to break down.  Add pinto beans and sweet corn and simmer until warm throughout.  Adorn waffles with mixture and garnish with scallions.