Forever night blooded and an owl beyond repair, I’ve an ambivalence toward dawn that I’ve tried to shake my entire life. For someone that’s never been a morning person, it’s all such a fantasy: floating from bed to bathrobe, the day greeting you with coffee steam, a sizzling skillet, and a good book. Maybe some light calisthenics (this is a fantasy and in the fantasy doing crunches in the floor is referred to as calisthenics). A hot shower, fresh linen, clean hair. Sheets pulled tight & pillows strewn back on the bed. And all so routine, routine, routine. My real mornings, they aren’t always so serene. I generally prefer to stay under the blankets (in this case a quilt worth staying under, handmade by Lindsay Stead and available here.) But this is proof that even my mornings can be a dream, sometimes.
I usually wake up feeling leaden, even after some odd 11 hours of sleep, and strangely attached to my dreams. I procrastinate ripping myself from that cozy womb until I have to. Which means I end up forever in a rush, throwing on clothes, not bothering with a shower (hello dry, texturizing spray), and at best having a cup of coffee shoved in my hand by midday either by my husband or a friend. They say you’re born that way, that you can never change it. I’ve yet to accept that. I fake being a morning person. And in collaboration with Lindsay Stead, I wanted to create my perfect morning beneath her quilt.
So at least a couple of mornings a month, I manage to steal one that looks like this. When Lindsay introduced me to her handmade, heirloom quilts, I immediately knew that they would inspire a luxurious breakfast in bed. The synergy between food from scratch and heirloom objects of everyday use that can be passed down from generation to generation is one of the things that inspires me most. Home, food, family, and beauty around it all is the heart of slow living. And a leisurely home cooked breakfast serves as a gentle gateway into whatever else the day might hold, a buffer that begins the day with mindfulness and hopefully spills over into everything else. I can’t manage breakfast like this every day or even every weekend, but whether they come naturally to you or not, mornings like this are worth cultivating in the same way that it’s worth it to make things by hand and to support people who do. Add in the luxury of healthy homemade waffles alongside this quilt and even someone like me becomes a morning person.
Even better, while possessing every bit of the deliciousness I attribute to, say, traditional buttermilk waffles, this healthier vegan + spelt spin on waffles is a bit kinder to your body. They’re made with healthy coconut oil, agave, whole spelt flour, and coconut milk & yogurt. 100% animal product free & you don’t miss it for a second. Though, not being vegan myself, I top them with whipped honey. So, so good. Even the dark chocolate is good for you!
Happy weekend & happy autumn…celebrate by getting a quilt from Lindsay & getting cozy beneath it with these waffles!
Other sources: pillows from Loom Goods & Fog Linen. Knit throw not available for sale, knitted with yarn from Camellia Fiber Co. Bedside bouquet by Field + Flora.
Ingredients
- 250 grams about 2 cups whole spelt flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher sea salt
- freshly ground cardamom seeds from 5 pods
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- 175 grams plain coconut yogurt room temp
- 40 grams about 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
- 145 grams about 3/5 cup plain coconut milk, unsweetened (the kind from a box, not a can), room temp
- 2-3 tablespoon rosewater to taste water based kind, use about 1 tsp if using concentrated kind
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 100 grams about 1/3 cup agave syrup
- 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
- Heat your waffle iron.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the first 5 ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients except the chocolate.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until no dry remains. Fold in chocolate.
- Cook on your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I cook on heat setting 4 or 5 depending on how crispy I want them, and I do 1/3 cup measures of batter for each waffle, but you could certainly do larger ones if you like. I like to serve them with whipped honey (as I’m not a vegan), but it would be great with whipped coconut cream or a drizzle of agave or maple syrup if you are!
My name is Beth, Elizabeth Evelyn to be exact. A native Tennessean, I was born in the South.
I am the author behind Local Milk Blog.