This year has been about small vegan waffle parties. Several events were fun and connective, with delicious vegan waffles and toppings.
In October, I baked waffles for a small gathering to reconnect with some of my family in Ohio, whom I hadn’t seen in quite some time. It was wonderful to see them again, and to share conversation and delicious food.
Having brought some of my sourdough starter on the plane with me, I made two batches of overnight yeasted Vegan Sourdough Waffles. (This recipe is also included in the brand new expanded edition of The Global Vegan Waffle Cookbook). Toppings on the waffle bar included chocolate chips, maple syrup, nut butters, and berries.
While enjoying my family’s presence, I forgot to take more pictures. However, I did get a photo of the fermented vegan sourdough waffle batter after it had risen overnight. I love the way it smells, even before baking.
The following day, we visited a place that I find very exciting, because it relates to one of the most important waffle toppings of all–maple syrup! I know, I know, I’ve occasionally sounded a bit condescending when talking about maple syrup, but that’s mainly because everyone already knows about it, and it’s fun to encourage people to branch out a bit (no pun intended). But that sweet nectar remains one of my favorite waffle toppings, and it’s a classic that I believe still deserves a place on any waffle bar.
Even though they aren’t boiling huge steamy vats of maple sap and producing sugary goodness this time of year, the Malabar Farm Sugar Shack in north central Ohio was fun to visit as part of a pleasant late afternoon nature hike. I preferred this to the “touristy” season when I last visited years ago.
It’s quite a process that needs to occur before we can enjoy that sweet waffle topping that so many of us know and love.
We had fun taking photos of our distorted reflections in some of the storage containers outside the maple syrup shack.
I also baked up some vegan waffles during a brief visit to Pittsburgh. While Jen also enjoyed them, the younger ones preferred their usual breakfast foods. I didn’t take it personally, though; at that age, I probably would have done the same.
One of them seemed excited to get a copy of the new Global Vegan Waffle Cookbook for her birthday, though, so maybe they’ll eventually discover new horizons of waffle goodness. Sometimes all you can do is plant a seed. Just call me Davey Waffleseed.
I really appreciated this heartwarming thank you note that I received! I enjoyed it so much I had to share it here.
Back in Portland in December, we brightened up a cool and cloudy day with a small vegan waffle party for the Feast of Tofumet. We left out a bite of vegan waffle for them so we don’t get put on the naughty list.
I originally considered doing something playful related to vegan waffles for Krampus, but some aspects of Krampus are pretty intense. So I settled on Tofumet. However, if Krampus ever ventured into gentler activities like doling out birch syrup, I might be willing to negotiate something.
The waffles for this meal were somewhat improvised and didn’t turn out quite as I had envisioned (it often takes a few tries to get it where you want it), but they were still pretty tasty, especially after toppings were piled on. There’s something about the dark molasses-infused color that I find soothing on a cool day.
Toppings on the vegan waffle bar included raspberries, blueberries, banana, maple syrup, homemade walnut butter, almond butter (thank you bulk section at employee-owned WinCo!), guava jam, Earth Balance, chocolate chips, and probably a few other things I’m leaving out.
I forgot to try the guava fruit topping on mine, but here it is on one of Meg’s waffle pieces. The colors seem to coordinate nicely. Coincidentally, our neighbors gave us that topping not long after I gave them a copy of the new GVWC so that their daughter with egg allergies can enjoy waffles. So it seems fitting that their gift is now being used as a waffle topping.
Here’s a piece of Sarah’s waffle that has some homemade walnut butter and blueberries. I like how they glisten in the light.
Below is the piece of waffle I set aside for Tofumet.
Well, okay, maybe I ate most of this piece and left only a small bite. Hopefully Tofumet wasn’t too hungry.
It was fun to eat waffles while basking in the soft glow of the Yule Bough Mini Shrub-Tree. We still need to hang ornaments on it, but its presence already lights up the room.
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If you’d like to host a waffle party and need some ideas, check out the vegan waffle recipes, topping recipes, and hosting tips including “How to Throw a Waffle Party.”
Wishing you a warm and connective holiday season, and happy vegan waffling!