Lemon Blueberry Poppyseed Belgian Waffles

One of my girlfriend came back from her vacation in Aussie and gifted me with a bag of poppyseeds! It's not found locally, so I was quite excited with the possibilities. The first thought that came into mind was naturally lemon. I've always seen the two flavours complementing each other just like milk and cookies, honey and tea or coffee and cake.

And since now that I have a spiffy waffle machine and all, I decided to make some lemon poppyseed waffles for breakfast. And because I know for sure a threesome (flavour) party is the way to go, I threw in blueberries into the mix as well.

Lemon Blueberry Poppyseed Belgian Waffles 

Blueberry Grapefruit Banana Smoothie

I had bought a blender during the Christmas period, and it is such a breeze to blend up smoothies and bring it to work in the morning. My favourite combo has got to be the above blend. The grapefruit adds a sour tang to the drink, and the blueberries gives the drink a nice pop of colour. It is both sweet and sour at the same time, so those who prefer it sweet can add just a pinch of sugar to balance out the grapefruit notes.

The waffles were soft and fluffy in the insides, and crunchy on the outside (after I had warmed them up in the waffle machine before serving). The blueberries bits in the waffles were a fruity burst in every mouthful. It takes a while to get used to adding the right amount of blueberries per waffle. Too little, and it seems like a stinge; too much, and the blueberries will stick slightly to the waffle machine. I recommend really buttering the waffle machine generously if you are adding the blueberries so as to prevent the blueberries from sticking to the waffle machine.

A slight swirl of maple syrup, and more blueberries make these a very delicious breakfast indeed.

Lemon Blueberry Poppyseed Belgian Waffles (adapted from Jaclyn at Cooking Classy)
(makes 10 waffles - serve 3)

150g all-purpose flour
50g whole wheat pastry flour
20g oat flour
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (replace 1 tbsp milk with vinegar)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter, cooled)
2 large eggs, separated
2 tbsp granulated sugar
lemon zest, from one lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat your waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.
Whisk together flours, poppy seeds, baking soda and salt.
In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, milk, vegetable oil, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice.
Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks.
While whisking, slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk till just combined (don't over-mix, batter should be slightly lumpy).
Fold egg whites into batter till just combined.
Butter waffle iron generously to prevent waffles from sticking to the waffle iron.
Ladle batter onto waffle iron, spoon some blueberries onto the batter and close the waffle iron.
Cook batter on waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions, until golden (cooking time will vary depending on brand and model of waffle iron). I cooked mine for 6-8 minutes.
Remove waffles from iron using tongs so that the waffle doesn't split. (Keep waffles warm in a preheated oven if desired while cooking the rest of the batter. Or reheat waffles in the waffle iron for another minute or so once all the waffles are ready.)
Serve warm with maple syrup and fresh blueberries.

Blueberry Grapefruit Banana Smoothie
(serves 1-2)

1/2 to 1 cup frozen blueberries
juice from 1 grapefruit
1 banana, sliced into rounds and frozen
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
1 tbsp water (optional)

Combine all the ingredients into the blender and blend till smooth.
Pour into glasses and serve immediately.