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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020 THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 5 NORTHEAST OREGON EXTRA ‘Chaffles’ an option for people with dietary limitations ■ These waffles made from an egg- cheese batter rather than flour, appeal to people on ketogenic or gluten-free diets In this case, it’s the Dash mini waffl e maker, which People who eat a ketogen- makes personal-sized waffl es ic diet love chaffl es, and so about 4 1/2 inches in diam- do gluten-free eaters. What eter, one by one. There are started as a trend for those several other brands, and all who follow restrictive diets, are inexpensive and small however, has spread now enough to tuck into a drawer to Facebook groups with for storage. But any chaffl e hundreds of thousands of recipe may be made in bigger members and Pinterest and waffl e irons as well; as the Instagram boards by the recipes here note, just double hundreds. the amounts to make chaffl es What is a “chaffl e”? The in a larger iron. arguably unattractive name Once baked, chaffl es can comes from the combination be incredibly versatile. There of cheese plus waffl e, and are recipes online for choco- signifi es a waffl e made from late-chocolate chip chaffl es; an egg-cheese batter, rather for pizza chaffl es; for pump- than a fl our-based one. kin-spice chaffl es; for chaffl e Or at least that’s what it French toast; for little chaffl e meant in the beginning. Now layer cakes with cream you’ll fi nd cheese-free chaffl es cheese frosting — the permu- as well, including one that tations are nearly endless. chaffl e fans swear tastes Because they are high in “just like Wonder Bread!” protein — and sometimes That may not sound like an high in fat — chaffl es are admirable goal to some of us, fi lling and they keep your but for many people whose tummy happy for a long time. diets limit or prohibit bread, Around my house, a basic the Wonder Bread chaffl e chaffl e spread with cream suddenly makes sandwiches cheese and a sprinkle of ev- part of their lives again. erything bagel seasoning has Naturally, as with many become a breakfast standard. such trendy foods, there’s a Because they’re so quick and specialty appliance involved. easy to prepare, little chaffl e By Robin Mather Chicago Tribune E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune-TNS Chaffl es are a fl ourless version of waffl es that became popular among keto and gluten-free sets but have crossed over to a wider audience. kles before and after adding the batter, if you like. 1 egg 3 tablespoons almond fl our OR 1 tablespoon coconut fl our Nutrition information per chaffl e: 137 calories, 9 g fat, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise 4 g saturated fat, 111 mg 1 teaspoon water cholesterol, 3 g carbohydrates, ¼ teaspoon baking powder 1 g sugar, 10 g protein, 346 mg 1. Heat the waffl e iron. In a 1. Heat the waffl e maker. In a sodium, 0 g fi ber small bowl, beat the egg with small bowl, beat the egg with a fork until it is well blended a fork until it is well blended (as for scrambled eggs). Add (as for scrambled eggs). Stir the almond or coconut fl our, in cheese, almond or coconut Prep: 10 minutes mayonnaise, water and baking fl our, and baking powder until Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 5 minutes Cook: 5 minutes powder; stir until the mixture is well blended. Makes: 2 chaffl es well blended. 2. For extra crispness, scatter Makes: 2 chaffl es 2. Close the waffl e iron and a little mozzarella over the allow the chaffl e to bake until it waffl e iron’s bottom surface. Sprinkling a little cheese Many people prefer these on the waffl e iron before add- Let it melt for a moment, then to basic chaffl es if they have a stops steaming. Lift the lid — if ing the batter adds additional spread approximately half the sandwich in mind. You won’t it offers any resistance, bake a few moments longer — and batter onto the bottom surface. taste the mayonnaise, but crispness, but it’s optional. transfer to a paper-towel lined The waffl es will be soft when Top with a few sprinkles of it contributes a little sweet- plate to cool. Repeat with extra mozzarella, if you like. fi rst removed from the iron ness and makes the chaffl es 3. Close the waffl e iron and but will crisp as they cool. tender. The almond or coconut remaining batter. allow the chaffl e to bake until it fl our in these chaffl es lends This recipe is designed for a Nutrition information per personal-sized waffl e maker. stops steaming. Lift the lid — if structure, so don’t omit it. It chaffl e: 143 calories, 13 g Double this recipe if you’d like it offers any resistance, cook also helps absorb any extra fat, 2 g saturated fat, 96 mg to prepare it in a larger waffl e a few moments longer — and egg. This recipe is designed for transfer the fi nished chaffl e to a a personal-sized waffl e maker. cholesterol, 3 g carbohydrates, iron. Refrigerate any extras 1 g sugar, 5 g protein, 144 mg paper-towel lined plate to cool. Double this recipe if you’d like for up to 3 days or freeze for sodium, 1 g fi ber 4. Repeat with remaining longer storage. to prepare it in a larger waffl e batter, using mozzarella sprin- iron. “pizzas” make a lazy dinner satisfying. Will this trend last, or is it a mere fl ash in the waffl e maker? It’s hard to say. I think, however, that when a trend satisfi es a need, it’s probably here for the long run. 1 large egg ½ cup shredded mozzarella, plus additional for sprinkling on the iron 1 tablespoon almond fl our OR 1 teaspoon coconut fl our ½ teaspoon baking powder BASIC CHAFFLE RECIPE WHITE BREAD CHAFFLES BOB’S THOUGHTS Tips for sticking to a healthy eating BOB BAUM By Ben Mims and Genevieve Ko Los Angeles Times Super Bowl memories The Super Bowl, that national cel- ebration of everything football, food and drink, is nearly upon us again. As a spectacle, maybe the Olympic opening ceremony exceeds it, but not much else in sports does. The game even occasionally lives up to those countless hours of pre-game hype. I managed to witness three Super Bowls in my two decades of covering the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals: 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa and 2015 at what was then University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. And every one of them was a thriller. Nothing in sports quite matches the carnival atmosphere at the Super Bowl Media Day. Many so-called “journalists’’ show up in costumes or ask ridiculous questions. It’s a circus. We made a major tactical error when we decided to drive our rental car to the media day in Houston rather than ride the bus. We parked far from the stadium and I wandered for hours trying to fi nd an entrance that would allow me inside. I lost my temper, fortunately not enough to get arrested, and wandered that sea of concrete like a drunken sailor on shore leave before I fi nally found my way inside. Halftime shows are a big deal these days. I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Bank rock the house at halftime in Tampa and Katy Perry perform at the game in Glendale. I don’t recall who performed in Hous- ton, probably because I was wandering the bowels of Reliant Stadium in search of whatever happened to a guy who ran onto the fi eld dressed in a referee’s shirt. He was hauled off the fi eld but I never found out what happened to him and simply missed a lot of a very good game. New England beat Carolina 32-29. Continued on Page 6 What “healthy” means to each of us is very different — and is what we often discuss when developing recipes for, or talking about, eating to feel good. More often than not the meals we manage are a hodgepodge of random bits of leftovers from recipe testing, foraged edible bric-a- brac from people bringing food into the offi ces, or completely absent because we’re too busy to stop and do what we write about every week: eat. Recognizing the gulf between the aspiration to eat well and the reality of daily life, we’re sharing a few of the course corrections we’re hoping to effect for ourselves in 2020. Eating better means feeling better, we all know that, so here are our prescriptions to ourselves for the new year: Ben’s tips • Get over the stigma of frozen vegetables I get it: We live in Southern California and the produce is unmatched. I go to the farmers market every weekend. But there still manages to be a couple of days I haven’t planned for when I’m desperate for something green and the cupboard is barren (or wilted). That’s where frozen vegetables come in. Not those depressing kaleidoscopic “medleys.” I mean a bag of broccoli, green beans or peas (Jacques Pepin cosigns!) that I can steam, saute or roast instead of reaching for a takeout menu. With a bowl of warm rice, they’re a meal. • Aim for a “healthy” breakfast at least three days a week Knowing I should eat better and actually doing it are two separate things. I try to outsmart myself and eat a healthy-for-me breakfast at least three days a week — a small bowl of cashew yogurt with granola and a big dollop of jam; wilted spinach scrambled with an egg; good whole-grain toast with a banana and almond butter. Ideally, starting my morning this way will infl uence the rest of my day’s meals, but I know at least I got my nutrition in fi rst thing and if I eat not so well the rest of the day, I won’t beat myself up over it. • There’s no shame in shakes I often fi nd myself too busy for lunch, whether I’m deep in the zone writing or have just fi nished a morning of driving all over L.A. for groceries and I want to start cook- ing and not make extra dishes. In those situations I go for a shake — even, yes, easy-to-hate-on Soylent or green shakes from Moon Juice. Shakes are also my secret for staying sated when I have an early fl ight, photo shoot or TV appear- ance that throws a wrench in my usual morning routine. • Keep nuts on hand every- where, all the time I’m one of those people who fi nd themselves suddenly famished, and that’s why I started keep mixed nuts everywhere: my kitch- en cabinet, my car’s center console, in my desk at work. A couple handfuls is all I need to stabilize my blood sugar levels and ward off any insane rationalizations that I need seven cookies as my “snack” right now. • Just drink water Drinking water helps you feel full, staving off hunger pangs that strike out of nowhere. The rule of drinking a full glass of water before a meal really works — it makes you eat less because you’re putting something in your stomach and, if you’re imbibing, helps dilute the alcohol to ward off hangovers. Staying hydrated means you’ll feel better overall, and hopefully that will carry over into helping you make better decisions about what to eat for the rest of the day. Genevieve’s tips • Rule No. 1: There are no rules Trying to eat healthy can be a real mind game. If I tell myself I can’t have any doughnuts, I will devour a dozen and then some. If your head works like mine, don’t label anything as totally off-limits. You already know what’s better for you — whole ingredi- ents, especially plants, and not processed stuff — so eat more real food. Doughnuts are OK — as is everything — eaten in modera- tion. • Be a junk food snob Cold soggy fries? Hard pass. Crisp shoestrings with just the right smattering of salt? Yes, please. If you’re choosing to eat, make or buy something indulgent, make sure it’s perfect. Peanut but- ter cups are my No. 1 chocolate, but I’m not tempted by a smushed Reese’s Christmas tree leftover. I want the classic fl at round with a top as smooth as a freshly Zam- bonied ice rink and sharp-ridged edges. Does that make me a candy snob? Maybe. But if you’re eating what you want, make sure it’s exactly what you want. • Make big batches of good stuff you can snack on anytime It’s hard to fi nd time every day to execute full meals, so when I have extra hours, I make big batches of dishes that keep well and taste great anytime. Some favorites include whole grains fl a- vorful enough to eat on their own (or to serve as a grain bowl base); roasted root vegetables; well- dressed cooked vegetables that won’t wilt such as green beans or kale; from-scratch dips, such as artichoke-spinach or hummus; boiled jammy eggs; and dressings to toss with salad whenever. • Amp fl avor and texture Bland, mono-textured meals will leave you unsatisfi ed even if your stomach is fi lled. Whatever you’re cooking, be sure to season it well and taste it throughout the process. Beyond salting for seasoning, you should add a hit of acid such as fresh lemon juice and heat such as sliced, fresh chiles to make it bright and exciting; and use enough fat for it to feel rich. A fi nal drizzle of olive oil over most dishes always helps. Umami is key in boosting fl avor. It deliv- ers the savory yum you enjoy in processed snacks but comes in natural forms such as Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, meat and sauces such as soy, fi sh sauce and Worcestershire. On top of all that fl avor, build texture with crunch, such as tossing cut, crisp vegetables into the tender greens of a salad, scattering nuts over soft, steamed sweet potatoes, or showering scrambled eggs with toasted bread crumbs.
