I was always a pancakes-kind-of-girl growing up. Every Sunday morning my family would pile into the car and drive to our local diner, Brownies, for some really greasy, disgustingly delicious brunch food. Picture the most quintessential diner heart attack food - now you're there! Haha. I would order a stack of flapjacks with butter and syrup and always got an extra side of syrup. I usually also got a side of corned been hash or bacon, and literally could almost finish it all - even at 10 years old. Yikes! These days, my kind of brunch usually involves much more of the color 'green', at least a few vegetables, and usually a mimosa or two. But sometimes, you just want to go back and have those childhood favorites - without the guilt or greasy food hangover. I prefer the snap of a crispy waffle now more a pile of soggy pancakes, so when I started craving sweet, maple syrup-smothered breakfasts, I knew there had to be a better option for me. I made tons of rounds of waffles and nothing bound together the batter AND gave the cooked waffles a crispy edge like adding in some protein powder. Plus, all of a sudden my waffles carried a protein content of over 20 grams. BONUS! Now they're not only a great breakfast addition, but the perfect post-workout snack, too. So what're we doing still talking about them?! Get out your waffle iron and let's get cooking!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour (both work well!)
1/4 cup vegan protein powder*
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water
2-3 drops vanilla stevia (optional, for a sweeter waffle)
1 tablespoon oil

DIRECTIONS
In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, protein powder, baking powder and salt. Create a well in the center of the mixture, and pout into it the water, stevia and oil. Whisk the mixture together until the batter just comes together. Its okay if there are a few lumps! Do not mix until smooth - unless you want flat, chewy waffles. Ick! 

Let the mixture set for about 5-10 minutes, let scoop the appropriate amount of batter into your waffle iron and let it cook up until the waffle is perfectly fluffy with crispy edges. Keep it going until all your waffles are cooked up. Enjoy! (I like mine with butter and syrup or a bit of peanut butter and fruit!) Leftovers freeze and reheat really well - I highly recommend making a double batch and sticking some in the freezer for easy toaster breakfasts later!

NOTES
Makes 2-4 waffles, depending on the size of your waffle iron.

*I use Sprouts brand Vegan Vanilla Protein Powder. It's pea protein based and has just 1 g of sugar per serving, which is how I am able to keep the sugar in these waffles nearly nonexistent. Use your favorite protein here, but account for textural differences if it is not pea protein. 

I usually use softened coconut oil here, but you can sub in any flavorless oil you like.