Kitchen Hacks- Waffle Iron

Is the waffle iron something that collects dust in the back of your cabinet? We can attest that it does in our house. We decided to plug ours in and push it to its limits. We wanted to go beyond the waffle and try to cook everything from veggies to hamburgers in it.

Waffle irons cook food in minutes and are super easy to clean! Not to mention relatively safe for kids to use (with supervision). We find that when our kiddos participate in meal preparation they are more likely to eat at mealtimes! Here are some cool ideas to try:

1.   Veggie Waffles
Grate zucchini, beets, squash or a mixture of your favorite veggies. Mix with an egg, parmesan cheese and a little bit of rice flour (to get it crispy). mmmmmm this is sooo yummy right out of the waffle iron or you can freeze them and just pop them in the toaster another day!

2.   Fish Stick Waffles
Ok, we know these sound a bit strange but this is an easy version of a crab cake and definitely something to try! For best results shred the fish and instead of coating with flour then egg then breadcrumb just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and make into little patties.

3.   Falafel 
Follow your favorite falafel recipe and instead of baking or frying them put them in the waffle iron! Start with a flatter patty and they will come out really nice and crispy!

4.   Hot Sandwiches
This is a waffle iron version of a panini! Try PB&J or a Turkey & Cheese sandwich. This will require a little muscle to force the waffle iron closed… but super tasty and great for the lunchbox too!

Think beyond the waffle and share your waffle iron hacks with us!