Vegan Brown Rice Waffles

I was a little hesitant about whipping these waffles up. I've never made batter from brown rice but the method seemed interesting so I became curious to see if the waffles would actually turn out. Not only did they turn out, they are quite tasty. 

This recipe requires that you start the batter the night before by soaking the brown rice. You'll be happy about this when you are rushing to make breakfast before work. As a note, you can easily make this recipe gluten-free by substituting conventional vanilla extract with a gluten-free extract such as McCormick's Vanilla Extract. Better yet, use vanilla bakery emulsion instead of extract altogether to ensure a gluten-free recipe. (recipe after the jump)

The Recipe: 

2 Cups Brown Rice (uncooked, raw)

2.5 Cups of Soy, Almond, Coconut or any vegan "milk." (some drinks may contain gluten)

1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar to add to "milk" to make it vegan buttermilk

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil or Vegetable Shortening (I used veg shortening)

2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract

1/2 Teaspoon of Salt (fine grain sea-salt is always best)

1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

2 Tablespoons of Flax Seed (optional)

Spray Oil for Waffle Iron

Maple Syrup or other waffle-like toppings!

The night before: 

1. Add Rice, "Milk", Vinegar, Oil/Shortening, Vanilla to a blender and blend until ingredients until they are well combined. You don't need to worry about blending up the rice yet. It will become soft overnight. Leave covered at room temperature. 

The morning after:

2. Add Salt and Flax Seeds (optional) Blend until mixture is smooth. (Add "milk" if mixture is too thick to blend. Add enough liquid until a "vortex" forms visible from the top of your mixture.

3. Add Baking Soda to the middle of the "vortex" - Blend enough to incorporate the baking soda into the mixture but avoid over blending as the baking soda can become less effective when over worked.

4.  Oil Waffle Iron and Pour Batter, follow iron's instructions.

5. Serve with Maple Syrup or as I do, syrup, applesauce and banana.