grain-free blueberry waffles with a blended avocado-berry cream topping, AIP-compliant

You probably assumed the waffle iron was done the day this phase started. Eggs are what usually hold a waffle together, and eggs are not part of this phase, so it is a fair assumption. It just is not the right one.

Cassava and tigernut flours do that work here instead. Tigernut has a texture closer to a true grain than most AIP flours manage, and its fiber gives the bacteria in your gut something to use, part of why gut repair sits at the center of this approach. The berry cream on top is not an afterthought: the fat in the avocado helps your body absorb the anthocyanins in the blueberries, antioxidant compounds tied to easing oxidative stress that tends to build up during ongoing inflammation.

Pour the cream over a hot waffle and watch the purple spread across it before you eat. A Saturday morning that looks like this still feels like the one you used to have.

Ingredients

Waffles

• 1 cup cassava flour
• 1/4 cup tigernut flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot starch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla powder (see note below)
• 1/2 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh
• 1 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (folded into the batter or served alongside)
• Maple syrup or honey, optional for serving

Berry Cream

• 2 avocados
• 1 cup frozen mixed berries

Vanilla note: the source calls for vanilla extract, which is alcohol-based and is left out of the elimination phase. Use vanilla powder, which is ground vanilla bean with nothing added, in the same quantity.

Method

1. Preheat your waffle iron and oil it lightly with coconut oil.
2. Whisk together the cassava flour, tigernut flour, arrowroot, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl until combined.
3. Add the melted coconut oil, warm water, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla powder. Stir until a smooth, fairly thick batter forms.
4. Fold in the blueberries gently.
5. Pour batter into the hot iron, using enough to fill the plates without overflowing - this batter is thicker than conventional waffle batter. Close the iron and cook until the waffle is set and releases cleanly, which may take 2 to 3 full cycles on most irons. Do not rush it; undercooked cassava waffles will stick and fall apart.
6. While the waffles cook, make the berry cream. Blend the avocados and frozen mixed berries together in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. The cream will thicken as it sits.
7. Serve the waffles warm, topped with berry cream and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey if using.

*Adapted from Lichen Paleo, Loving AIP*