When I’m sick, really sick, can’t get out of bed sick, there are a few key healing foods I crave: Pho, and ginger tea, and coconut water, and elderberry elixir. My favorite elderberry elixir is a blend of syrup from the tart, richly flavored fruit, apple cider vinegar, cayenne, and honey. It’s exceedingly potent. It makes me feel a bit like a superhero. And it makes my lips and throat tingle and dies them a deep magenta. And I happen to love all of those things.
Today, I set out to change the fact that elderberry, in all its medicinal glory, is rarely used in food. First stop on the mission? The healing power of waffles, and my obsession with elderberry infused OLLY Super Foods Multi vitamin gummies. A match made in superfood breakfast heaven.
But wait. These aren’t just any waffles—they’re made with whey, the liquid that remains after you make ricotta or yogurt. I happened to have whey leftover from making ricotta, and, having heard of the exceptional fluffiness whey imparts to baked goods, I decided to give whey waffles an (alliterative) whirl. I turned, of course, to my favorite cultured dairy cookbook, Cheryl Sternman-Rule’s Yogurt Culture, to find a recipe, and off we went. (If you don’t have whey, you can easily sub yogurt, as indicated below.) And I topped them off with even more cultured dairy—a yogurt whip swirled with elderberry blueberry syrup.
HOLY. YUM. (And if you don’t own a waffle iron, make them as pancakes—they’ll be just as good.)
But wait, let’s talk about elderberry again. I love its regal hue, I love its tartness, I love its potent vitamin and antioxidant content, and I love the way it energizes my immune system. If the plant kingdom had a lifeblood other than chlorophyll, I think elderberry just might be it—it’s that sustaining. Which is why the new elderberry infused OLLY Super Foods Multi vitamin has me beyond excited.
Did I mention it’s a super yummy vegetarian and gluten-free gummy, loaded with pomegranate, wheatgrass, açai, and papaya? Or that it contains heavy doses of phytonutrients, antioxidant compounds that help combat the damage caused by harmful chemicals in our environment? I honestly have to prevent myself from popping more than the allotted two a day every time I walk through the kitchen.
Lucky for me, not only can I snag them at any Target store, but Olly is also providing 20% off a home delivery subscription (just use code SUPER20, valid through March 30, 2016), so I don’t have to think twice about how to get my elderberry fix—or my super mandatory daily multivitamin. Praise be to the holy spirit of elderberry!
One final elderberry bonus before I leave you with the recipe: My dear friend Beth of Tasty Yummies has an incredible tutorial up today on making your own elderberry syrup at home. Hurrah!
This post is sponsored by OLLY. Thanks for supporting the businesses that keep Kale & Caramel thriving! All opinions are my own.
WHEY WAFFLES WITH ELDERBERRY BLUEBERRY YOGURT WHIP.
Ingredients
adapted from Yogurt Culture
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons corn starch omit if making pancakes
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- teaspoon scant ½ baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup whey or ½ cup plain yogurt—not Greek—plus ½ cup milk of choice
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon melted butter
elderberry blueberry yogurt whip
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons elderberry syrup
- 1 cup Greek or other strained yogurt
toppings
- fresh blueberries
- fresh blackberries
Instructions
- Make the waffles.
- Preheat waffle iron according to machine instructions. Preheat oven to 200º.
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk whey, eggs, and melted butter. Using a silicone spatula, gradually fold wet mix into dry, until just mixed. Batter will have some clumps, but there should be no powder. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
- When waffle iron is ready (or buttered skillet, if making pancakes), add batter in 2-3 tablespoon dollops at center of each waffle square in order to make small waffle rounds, or shape to your liking. Cook each round of waffles 3-4 minutes, or as indicated on your waffle maker. Keep warm in oven while you make the rest.
- Make the elderberry blueberry yogurt whip.
- Place blueberries and maple syrup in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium flame. Stir with a silicone spatula as fruit begins to burst, and use your spatula to crush berries against the sides and bottom of the pan. Once they reach a boil, reduce heat to low and continue stirring. Once berries are completely broken down and sauce is liquid, add elderberry syrup. Cook another few minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat.
- When ready to eat, swirl syrup into yogurt, leaving some on the side to top waffles. Serve waffles with yogurt whip, extra syrup, and berries.
