A Cookable Feast

It’s Valentine’s Day, guys! A day of love!!!!!

Once I look past the hyper-commercial aspects of Valentine’s Day, I love it. Because I do believe that at its unvarnished core, Valentine’s Day is a noble day. At the very least, it’s a great reminder to show the people in your life + yourself that you care about them. And you can show them that you care today AND any other day of the year by making these glorious Dark Chocolate Waffles.

MMMMMMmmmmm, CHOCOLATE.

Chocolate is one of my great joys in life. And since I am my own best Valentine, I’m unabashedly advocating that I consume as much of it as I want today – which is why I included both unsweetened raw cacao AND a whole melted dark chocolate bar in this waffle recipe.

I think everyone is his/her own best Valentine. I think it’s important for us to love and appreciate ourselves – because if we don’t have our backs, who ultimately will? Thus, we should spoil ourselves today – and every day, really. I believe we should fill our lives with simple pleasures – chocolate waffles, a cup of fancy tea, a lunchtime walk around the block, 15 minutes holed away in our car reading an engrossing mystery novel during our workday (believe me, no one will miss you for 15 minutes!) – at every turn. Because life can be hard, and tedious and stressful, and heartbreaking, and busy busy busy – but simple pleasures don’t cost much, don’t take long, and can make a world of difference in our quality of life. And when we take care of ourselves, then we feel nourished enough to fully show up for our other Valentines: our romantic partners, kiddos, parents, friends, pets, coworkers.

That’s me on my self-love soapbox, guys. YAY to love in all its forms, and may you feel much of it today and every other day.

OK, on to the recipe!

One fun recipe note: this recipe calls for buttermilk. I know not everyone has buttermilk on hand, but fortunately, you can easily make a buttermilk substitute by adding a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to each cup of regular milk, then letting it sit, thicken, and do its buttermilk-substitute thing for five to ten minutes. Problem solved!

Dark Chocolate Waffles

-2 cups all-purpose flour

-1/4 cup unsweetened raw cacao powder

-2 tsp. baking soda

-1/4 tsp. salt

-2 eggs

-1 1/4 cups buttermilk

-1/4 cup honey

-3 tbs. unsalted butter, melted

-2 tsp. vanilla extract

-1 3-ounce dark chocolate bar (I used one with 72% cocoa)

-Diced strawberries, for garnish

-Pure maple syrup and butter for serving

Preheat your waffle iron.

Blend the dry ingredients (flour, cacao powder, baking soda, salt) in a mixing bowl. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then mix into the dry ingredients along with the buttermilk, honey, butter, and vanilla. Carefully melt the chocolate bar in a microwave or using a double boiler pan over the stove; stir immediately into the batter once melted.

Pour batter into waffle iron grids and prepare according to iron instructions (they should take about three to five minutes to cook). Garnished finished waffles with diced strawberries and serve with maple syrup and butter. Makes about 8-10 waffles.