Whole Grain Waffles

I love waffles! We had them this morning and they were delicious. We always make ours 100% whole-grain and they are very light and fluffy. There's a few secrets that I've learned about making good whole-grain waffles, here's my recipe:

Waffles
2 large eggs
1 C. wonder flour*
1 C. white wheat, freshly ground*
1-3/4 C. milk
½ C. vegetable oil**
1 Tbsp. white or brown sugar
¼ tsp. salt
4 tsp. Rumford baking powder (this is important!)

Heat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients except baking powder just until smooth. Add baking powder and stir just barely until mixed (don't over-beat). Let sit for a few minutes to let the baking powder get bubbly. Pour a scant 2/3 C. batter onto center of hot waffle iron. Close lid. Bake about 5 min or until steaming stops. Carefully remove waffle. Serve immediately. Repeat with remaining batter. Makes six 7-inch round waffles.

*You can make this recipe gluten free just by using brown-rice flour or other gluten-free flour.

**For lower fat, you can substitute ¼ C. unsweetened applesauce (or cooked, pureed pumpkin or yellow squash) for ¼ C. of the oil.

Here's some healthy toppings that you can put on top of waffles instead of syrup:

• Unsweetened Applesauce (we love this!)
• Low-sugar jam (but if you buy it, check to make sure it doesn't have harmful additives)
• Cut up fruit (peaches, strawberries, etc) and whipped cream (you can make your own low-fat, low-sugar version)
• Agave Nectar - we had waffles with agave nectar over Christmas and it was delicious - a great substitute for syrup and better for you.

What about you? Any great waffle recipes out there? What are your secrets? What toppings do you like to use?