Latke Waffles
& not everything needs to be productive
Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every week! Paid subscribers get even more on Saturdays — right now I’m doing a 30-minute budget meal series! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!
CATCH UP!
As is typical with the holiday season, I’ve been finding a lot of joy in food. I’ve been enjoying countless holiday treats, festive coffees in the neighborhood, and warm soothing bowls for dinner. A lot of this joy also stems from the fact that I’ve been able to cook in a more leisurely way.
I’ve teased this a little bit, but I’m working on a big project this year that I’m sure I’ll share soon (!!!), and after I had a baby, I sort of went into a panic thinking how the f am I going to do this while being a new mom. As I find my rhythm I get back into the kitchen, I’m starting to believe it’s possible. But I also find myself wanting to cook for fun versus work.
Over the weekend, I made homemade English muffins (featured below) and Ina Garten’s viral Brownie Pudding. It took up my whole Sunday, essentially, and at the end of it, I felt a little guilty that I spent time baking goods that really had no practical purpose. I could have been filming a reel or working on my big project or even meal prepping for the week. But I tried to shoo those thoughts out of my head.
Cooking can be a hobby. Cooking can be an act of self-care. Cooking doesn’t have to be for work! I don’t always have to be “productive” in the capitalistic sense. And you know what? I had a lot of fun making these impractical items, and they have continued to bring me joy for days. Doing things for no reason other than enjoyment is a gift we can give ourselves.
THINGS I’M LOVING!
I don’t know why I had this craving, but ever since the day Sagan was born, I have been itching to make homemade muffins. It only took me four months, but I finally did it! I used this King Arthur Baking recipe, and although it took half a day, it was fairly easy, and they came out delicious! I’m always looking to improve my baking, but it’s such a treat to have homemade baked goods around! I’ve been eating these with simply some salted butter or apricot jam!
I have a hot chocolate recipe coming out soon, and I wanted to get a cute festive mug for the video. I found this striped one and loved it so much — I may need to order more to complete the set. They have a few different color options as well! My sister said they looked like something you would get from Anthropologie!
After I posted last week’s breakfast sandwich video, I got so many questions about my red splatter bowl! It’s from Crow Canyon, and it comes in lots of different colors! I got the Burgundy color, but I also love the blue and navy, too. And even though it’s called the “Small Basin,” I would consider it a pretty big bowl! Perfect for mixing or big salads.
DISCOUNT CODES!
Supplements
KALEMEMAYBE25 gets you 30% off your first order with Ritual!
Use my link to get up to 45% off Grüns gummy vitamins!
KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Armra Colostrum!
CARINA gets you 15% off Perelel Vitamins
Food & Drink
KALEMEMAYBE gets you 10% off Fishwife products
DRIZZLE gets you 20% off Little Zing Mustard
KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Kola Goodies tea lattes
CARINA20 gets you 20% off Primal Kitchen products
KALEMEMAYBE15 gets you 15% off Flour & Water products
CARINA20 gets you 20% off Juliet Wine!
CARINAWOLFF gets you 40% off your first order with Hungryroot!
CARINA20 gets you 20% off of Algae Cooking Club
Use my link to get 30% off your first order and a free gift from Thrive Market
KALEMEMAYBE10 gets you 10% off Culture Pop Soda
CARINAWOLFF gets you $30 off your first box + free croissants for life from Wildgrain
KMM25 gets you 25% off your whole order at Ground Up Nut Butters
Home & Other Products
CARINA10 gets you 10% off Starter Kits from Branch Basics!
CW15 gets you 15% off Bon Charge Red Light Therapy
CARINA15 gets you 15% off East Fork Pottery
CARINA20 gets you 20% off at Eva Polar (energy-efficient personal air cooler)
Use my link to get 20% off at Canopy
CARINA10 gets you 10% off at Print Fresh (100% cotton pajamas)
Use this link to get 10% off your order at Tubby Todd!
I’ve been on such a tea kick lately, and I’m still really enjoying Pique’s Pu’er Teas — both the black and green. If you’re not familiar, Pu’er isn’t your typical tea: it’s a living, fermented tea that’s wild-harvested from 250-year-old tea trees and then crafted through a rare fermentation process. Because of this, it’s naturally rich in probiotics, prebiotics, and antioxidants, which I love for supporting digestion and gut health.
During the holidays, routine can be all over the place, and I’ve found that having a nice cup of Black Pu’er tea in the morning or a Green Pu’er tea after a meal has been a nice grounding ritual.
These teas also make a really thoughtful gift for wellness lovers, and right now for the month of December, Pique is offering 20% off FOR LIFE + free gifts, which is their most generous holiday offer. Use my link: https://piquelife.com/carinapuer
RECIPE!
Happy Hannukah! I have yet to make traditional latkes this week, but I did decide to bust out my waffle iron and make some latke waffles.
Now, I’m going to be fully transparent with you: If you’re looking for that classic, crispy, fried latke, you’re not going to find that here. These waffles emulate the experience of a latke, but they aren’t fried, so they’re not quite the same. The inside of these waffles are a bit softer and chewier than your typical fried latke, because, well, they weren’t fried.
That being said, that’s the beauty of this recipe! If you’re looking for something a little healthier in the latke department, I’ve got you! They’re quicker and easier to make, and you don’t have to dunk your potatoes in oil.
Yes, I know that’s the point of the latkes for Hannukah, and yes, I will still be making fried latkes this year in addition to these. I have nothing against a delicious, fried potato. In fact, I savor it. There is room for both, and this is just a fun and easy option. Grant actually told me he prefers these to a typical fried latke, so it’s all about personal preference (although he’s not Jewish, so what does he know?)
I feel like these would be great for breakfast. I topped mine with both sour cream and lox along with the classic sour cream and applesauce. I prefer the traditional combo of the sour cream and applesauce, but like I said, some lox on top would make a great breakfast option! Or lunch. Or dinner. Whatever you’d like! These latkes don’t have rules.
This recipe was inspired by Smitten Kitchen’s, with a few modifications! I used shallots because there was an onion shortage at the store, but yellow onion definitely works in its place and is the more traditional option. I also added some Old Bay Seasoning and garlic powder to give these latkes a little more flavor!
Latke Waffles
Ingredients (makes 4 waffles, serves 2)
Waffles
2 small russet potatoes
2 large shallots (can use 1/2 yellow onion)
2 eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt & pepper
Avocado oil spray or other cooking spray
Topping Options
Sour cream
Applesauce
Chives
Lox
Fresh dill
1. Peel your potatoes, and then using a box cutter or food processor, grate the potatoes and your shallots. Using a cheesecloth (or nut milk bag), squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the potatoes and shallots.
2. Preheat your waffle iron to high, and preheat your oven to 350 F. Add the grated potatoes and shallots to a large bowl along with eggs, flour, baking powder, Old Bay seasoning, garlic powder, and a good pinch of both salt and pepper. Mix together until thoroughly combined.
3. Spray your preheated waffle iron with avocado oil spray or any other high heat oil. Spoon the batter into your waffle iron, leaving some room around the edges and flattening the batter with the back of a spoon. Cook for about 7 minutes until the bottom of the waffles have turned golden brown. The top will brown too, but not as much as the bottom.
4. Transfer the waffles to a baking sheet and into the oven while you cook the remainder of your waffles. Baking them at a higher heat will help crisp the top of the waffles! Don’t keep them in the oven for longer than 10-15 minutes, though (or turn your oven heat down to 200 F to keep warm).
5. Serve warm topped with your desired toppings!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for Goat Cheese and Red Pepper Quinoa with Chicken and Potatoes — a big bowl meal, and part of my ongoing 30-minute budget meal series!
Just a reminder that anytime you become a paid subscriber, you get access to ALL of the past recipes in the archive. You can always do a free 7-day trial as well!
Goat Cheese & Red Pepper Quinoa with Chicken & Potatoes
Happy Saturday! I was able to get up early this morning and feel pretty rested, so Grant and I got some coffee and bagels, and it felt nice to get out on a weekend morning!