Chocolate Sweet Potato Waffles with the goodness of Flaxseed and Oats. Just what breakfasts should be like!

Sometimes things get lost, or worse, forgotten – it is the way of life, which is why the things we do manage to remember, the ones we learn to treasure and covet seem more valuable in our eyes. But that doesn’t always mean that forgotten things are unimportant, rather it is what we make of them. Lost things can sometimes be that which time has simply rendered inconsequential, even if it was once deemed precious.

But when such things come back to us, especially when you’re not particularly looking for them, it becomes a ray of sunshine to what is otherwise just an unexceptional day.

I had one such exceptional day last week, but not in the deep, poetic way I may have led you to believe, but it was interesting nevertheless. I’ve become a little sloppy in my organization skills lately, and I took a day off to catch up on trivialities like re-arranging the kitchen cupboards. While most people find chores tiresome, I find that mundane tasks help relax and rejuvenate me, especially when I’m suffering from a creative block. It worked for Albert Einstein, and it works for me as well, although I did not mean to show-off my intelligence with that particular comparison, against whose brilliance if measured, we’d all inevitably turn up virtually unintelligent.

For days I’ve been struggling with a creative block and I couldn’t shake it off, so I decided that a long pending therapeutic cleansing of the domicile might help. It was during this banal exercise that I discovered a bag of sweet potatoes that had somehow been pushed deeper into the dark cupboard and understandably forgotten. I’ve reduced the frequency with which I usually stock potatoes and so the cupboard that was reserved to house the spuds now remains largely empty or sometimes as pseudo storage for bulk items, hence also unchecked.

They had sprouted about an inch or so which gave me cause for concern – I know that potatoes are a part of the nightshade family (Game of Thrones fans could recall the effects of the Essence of Nightshade), and their sprouts are toxic. So when I see that potatoes have sprouted, I usually just toss them out, albeit with a slight twinge of guilt. But sweet potatoes – I’ve never had a case of them sprouting under my roof till now. So I spent a little time skimming the internet on what the societal procedures are when it comes to dealing with sprouted sweet potatoes.

Conflicting accounts existed, with the more cautious populace recommending that they be dealt with in the same manner as potatoes – mercilessly. But thankfully I persisted and sanity prevailed – turns out that sweet potatoes are just distant relatives of the potatoes and more closely related to the flowering vine, Morning Glory, which is not really a toxic plant. As long as the sprouts weren’t too big, it was safe to eat the potatoes. While sprouting, the starch is converted into sugar and most of the nutrients are diverted towards the new growth, which is why sprouted vegetables aren’t really the best things to eat. When the spuds get wrinkly and soft, it is definitely time to throw them out. But the ones I had were still firm and the sprouts were barely an inch.

My lost-and-found bag of sweet potatoes were saved from the hangman’s noose. And I knew that this second life they’ve been given mustn’t be wasted. My creative block lifted and like the brilliant sun emerging out from parting rain clouds, these Chocolate Sweet Potato Waffles came to mind.

I had been working on sweet potato waffles a year ago, but after the first round of testing failed, I gave up. But this time, I prevailed and while the first batch didn’t crisp up, the second did, and quite beautifully so.

These Chocolate Sweet Potato Waffles are VEGAN + GLUTEN-FREE, with the combined goodness of sweet potatoes (although the nutrition in mine old-bag-a-potatoes is to be questioned, I’m sure that when made with sweet potatoes in good standing, it is irrefutable!), flaxseed and oats!

Serve hot with a generous doling of syrup (chocolate sauce works even better!). I’ve stashed a batch in the freezer, and to re-heat them back to their crispy self, bake in a preheated oven at 425°F for 5-8 minutes.  And for a little extra oomph, toss in a few chocolate chips on top before putting it in the oven – trust me!

When you make these Chocolate Sweet Potato Waffles (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here!