Avocado and spinach waffles with sun-dried tomatoes and tomato and mango salsa with mint

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 1 avocado(s), Hass variety
• 30 g baby spinach
• 25 g dried tomatoes
• 140 g wheat flour or spelt flour type 630
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100 ml carbonated mineral water
• 75 ml cream, 30%
• 2 eggs, size M
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil, toasted
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp smoked paprika powder
• ½ lime(s), zest and juice
• e.g. salt and pepper
• some Crema di Balsamic vinegar for drizzling
• 125 g date tomatoes
• 50 g mango(s), fresh and ripe or frozen
• 2 spring onions
• ½ small chili pepper(s), red
• ½ lime(s), juice
• ½ tsp mint, dried
• Salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 35 minutes

vegetarian

Cut the avocado lengthwise, twist the halves together, and remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and place it in a tall container. Rinse the baby spinach, shake dry, and add it to the avocado. Pour the cream into the container along with the sunflower and sesame oils and maple syrup. Rinse and zest the lime in hot water. Add the zest to the container. Halve the lime, squeeze it, and pour half of the juice into the container. Add the ground cumin and smoked paprika, then puree everything with an immersion blender. Finely dice the sun-dried tomatoes and add them to the puree. Add the flour and baking powder along with the carbonated mineral water a spoonful at a time, stirring by hand; do not use the immersion blender. Finally, season generously with salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit for a while so that the sun-dried tomato pieces can absorb some of the moisture. In the meantime, prepare the salsa. To do this, wash the date tomatoes and cut into pieces, peel and dice the fresh mango, or thaw the frozen mango pieces. Wash and deseed the chili, then slice into rings. Wash the spring onions and slice into rings. Place everything in a bowl, add the dried mint, marinate with the remaining lime juice, and lightly season with salt. Let it marinate until ready to use. Preheat the waffle iron to about 2/3 heat, not full heat. Pour the batter into the waffle iron in portions and cook for about 5-7 minutes, depending on the appliance. The waffle should be lightly browned. When serving, serve the salsa over the waffles and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar. Notes: Each serving yields about 2 Belgian waffles; the amount may vary for heart-shaped waffles. I recommend the slightly thicker Belgian waffles, as they stay moister. The carbonation in the mineral water creates a fluffy texture during baking, so you shouldn’t let the carbonation escape prematurely when mixing with an immersion blender. The sun-dried tomato pieces add texture to the waffle. If you don’t let the batter rest a bit, the pieces might still be too hard. Of course, you can also add fresh mint to the salsa to taste.