Banana-maple waffles taste as good as they are good for you

So many of my recipes get their start with ingredients that I have on hand after making another dish. That's the case with these waffles. I'd bought the low-fat sour cream to garnish my Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas, the banana for Tropical Coconut Pudding Parfaits and the frozen blueberries for Fruit-Topped French Toast Casserole.

I'm not quite sure why I decided to combine those ingredients in waffles, but I'm glad I did. These waffles are slightly sweet with a definite but not overpowering banana flavor. Using white whole-wheat flour provides the health benefits of whole grains, but the waffles are decidedly lighter than those made with regular whole-wheat flour.

Serve these waffles for breakfast, brunch or, as I did, for a change-of-pace lunch. If you have leftovers, freeze them and reheat in the toaster. The reheated waffles won't have quite the same texture as the ones fresh out of a waffle iron, but they're heads above any whole-wheat toaster waffle you can find at the supermarket.

BANANA-MAPLE WHOLE-WHEAT WAFFLES
Yield: About 7 waffles

1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large banana
3/4 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup 1 percent or skim milk
1/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons real maple syrup (see note)
Fresh or frozen blueberries, optional

Prepare and preheat a waffle iron.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Mash the banana in a medium bowl. (You should have 1/2 cup. If you used a larger banana, remove the excess from the bowl.) Add sour cream, milk, oil, eggs and syrup. Whisk until well combined.

Add banana mixture to dry ingredients. Mix quickly but well with a silicone or rubber spatula. Do not overmix or the waffles will be tough.

For a 6-inch waffle iron, ladle a heaping 1/2 cup batter on the griddle. If desired, scatter a few blueberries over the batter. Cook waffle until done, then repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with your choice of toppings, such as sliced bananas, fresh blueberries and/or maple syrup.

If making more waffles than you can eat at one meal, let the extras cool on wire racks (to prevent sogginess). Once cool, transfer to plastic bags and freeze. Reheat in the toaster or the oven.

Note: Don't use pancake syrup, which is made from corn syrup and flavorings. You can substitute agave nectar or honey, but the flavor won't be the same.