Once upon a time there was a waffle man. Every time he popped out of the waffle maker, someone tried to take a bite of him. End of story. That’s because he was made of pumpkin. And gluten-free! I could eat pumpkin any time of year, but fall is when I like it best. It’s great as a side, with butter, salt and pepper. In soup (ooh, roasted pumpkin with redpepper!) quiche, breads, pie and the list goes on. But today, I’m making pumpkin waffles! Why is pumpkin so good for you? It’s one of those foods you can eat and feel good about. For one thing, it’s full of dietary fiber. And a excellent source of Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Potassium, Copper, Manganese,  and Vitamin A, in addition to Thiamine, Niacin, Vitamin B6,  Folate, Iron, and Phosphorus. (Whew!) Not only does it have all that, pumpkin is low in saturated fat and cholesterol. It took a couple of tries before I got the recipe right. But the results were delectable. Slightly crunchy exterior, light on the inside. And full of pumpkin-spice flavor. A fun idea for the kids: If you are feeling adventurous, have your children  help you pick out a pie pumpkin. These are small, usually the yield is one pie per pumpkin. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees (be sure to make a few steam vents with a knife) until tender. (It will start to cave in.) Remove and cool. Slice open, remove seeds and strings and scrape out the pulp. Pulp can be frozen for later use. With my first attempt, I used a can of Trader Joe’s organic pumpkin. Sorry, Joe, but it looked like car wax and the flavor wasn’t any better. (Nothing personal.) Then I bought a can of Libby’s. Not organic, but tried and true. To me, canned pumpkin should be a rich orange, dense but moist, and full of pumpkin flavor. I have an older non-stick GE waffle iron/griddle that makes four waffles at a time. It heats up great and really gets my waffles done in the center. They pop right out with cooking spray. I’ve had waffles take forever in a newer waffle iron. I gave up after a while and made pancakes. But these worked. And they tasted wonderful Gluten-Free Pumpkin Waffles (yield: 1 doz.  4 in. sq. waffles) Combine in large bowl: 1 1/4 C. brown rice flour 1/2 C. sorghum flour 3 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum Combine in  small bowl or cup:  2 tsp. groung flax meal 1 Tbs. water Let the mixture sit while combining below ingredients. Combine in a small bowl: 1/2 C canned pumpkin (pure pack, not pie filling) 3 Tbs. turbinado sugar 2 egg yolks (set whites aside) 2 Tbs. olive oil 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ginger (powered, not fresh) 1/4 tsp. ground clove 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. vanilla extract Flax meal and water mixture 1 3/4 C milk (regular cow’s milk or soy) Directions: Preheat waffle iron. Use the setting for waffles unless you know it needs to be hotter for more crispness, then crank it up a notch. That’s what I do. Whip the 2 egg whites until stiff and set aside. Stir wet ingredients until thoroughly blended. Slowly  pour into dry ingredients. Blend thoroughly. Fold in egg whites. (Batter will be somewhat thick but should easily pour from a ladle or measuring cup.) When the indicator light comes on (or goes off, in my case!) spray waffle iron grids with non-stick vegetable cooking spray. Quickly ladle some batter onto each grid and close. Watch for the indicator light. Open lid. If not completely done, resume cooking for another two-three minutes before opening lid again. Serve hot with your choice of toppings, including berries, sauteed apples, yogurt, honey, cottage cheese, maple syrup. I used a drizzle of honey, some sauteed sliced apples, and Brown Cow maple yogurt. Enjoy!! FFG