Lunch: Belgian Waffles with Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Butter and Sauteed Cider Apples

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Apples

Health benefits of Belgian Waffles with Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Butter and Sauteed Cider Apples

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Apples will improve your body's sensitivity to insulin (Reference: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/1/281.full)

Ingredients

Waffles
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for waffle iron
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Sauteed Apples
2 cups apple cider
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Butter
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch fine sea salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Special equipment: waffle iron

Instructions

For the waffles: Preheat your waffle iron and brush the grate with butter. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the eggs, melted butter and buttermilk in a small bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Set the batter aside at room temperature for 20 minutes. Cook the waffles according the manufacturer's directions until golden brown. Remove to a baking rack. Cut or tear each waffle into quarters. Top each quarter with some of the cinnamon sugar butter and sauteed apples. For the sauteed apples: Combine the apple cider, light brown sugar, and cinnamon sticks in a large saute pan over high heat and boil until reduced by half and thickened to a syrup. Remove the cinnamon stick, whisk in the butter and add the apples and cook until soft and caramelized. Set aside. For the homemade cinnamon sugar butter: Combine the heavy cream and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until it becomes butter. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and fold into the butter. Scrape into a bowl. (Yield: 1 cup)