January is a month of fresh starts, juice cleanses, Whole30, Cook90, Marie Kondo purges, and strong gym attendance… for some people. I’m cooking the same tasty and satisfying food I love, which is definitely not compliant by any diet’s standards. I’m refusing to watch the Marie Kondo special, for no particular reason. And I’ve been to the gym a handful times, which I’m actually pretty proud of! I tried to not set too many resolutions for myself this year and just focus on being a happy and productive human bean. That’s a pretty good goal I think!

I do have a few normal and boring general life goals though. This year I think will finally be the year that I become really, LIKE REALLY, organized. I can feel it! Or maybe this is the year I learn to actually make the bed every morning. That would be something. I’m trying, Mom! I’m also trying to make a conscious effort to waste less. That means:

1. Eating all my vegetables and salad greens before they get gross.

2. Buying less plastic things. You should have seen how much paper and plastic I purged from our office. OMG. I’m so sorry, Earth!

3. And using up all the boxes of lasagna noodles we have in the cupboard from when Reuben and I couldn’t decide on the perfect noodles to make the best lasagna.

When you’re a food blogger or even just like a well stocked home cook, you end up with a ton of food products taking up space in your fridge or cupboards. I have SO MANY random bags of various flours and starches. When is the next time I’m going to bake with oat bran???? How many jars of coconut butter is normal? 5? I looked in the fridge a week ago and realized that I had like 4 half full jars of tahini! So I’m trying to work through all the excess things in my kitchen little by little so that I can hopefully reset my kitchen pantry with the necessities. That would be butter, flour, sugar, salt, and oyster sauce.

This recipe for Black Sesame Waffles used up the last bit of black sesame tahini hiding in the far end of my fridge. You know that back corner right by the open box of Arm & Hammer that’s been there since you moved in? That’s where the jar was hiding. I’m honestly surprised that I didn’t use up this jar sooner because I LOVE black sesame everything. Muffins. Cake. Cookies. Sprinkled on 90% of my meals. I’m obsessed. I might even get a black sesame tattoo! JK I won’t ever do that. But a black sesame tattoo would just be like an extra freckle, right?

These waffles are deeply nutty from the black sesame. Almost like peanut butter but 1000000% better. The texture is light but with a nice chew, which I’m all about. You can find black sesame paste or tahini at your local asian or Mediterranean market, Whole Foods might have it, or you can just order it off the internet! You could make it from scratch too! Regular tahini also works if you’re having a hard time finding the black sesame variety. Once you’ve introduced black sesame into your kitchen, these waffles are super easy to whip up in the morning, because I know you don’t want to be separating eggs and whip egg whites to stiff peaks on the verge of a hangry meltdown. You just want to eat! I love topping my waffles with yogurt, but dreamy whipped cream and pomegranates make for a slightly fancy and luxurious breakfast situation. You deserve it. It’s January and you’re already kicking booty!

Black Sesame Waffles

serves 4-6

materials:

2 cups AP flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
4 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup black sesame paste/tahini

steps:

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.

2. Add greek yogurt and water in a medium bowl. Whisk until combined. Add in eggs, butter, vanilla, and black sesame paste. Whisk again until combined. If your black sesame paste is a little thicker you may need to mix a little longer, but a few small chunks of sesame paste is okay!

3. Add wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Avoid over mixing. The batter will be really thick.

4. Heat up your waffle iron. Fill iron accordingly, so that it does not overflow. I place about 2/3 cup of batter in my waffle iron to make these. Cook until desired doneness (3-4 level for me).

5. Serve warm with whipped cream, maple syrup, and pomegranates! Or with whatever your heart desires!