Double Chocolate Muffins -- gluten free, vegan, and awesome

I whipped these up on the spur of the moment when my husband and son needed a quick lunch to take with them.

The goal was to make these as nutritionally dense a possible, and super yummy.

These ticked all the boxes.

I combine black bean flour, cacao, shredded coconut,  tapioca flour, and oat bran. These may not be traditional flours, but each one brings something excellent to the flavour, texture, and nutritional punch of these muffins. Because they are wheat and gluten free, as well as nut free, they are a pretty safe bet for an on-the-go snack.

Bonus: they mixed up in just a few minutes, so they were into and out of the oven in a hurry.

equipment needed:

mixing bowl
mixing spoon
measuring cups
measuring spoons
muffin tray or silicone muffin cups and baking sheet
oven


ingredients:

a)
1/4 cup black bean flour
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup tapioca flour
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup oat bran

b)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp tonka bean powder (Optional)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

c)
1/4 cup avocado oil
1 cup water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

d)
1/2 cup chocolate chips


directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the ingredients from a) and b) in a bowl, and mix really well.
2. add the ingredients from c) and combine. I like to use a whisk!
3. stir in the chocolate chips (d)
4. scoop the batter into 12 muffin cups
5. bake at 345 for 35 minutes
6. cool and remove from tray/cups
7. store in the fridge in an airtight container

Orange, Lemon, and Blueberry Mini Vegan Cheesecakes

It's New Year's Eve. We celebrate with our little one and another family that also has a young boy. ithas been our tradition to celebrate with them for the past decade before either of us had children. We used to even stay up until midnight. Now we go home mid evening to put our kids to bed. Ain't it grant getting old. Tonight we're going to their place, and bringing dessert. I decided to makes something fruity and fancy.  Historically when I've made mini vegan cheesecakes they involved cashew cream instead of cream cheese or ricotta, and blueberry topping. This year, they've been elevated up a notch or two.  The gorgeous organic navel oranges on the counter inspired me to make a layered concoction. The bottom layer of course is the faux-graham wafer crust, followed by a dreamy orange cheese cake layer, a bright lemon cheese cake layer, and finally an abundance of blueberries layer. The fruity flavour combinations are pleasing, although perhaps the colour contrast between the layers is a little inadequate to see it very well.


Please note, they are best after being refrigerated for 24 hours. Don't know why. Which is great because they can be made ahead.

filling:

Lemon Cheesecake Layer:
filling ingredients:

3/4 cups raw cashews soaked in water and sea salt for 2 hours, then rinsed
1/2 cup water
4 tbsp agave
4 tbsp lemon juice
20 drops lemon essential oil
2 tbsp coconut oil



1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp finely ground white chia seeds



Orange Cheesecake Layer:

filling ingredients:

3/4  cups raw cashews soaked in water and sea salt for 2 hours, then rinsed
2 small navel oranges, zested, peeled, and pureed. reserve 1 tsp of zest  (dispose of peel and any stray seeds) (use 3 small navel oranges next time)
2  tbsp agave

1 tsp orange zest if you have used organic oranges
2 tbsp coconut oil

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp finely ground white chia seeds



filling directions:

1. in a food processor, process the ingredients until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides as needed



crust:

ingredients for the crust:

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup shredded coconut (I gave it a quick pulse in my grinder to make the shreds small)

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1 1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/2 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

2 tbsp water

directions for crust:

1. combine the above ingredients in the order listed, mixing well with a fork before adding the water



Blueberry topping:


topping ingredients:


2 cup frozen blueberries
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 pinch sea salt
4 tbsp coconut sugar
splash of vanilla extract
a pinch of ground vanilla bean

topping directions:

1. combine ingredients and let defrost
2. mix well




Making the cakes:

preheat the oven to 345

1. once all three parts have been made, you are ready to start

2. scoop the crust mixture evenly into 18 silicone muffin cups  and flatten with your fingers
3. spoon each flavour of cheese cake filling evenly over the crust, and bake for 10 minutes at 345
4. after 10 minutes of baking, spoon the blueberry mixture evenly over the partially baked cakes, then bake for 25 more minutes. 

cool thoroughly before removing from the silicone cups.
I store them in the silicone cups in the fridge, and just remove them prior to serving.

notes:
1. bake at 345 for 30-25 minutes
2. if using the blueberry topping, add after 10 minutes of baking, then bake for 20-25 minutes more
3. cool before removing from the silicone muffin cups
4. makes 18 baby cheesecakes
5. make the day before, and serve chilled

Almond Butter and Raisin Cookies -- a great gluten-free, high powered snack

I haven't been posting much lately. Not sure why. I feel more tired than usual, so I'll just blame that. It's the heat. It's making my blood pressure drop. It's too hot to cook.

Truth is, I may have been creating less, but still creating plenty nonetheless. I've been stockpiling posts like some kind of deranged chipmunk preparing for the winter of my discontent. Whatever. I have just been way too lethargic to actually publish them. Lots of good stuff, too. Things I'd be excited about if only it weren't so darn hot and I weren't so darn tired ...

Well, I whipped up these cookies before taking my son to 'camp' so that he'd have a healthy snack to enjoy and share with the other children.

They taste good. They are good for you. They are easy. Hope that helps.


ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 eggs

1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon (I used saigon)
1 tsp ground vanilla

1/2 cup flax meal
2 cups pecan meal
1 cup almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup raisins


directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the coconut oil, almond  butter, and hot water
2. add the coconut sugar and apple cider vinegar
3. mix in the flax meal, followed by the eggs
4. add hte sea salt, cinnamon, and ground vanilla
5. add the pecan meal and almond flour
6. add the baking soda
7.  add the raisins

(hmm ... if you are a chocolate lover, chocolate chips would go well with them as they are)

8. drop by the spoonful onto lined baking sheets
9. flatten with a wet fork
10. bake for 20 minutes at 345
11. store in an airtight container when fully cooled.

makes 3-4 dozen depending on size (will fill 2 baking trays)

Sweet Potato Biscuits -- what???

I came across a recipe for sweet potato biscuits somewhere, and thought "what?".

A few months later, I came up with this alternative version.
Not gluten-free.
Yes vegan.
Yes dairy-free.
Yes sugar free (but sweet potato-full).

Hey, they are kind of fun! And depending on what colour of sweet potatoes you use, they could look really orange, or really purple.

ingredients:

1 cup of cooked sweet potato (I used a white fleshed Asian sweetie and baked it in the toasted oven until soft)
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

6 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 1/2 - 2 cups kamut flour
1 cup almond flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt


directions:

1. puree the sweet potato with the water and the apple cider vinegar
2. in a bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, and the sea salt
3. cut the coconut oil into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse pebbly sand
4. fold the sweet potato mixture into the flour mixture until it becomes a dough
5. chill the dough for at least 30 minutes
6. pat it out to 1 inch thick, and cut with a  biscuit cutter (I did 1/4 of the dough at a time), and place the biscuits on a baking sheet. Rather than reform the dough and then pat it out again, I loosely encouraged the scraps into the biscuit shape, then 'cut' them again, so as to avoid toughness.
7. bake in a preheated oven at 345 for 30-35 minutes

These biscuits are super carb-a-licious -- flakey, buttery, soft, tender, melt-in-your-mouth good. :)
I'll make 'em with purple sweet potatoes next time.

Chocolate Chip Cookies -- a gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, vegan twist on a traditional favourite

Continuing in my vein of gluten-free treats, I decided to make chocolate chip cookies this morning after Elaine requested a gluten-free, sugar-free chocolate chip recipe. Of course, the chips are not sugar free, but let's not quibble over good quality chocolate, folks. We used the evil Callebaut morsels, however you can use whatever chocolate chips please you most.

The ground chia seed will help moderate the effects of the sugar anyway, as will the mix of almond flour and coconut flour. The rest of the sweetener is coconut nectar, and coconut sugar, which fortunately tend not to affect blood sugar, even in those who are sensitive.

Importantly, they taste good!

So, Elaine, this one's for you.


ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut nectar
1/4 cup hot water

1 tsp egg replacer + 2 tbsp water, combined (or 1 organic egg, preferably extra large)

1 1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean (or 1 tbsp vanilla extract)
2 tsp cinnamon (I like ceylon cinnamon)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup finely ground chia seeds

1 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut flour


1/4 cup chocolate morsels, chips, or what have you

a plate of coconut sugar for rolling the balls in


directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the coconut oil, coconut nectar, and hot water
2. mix in the egg replacer/water mixture or egg
3. add in the vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt, and finely ground chia seed
4. add the baking soda and almond flour
5. stir in the coconut flour last before the chocolate, and combine very well to make a dough
6. mix in the chocolate chips
7. roll the dough into balls, roll the balls in a dish of coconut sugar, and flatten the balls onto a lined baking sheet
8. bake the cookies at 345 for 20 minutes
9. store them in an airtight container when fully cool (and hide them from the cookie monster -- I shall name no names)

Not Chicken Noodle Soup -- Good for what ails you Part 1 (crockpot soup)

My not quite 3 year old (six weeks to go) woke up in the night with a low fever (his first one I think), and wasn't feeling well when we got up this morning. So, not chicken noodle soup to the rescue.

You may be familiar with the potent anti-viral effects of ginger and turmeric, but did you know turmeric also contains salicylic acid, which can be found in willow bark and is used to make asprin? Salicylic acid is a common compound found in many plants, and has an anti-inflammatory effect. Organic vegetable soup has been shown to have higher levels of salicylic acid than non-organic vegetable soup (but I'm not going to cite the study. You can google it if you'd like.) Suffice to say it's not the chicken soup but the vegetables in the chicken soup that were good for what ails you. We've updated it by forgoing all chicken, and adding plenty of ginger and turmeric for both the anti-inflammatory effects as well as the anti-viral effects.

Plus what could be more soothing that a hot bowl of soup when you are sick?

I decided to make soup noodles to go with the soup. For this I used my favourite pasta dough recipe, rolled it flat, rolled it up, and sliced it quickly. Two minutes in boiling water and voila. Honestly, it takes longer to tell you about it than it takes to make them.

I ended up throwing in some broccoli after the soup was finished. Broccoli is practically a religion around here. And although I was originally going to just make a clear soup with celery and carrots in it, I ended up throwing in some red kidney beans too. Kidney beans are a good choice because they are contain some essential trace elements, lots of protein, and are great for stabilizing blood sugar. Plus they taste good. 

Well, the soup turned out well, and we enjoyed it for dinner. At least, my husband and I did. My son, noodle lover extraodinaire, refused even a bite -- and didn't even have appetite for his Not Chocolate Ice Cream, which he normally adores. :(

ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 1/4 cup diced carrots

1 1/4 cup diced celery

1 1/2 tbsp finely minced garlic

1 cup finely chopped onion (purple)

125 g cauliflower, cut into florets, approx 1 heaping cup

1/2 tbsp turmeric

3 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

2 tsp sea salt

black pepper

1 1/2 cups dark red kidney beans (cooked, not raw. Or canned, if you prefer)

1/2 tbsp marjoram

1/2 tbsp oregano

4 cups boiling water

125 g broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces (optional) (I used frozen, defrosted) (or you can use lightly-steamed) approx 1 heaping cup

directions:

1. saute the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, cauliflower, ginger, turmeric, sea salt, and pepper in the coconut oil on low for 30 minutes, or until very cooked.

2. put the sauteed vegetables into your crock pot, and add  the kidney beans, marjoram, oregano, and water

3. cook on high in your crockpot for 4 hours

4. turn off the heat and add the broccoli

5. let sit for 30 minutes, or over night.

6. ladle hot soup over cooked noodles, and serve 

:)

Caramel-Apple Date Muffins -- More Saturday Morning Muffins ...

I've probably posted too many photos of these cute little caramel-apple muffins. But the photos were so ... sexy. I just couldn't help myself. Saturday morning again, so we wanted to whip up a batch before music class, so we'd have something to share with friends. One of our friends who would be eating them on Sunday is allergic to milk, so we wanted to make something dairy free. I love dates in muffins, they get so soft and creamy, but I found with the sweetness of the caramel-apple on top, and the coconut sugar in the muffin, that the dates are a little much for me. But I'll admit to neither having a sweet tooth nor liking sweets over much. I definitely prefer a savoury snack. However, if you have a sweet tooth, or like a sweet with your coffee or for dessert, these really are winning. Colin loves them. He thinks they are the greatest thing since last week's Vegan Brownies. And he's not a date lover. He's not even a date liker. 

And without further ado, here's the delicious recipe for caramel-apple date muffins:

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups filtered water

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1 1/2 tsp ground vanilla

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 xl organic eggs

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup flax meal

1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds (whole without the shell)

1/2 - 3/4 tsp sea salt

2 cups almond flour (JK Gourmet is our favourite)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup kamut flour (finely milled pastry flour, whole grain)

1 large organic apple, quartered and cored (we used royal gala)

24 honey dates

extra coconut sugar for topping

directions:

preheat oven to 345

1. take 2 quarters of the apple and thinly slice to top the 24 muffins and set aside

2. finely chop the remaining 2 quarters of the apple and set aside

3. finely chop the dates and set aside

4. warm the water slightly to melt the coconut oil

5. combine the water, coconut oil, vinegar, coconut sugar, and eggs

6. stir in the vanilla, cinnamons, and sea salt

7. add the flax meal and hemp seeds

8. stir in the almond flour

9. mix in the baking soda

10. stir in the kamut flour, mixing lightly until just combined

11. add the dates, stir

12. add the chopped apples, stir

13. scoop the batter into prepared muffin cups

14. top each cup with a thin slice of apple and a (generous) sprinkle of coconut sugar

15. bake for 35 minutes at 345 degrees in the upper half of the oven

16. after you have removed the muffins from the oven, allow the muffins to sit in the cups for a few minutes before removing them. If you try to remove them immediately, they will be too fragile. If you leave them in too long, they will sweat.

17. don't forget to drool over my naughty muffin pictures.

Baby Cake Savoury Spinach Cake -- Baby Cake #3

Savoury Spinach Cake

Earth Day, St. Paddy's Day, Kermit the Frog Day, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday ... Just because you love me day ... Any day is a good day for little green cakes.

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup frozen spinach (to make 2 1/2 cups total, defrosted and pureed with water)

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil, unrefined

2 eggs

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 1/2 - 3 tsp  organic vegetarian bouillon powder (we use Harvest Sun)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1/4 cup hemp seeds, shelled

2 cups almond flour (blanched)

1 cup kamut flour

1/2 tsp baking soda 

directions:

1.     preheat oven to 345

2.     puree defrosted spinach with water

3.     add beaten eggs, melted oil, apple cider vinegar, and mix

4.     add seasoning, seeds, and almond meal

5.     add baking soda 

6.     add kamut flour

7.     mix

8.     put into prepared muffin cups (I use silicon baking cups)

9.     bake for 35 minutes at 345

makes 24 little green cakes

Baby Cake Vegan Brownie -- Baby Cake #1

Vegan Brownie

When you read this recipe, as I mentioned, you will see similarities between this and my first posted recipe for Chocolate Muffins. However, I shall simply post the recipe in entirety with the changes, and you can do with it what you wish. I know you must be shaking your head in disbelieving awe. Could something so good for you actually taste this good? The answer is: damn, I hope so. 

My son had one after dinner last night. His opinion was: "This tastes real good." He repeated this sentence about 15 times whist gazing at his chocolate delight. I know, I know. You're casting my words back at me. You're thinking: "That's the kid who ate a cigarette butt. What does he know?" When I asked my husband what he thought of the brownie, he merely stuffed another one in his mouth and grunted. So, kindly and gentle reader, it comes down to you. Vegan Brownie -- yea or nay?

ingredients:

1 3/4 cup filtered water, warmed

1 cup pitted honey dates

1/4 cup clear agave

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

2 tsp egg replacer + 4 tbsp filtered water

1 tsp sea salt

1 or 2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup raw cacao (or cocoa powder)

1/2 cup pecan meal

1 cup almond meal (blanched)

1 cup kamut pastry flour (whole grain)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup Callebaut chocolate morsels

extra Callebaut morsels to decorate the top

directions:

preheat oven to 345

1. soak dates in water for 10 minutes, and then puree dates in the water. (It's a good idea to check each date to make sure the pit has indeed been removed. Just give it a squeeze)

2. add rest of 'wet' ingredients and puree again

3. stir in dry ingredients one by one. Add the chocolate morsels after everything else has been well combined. I often find it easier to add the baking soda before the kamut flour to ensure even distribution.

4. scoop batter into prepared muffin tins. I use silicone cups placed on a baking sheet. They need to be oiled the first couple of times you use them, but after that are amazingly non-stick, and wonderfully non-wasteful. Decorate the top of the brownies with a few chocolate morsels. This is optional. Not really. Just do it.

5. bake for 30 minutes in the center of the oven

6. remove from oven when the top feels slightly springy to your touch

7. remove brownies from muffin tins or silicone cups a few minutes after removing from oven.

8. Hide them quickly.

makes 24  brownies


(If you can correctly identify where the quote below comes from, you win a vegan brownie!)

yum

yum

extra yum