Vegan And Gluten Free Banana Muffin TopsWith Blueberries And WalnutsA Nice Surprise For Mother's Day Breakfast!

Muffin tops make a great breakfast or snack.

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Yes, we're still baking! You see, there was one overripe banana and a brand new muffin top pan that my friend Margarite introduced me to. Doug's vegan banana walnut bread is always amazing so we cut the ingredients in half (since muffin tops are smaller than muffins), added blueberries, and made these little gems. For more of a dessert muffin top, you can trade the blueberries for dark chocolate chips.

(Hey kids and dads, these would be a great treat for mom for Mother's day breakfast. They would be delightful with a mimosa!)

I heard about muffin tops last year when my sister-in-law Patti introduced me to ones made with zucchini but I didn't realize they actually had special pans for these things. But Margarite, who has every kitchen gadget known to man, of course had one. She uses it to make these delicious grain free muffins, which I will share with you at a later date, but after seeing this cool new pan, I had so many things I wanted to make in it. My first idea was to make corn muffins. Great idea but for some reason they came out like hockey pucks. I'll have to work on that one a bit more. But these banana muffin tops came out great! 

Wilton Muffin Top pan

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Banana Muffin Tops with Blueberries and Walnuts
Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free
[makes 12 muffin tops]

REQUIREMENTS
Muffin Top Pan
Electric hand beater

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
3 tablespoons water
2 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus some for pan
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons applesauce
1 very ripe banana, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour
1/2 teaspoon stevia powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease the pan with cooking spray, olive oil, non-dairy butter or coconut oil.

Make the flax egg. Combine the ground flax seeds and water in a small bowl. Beat vigorously with a fork until gooey. After a minute or so, beat again. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, stevia powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well and set aside.

In a larger mixing bowl, combine the oil, sugar, applesauce, mashed banana, and vanilla. Beat with an electric beater until well blended. 

Beat in the flax egg.

Add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. 

Using a spatula, fold in the blueberries and the walnuts.

Scoop the mixture into the prepared muffin top pan. Bake in the oven for 17 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the tops are slightly browned.

Cool the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes and serve warm with vegan cream cheese.

Before baking

We baked ours for about 18 minutes

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!
 

Baking Brings ComfortApplesauce Cake With WalnutsGluten Free and Vegan

This yummy cake is vegan and gluten free!

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Baking 
While people are sheltering in place during this pandemic, many have turned to baking. What's more comforting than the the smell of cinnamon wafting throughout the house? But as comforting as baking is, it can definitely contribute to the "quarantine 15", the expression referring to the pounds we are putting on. So this recipe uses far less sugar and fat than most. It's also gluten free.

Egg Shortages
First it was toilet paper, now it's eggs! With all the home meals and baking, people are now hoarding eggs, if they can find them. Well, you don't need eggs to bake a cake. Flax eggs work just as well (actually better) in this recipe while providing a nice boost of Omega-3 fatty acids. 

Miyoko did it Again!
I also am happy to report that Miyoko's new vegan butter made with oat milk is absolutely delicious. I also love her original stick vegan butter but had to give this one a try. Either one works well in this recipe.

My favorite dairy-free butter

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Applesauce Cake with Walnuts
Gluten and Dairy Free, Vegan
[makes 12 servings]

REQUIREMENTS
Electric beater
8" x 8" baking pan

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds *
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water *
2½ cups Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour
1½ teapoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1 scant teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon stevia powder **
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon softened vegan butter or coconut oil
½ cup light brown sugar
1½ cups applesauce
½ cup non-dairy milk or orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped raw walnuts

* Ground flax seeds and water can be replaced with 2 large eggs.
** I add the stevia for extra sweetness without the calories but you can omit and increase the brown sugar to ¾ cup.

Bob's Red Mill 1:1 already contains xanthan gum.
If you use regular GF flour, you will need to add
a teaspoon of xanthan gum to this recipe.

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease the pan with cooking spray, non-dairy butter or coconut oil.

Make the flax egg. Combine the ground flax seeds and water in a small bowl. Beat vigorously with a fork until gooey and set aside. After a minute or so, beat again.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and stevia powder. Mix well and set aside.

In a larger mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, sugar, applesauce, non-dairy milk and vanilla. Beat with an electric beater until well blended. 

Beat in the flax egg (or regular eggs.)

Add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. 

Using a spatula, fold in the walnuts.

Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the pan on a rack and serve. 

Gluten Free recipes with less oil tend to crack.
No worries, they are still delicious!

I was inspired to make this so that I could use up some of
the applesauce that we canned from our apple tree.

How To Make Your Own Muesli

Use as a topping for fruit, yogurt and ice cream
or eat as a cereal

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As millions shelter in place  during this horrible pandemic, many people have returned to their kitchens. I've always thought that cooking is the single best thing you can do for your health and hopefully, when this passes, people will continue to prepare their own meals.

Here's a simple recipe that we make all the time. 

This Muesli is a mixture of rolled oats and lots of my favorite nuts and seeds. It makes 7 cups so there's plenty to refrigerate and enjoy for many weeks, although it doesn't last too long in our home. You can also freeze it and it will keep for months. 

I have been trying to avoid going to the grocery store, or at least limiting my trips as best I can, so I have been buying lots of my ingredients on the internet. I figure most of the virus has lost its potency during the transit time so I only have to worry about the UPS or postman who carried the box to my door. Nuts.com has a great selection of nuts, seeds, grains, dried fruits and more so I bought most of the ingredients for this muesli from them.

Nuts.com has a great selection of nuts, seeds, grains and more.

                  
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Muesli
Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free
[makes 7 cups]

Requirements
Large rimmed cookie sheet or shallow baking pan

Ingredients
4 cups gluten free rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 scant teaspoon iodized salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 or 2 packets of stevia (optional)
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Place the oats, coconut, almonds, sunflower and hemp seeds, walnuts, salt, cinnamon and stevia in a large rimmed cookie sheet or shallow baking pan. Carefully mix up the ingredients with a large spatula. 

Drizzle the vanilla, maple syrup and melted coconut oil over the oat mixture. Mix together with the spatula until the oats are well coated.

Some people do this first step of mixing all the ingredients in a large bowl and then pouring them onto a pan lined with parchment paper but I'm too lazy to wash the extra bowl and I find that the muesli doesn't stick all that much to the pan.

Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring half way through, until the oat mixture is lighted toasted. Don't overcook. 

Let cool completely before storing.

Enjoy as a cereal or a topping for fruit, ice cream, yogurt, applesauce, and more. As a treat for your kids (or yourself), place some in a small bowl and dip a peeled banana in the muesli between each bite! 

Bake until lightly toasted and fragrant

Crustless Pumpkin Pie - Gluten and Dairy FreeSweetened By Dates, No Sugar!Make Fresh Pumpkin Puree In Your Instant Pot

Lighten up your Thanksgiving with only 135 calories of Yum.
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Guilt-Free Dessert
Having to give up gluten and dairy is really tough around the holidays, especially at dessert time. This recipe accommodates gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free diets without compromising taste in the slightest. It does, however, contain eggs so it's not appropriate for your vegan guests. 

Besides being incredibly low in calories, (weighing in at only 135 calories per serving, less than half of traditional pumpkin pie), it's super easy to make. 

This recipe starts with home-grown pumpkin cooked in an instant pot, but you can also make it with a can of pumpkin.

We grew three types of pumpkins this year and lots of them (about 40 or more.)

We grew a few dozen Racer pumpkins (in the front) which are good for Halloween. Doug drove around with them in the back of his truck and gave them to the neighborhood kids.

This is a Jarrahdale pumpkin which makes great soup and pie

This is my favorite. It's a Musque de Provence. It's so beautiful.
 I also use this one for soup and pie.

Cook Fresh Pumpkin in your Instant Pot
When you use fresh pumpkin for your pies, the most important thing is to make sure it's not watery. So after cooking it, whether it be in your Instant Pot or steaming it on the stovetop, make sure it's well drained.

You're going to need 2 cups of mashed pumpkin, so start with a pumpkin big enough to do that - about 3 to 4 pounds. This will vary with the density of the pumpkin you are using. The pumpkins I use, pictured above, weigh over 10 pounds so I just cut out a wedge and save the rest for soup or more pie.

Peel and cube your pumpkin and put it in a steamer basket in your Instant Pot with a cup of water. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes with a quick release. It should be fork tender. If not, continue to cook. 

Pumpkin in a steamer basket in the Instant Pot

Scoop the cooked pumpkin into a colander with fine holes. Let it drain until it's very dry. You can help it along by mashing it down gently with a fork or spoon.

Pumpkin draining in a colander over a bowl. 

When it stops draining, it's ready to use in the pie. Measure out 2 cups of mashed, drained pumpkin and set aside.

Roasting is Great Too!
You can easily roast your pumpkin by cutting it in half, putting it on a shallow roasting pan or on a baking sheet lined with parchment, and baking it at 375 degrees F until tender. I like to loosely tent it with aluminum foil. The time will vary with the size of the pumpkin but it cab take 1 to 2 hours or more. The advantage is that it results in a much drier pumpkin than one that is steamed but the disadvantage is the time it takes to cook. You will still have to drain it in a colander to remove any moisture.

Pumpkin Pie Spice
You can buy ready made pumpkin pie spice or make it with a combination of cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Different recipes call for different ratios of these spices and your personal tastes. I use:

5 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoons cloves
1/4 teaspoon of allspice

 Most recipes call for more nutmeg and less ginger but I like ginger much more than I like nutmeg. So change the ratios to suite your taste. Mix them all up and store in a spice jar in a cool, dark cabinet. It will last a long time.

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Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Gluten and Dairy Free
[makes 8 servings]

Requirements
Round, 10-inch pie pan
Blender

Ingredients
Non-dairy margarine to grease the pan
4 medjool dates*
1 (13.5 oz) can light coconut milk
1 (15 oz) can cooked pumpkin or 2 cups drained and mashed freshly cooked pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon of stevia powder, or to taste
4 pasture raised, organic eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup gluten-free flour**
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

* Dates can be replaced with 1/2 cup sugar, but dates are healthier and contain dietary fiber and other nutrients. 
** If you are not sensitive to gluten, you can substitute all-purpose flour

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch pie pan and set aside.

Pit the dates and coarsely chop. Pour the coconut milk in a small bowl with the chopped dates and let soak until they soften. If the dates are soft and fresh, this won't take long. If they are hard, it may take several hours. 

Place the coconut milk and soaked dates in a blender and blend until well incorporated.

Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth, about 20 seconds.

Pour into the prepared pan. Gently tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the pie barely jiggles in the middle, is set all the way through, and is brown around the edges.

Remove from the oven (test with a toothpick which should come out clean), and place on a wire rack until cooled completely. Place in the refrigerator to chill before serving.

Serve as is or with a tiny scoop of non-dairy vanilla ice cream.

Nutrition
Per serving: 135 calories, 6 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 4 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 183 mg sodium.

2-Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake

This cake is dairy and gluten free!

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Great Cake for the Holidays 
As more and more guests show up with gluten and dairy allergies, this is a good dessert to have on hand. It is not vegan, however, as it needs eggs. At the end of this post, you can read about my efforts to veganize this recipe. 

First I will say that I did not invent this. My friend Margarite saw it on the internet and told me about it after I showed her a flourless chocolate cake I found in a magazine. That particular cake had almond flour, tons of sugar, butter, and was very high in calories. I knew that I could make it healthier and even try to make it vegan. But then she showed me this recipe that only had two ingredients - chocolate and eggs. I couldn't believe it! Although she had seen the recipe, she had never made it so I invited her over for the big experiment.

If you make it with vegan chocolate, it will be dairy and gluten free. My favorite chocolate is Endangered Species Natural Dark Chocolate - 72% cocoa. You can use any of your favorite chocolate chips or chocolate bars - you just need 9 ounces.

You can also spruce up the cake with berries and powdered sugar. 

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Two Ingredient Chocolate Cake
(Gluten Free, Dairy Free if using vegan chocolate)
makes 6 servings

Requirements
6-inch Spring Form Pan

Ingredients
4 large eggs, room temperature
9 ounces chocolate 
Powdered sugar (optional)
Raspberries to garnish (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 6" spring form pan.

Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Place the bowl in the microwave and cook, in 30 second increments, until the chocolate melts. This can take 1 minute or slightly longer. You can also melt the chocolate in a double boiler, which is a bit messier.

Melted chocolate

Separate the eggs. Place the whites in a large, clean, glass bowl. Whip until soft peaks form. This can take a while so be patient. 

Beaten egg whites

Let the chocolate cool a bit and then, one by one, whip each yolk into the chocolate until well combined.

Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate/egg yolk mixture. Then repeat with the next 1/3 of the egg whites. And finally, with the last 1/3 of the egg whites.

Pour the batter into the greased 6-inch spring form pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Cool on a cake rack for 15 minutes or so. Then, release.

Release and serve

You can dress this up with powdered sugar, berries, or a scoop of non-dairy ice cream!

Nutrition:
Per serving: 258 calories, 21 g total fat, 12 g saturated fat, 141 mg cholesterol, 7 g protein, 21 g carbohydrates, 12 g sugar, 5 g dietary fiber, and 47 mg sodium.

Sometimes you just need an egg!
For my vegan followers, I tried really hard to make this vegan. I whipped up aquafaba (garbanzo bean juice) into beautiful peeks of "egg" white. I replaced the yolks with flax eggs and the result was a complete failure! I won't give up trying, but if you want a good laugh, here's how my vegan experiment turned out. It was basically a melted chocolate bar. We scraped it off and ate it anyway :-)

Sometimes you just need an egg!

Strawberry Crisp With Nutty Hemp Seed Topping

Fresh strawberries in a delicious vegan and gluten-free crisp.

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Strawberries are in Season
My little strawberry patch is producing in full force and although my favorite way of enjoying them is to just pop them in my mouth, I love making this healthy strawberry crisp. 

Strawberries from my garden.

To add additional fiber and structure, I combine the strawberries with a few delicious pears and to get a good dose of omega-3, I add raw, shelled hemp seeds. 

I like the taste of organic coconut sugar in this recipe but you can also use regular organic cane sugar. 

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Strawberry Crisp
Vegan, Gluten Free (see Note)
[makes 6 servings]

Requirements
8-inch Square Baking Pan

Ingredients
For the topping: 
3 tablespoons Earth Balance or other vegan "butter", plus more for greasing pan 
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup raw hemp seeds
2 tablespoons organic coconut or cane sugar
2 (1-gram) packets stevia powder (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon 

For the filling: 
2 pints fresh strawberries, cut in half and sliced (~4 cups)
2 pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon organic coconut or cane sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch 

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. 

Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the oats, flour, hemp seeds, sugar, stevia, and cinnamon and mix well. Add 3 tablespoons of "butter" and mix together with your fingers or with a fork until crumbly. 

Make the filling: In a large bowl, toss the strawberries and pears with the sugar and cornstarch. Pour the fruit mixture in the prepared baking pan.

Cover the fruit evenly with the topping. 

Place in the oven and bake until the fruit is bubbly and the topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, and serve. 

Per serving: 231 calories, 10 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 753 mg omega-3 and 2,091 mg omega-6 fatty acids*, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates, 5 g dietary fiber, and 53 mg sodium. 

* Nutritional information for omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids excludes any contribution from the Earth Balance, since that information was not available from the 

manufacturer. 

Note

Although gluten is not naturally present in oats, oats occasionally get cross-contaminated during storage and processing. If you are on a gluten-free diet, use certified gluten-free oat flour. 

Mango Cake - The Perfect Vegan And Gluten Free Easter Dessert

This gluten and dairy free dessert is the
perfect ending to your Easter Brunch.

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My Favorite Mango
Our favorite little mangoes are in season. They come with many names like Manilla, Ataulfo, Champagne, and Honey, with slight variations and places of origin. But they are all small (around 9 to 11 ounces) and as sweet as sugar.

Doug and I have been under the weather so to cheer ourselves up, and with the excuse of having to create an Easter dessert for the blog, we created a cake on Sunday with our very favorite fruit.

These are smaller, less stringy, and much sweeter than the large, more commonly found mangoes.

Easter Sunday is a great time to have family and friends over for brunch and this dessert is a good choice. It's vegan and gluten free so besides delighting everyone's taste buds, it will accommodate most everyones dietary issues. (See "Variation" below for a whole wheat version of the recipe.)

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Mango Cake
Vegan, Gluten and Dairy Free
[makes 12 servings]

Requirements
Electric Hand Mixer
9" round cake pan
Waxed paper, cut in a 9" circle

Ingredients
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing pan 
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds 
6 tablespoons warm filtered water 
1 (10-ounce or more) Champagne mango
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill all purpose baking flour 
1½ teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder 
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut plus some for sprinkling
½ cup organic cane sugar 
½ cup unsweetened applesauce 
1 teaspoon coconut extract 
1 mashed ripe banana
Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F; grease a 9" round cake pan and insert a 9" circle of wax paper on the bottom of the pan.

In a small cup, make flax eggs by combining the ground flax seeds with the water. Beat well and set aside. After a few minutes, beat again until gooey. Set aside. 

Peel the mango with a potato peeler. Cut the mango off the seed and dice in small pieces. Some will be used in the cake and some will be used for the topping. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and the shredded coconut. 

In a large bowl, combine the oil, sugar, applesauce, and coconut extract; beat with an electric hand mixer until creamy. Add the mashed banana and flax eggs and beat again until well combined.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat with the electric mixer until well combined. The mixture will be quite stiff.

Fold in 1/2 cup of the diced mango and set the rest of it aside. 

Spread evenly into the prepared cake pan.

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the cake pan for 30 minutes. Cut around the edges of the cake pan and flip the cake out onto a plate. Peel off the wax paper.

I like the looks of the browned top of the cake better than the bottom so flip over again onto the final serving plate. Let the cake cool completely before you proceed.

Pile the rest of the diced mango onto the center of the cake. Sprinkle a bit of shredded coconut over the mango and dust the entire cake with powdered sugar. 

Slice, making sure each piece has some diced mango over it, and serve.

Nutrition
Per serving: 181 calories, 7 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 310 mg omega-3 and 538 mg omega-6 fatty acids*, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates, 3.5 g dietary fiber, and 190 mg sodium. 

* Nutritional information for omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids excludes any contribution from Bob’s Redmill all purpose baking flour and xanthan gum since that information was not available from the manufacturer.

Variation
For a whole wheat cake, replace the gluten-free flour with King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour, omit the xanthan gum, and increase the applesauce to 2/3 cup.

For more menu and recipe ideas, download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen.