So, with some free time on my hands, some spare cans of chickpeas in my pantry, and a big craving for chocolate left me no choice but to make some delicious ice cream mousse. I made a homemade ice cream cake around this time last year. The result was sweet, creamy, dense and satisfying. There is something to be said for that type of ice cream and usually it's "mmmmm!". But, today, I wanted to try something different. I wanted to create a light, fluffy yet richly flavored ice cream that would stand up to any dairy-filled gelato or frozen custard. I turned once again to my new-found friend aquafaba! I recently made a sponge cake using aquafaba (chickpea brine) and I was quite pleased with the results. I wasn't quite prepared, however, to witness how wonderful aquafaba is on its own. This time, instead of making my vegan meringue in the food processor, I used my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer! I absolutely love my mixer. It was my grandmother's first and now it's mine. It helps me make sweet and beautiful creations that I otherwise wouldn't on my own. I was so surprised to see how quickly the meringue whipped up and also how stiff (!) it got with the whip attachment! It behaved just like a traditional egg white meringue would. It also didn't deflate on me! ;) I ended up with an entire batch of meringue that I didn't have a use for. So, in order to test its pipe-a-bility (?) I made little meringue cookies with my pastry bag. I've also never, even with eggs, attempted to make meringue cookies. They were never something I actually liked, so I never felt compelled to make them. My grandma loves meringue so I'm hoping I can make these for her one day and just not tell her that they're vegan. ;D I was pleased with the meringue's consistency and its ability to hold up to piping. I made well-defined rosettes with ease and they never collapsed, even after baking them. I think I may have over-baked my cookies a tad, but they seemed to have the correct consistency inside. I still don't think I think them though...too sweet for me. ^_^' At least they look cute! Here is the recipe for my meringue. It's absolutely amazing if done in a mixer with a whip attachment. I can't vouch for any other method except the food processor one, and I wouldn't recommend that method for this recipe. Vegan MeringueYield: about 4-5 cups of finished meringue Ingredients
Instructions
Chocolate Mousse Ice CreamAdapted from: Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream from Vegan Chocolate by Chef Fran Costigan Yield: a little more than a pint Soy, Dairy, Gluten, and Nut free! Ingredients
Instructions
Well, it's Cinco de Mayo again! Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that I normally don't celebrate. It's in the same category as St. Patrick's Day for me. Growing up, my family and I would have themed dinners for these holidays. When I got older, I came to know these two holidays as excuses to drink themed alcoholic beverages. Although I do not partake in either of these traditions anymore, I still like to look at different themed recipes for the sake of inspiration. This year, I decided to make a cake that I did not think I was going to like. Tres Leches cake is something that I make during the day at work but not something I've ever wanted to actually eat. The idea of soaking a cake in sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whole milk makes me a little queasy. It seems incredibly rich and sweet, which are two things I do not enjoy very much in my desserts. I like either one of them, but not both in one recipe. In order to broaden my baking horizons, I decided to create my own version of a tres leches cake that was gluten free, vegan, and less rich and sweet. The result of my efforts was surprisingly delightful! I absolutely loved the way that my cake turned out. I've jumped on the aquafaba wave (egg white substitute made from chickpea brine). I learned of the magical powers of chickpea brine from this Facebook group. Ever since I became vegan, I've dreamed of creating something that mimicked angel food cake, sponge cake, castella, etc. I loved the spongy, almost dry texture. It's something that I never wanted to eat a lot of, but I loved baking cakes that came out this way. They're beautiful, perfect for decorating, and lower in fats for perfectly light summer desserts. When I went in search of a traditional tres leches cake recipe, I found a cake that seems sponge-like in its description. The cake contained a lots of eggs and dry ingredients. They did not call for fats or liquids of any kind. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try my first attempt at making vegan chickpea egg whites! The rest of the tres leches recipe was quite simple when I found a way to make the cake. There is a soaking liquid, which I just substituted non-dairy milk for (and some cinnamon for flavor). ;) The whipped cream topping was a simple fix: coconut whipped cream! Coconut whipped cream is the stuff dreams are made of. I love eating it in the summer. It's basically the most delicious and simple dessert to make if you have nothing else on hand. I always try to keep my pantry stocked with cans of coconut milk for last minute dessert ideas. In the end, I made the cake successfully. I soaked the cake in my milk and cinnamon mixture. Then, I topped the entire thing with mounds of delicious coconut cream that I made in my Vitamix (no need for a mixer if you have this handy). To top the cake off and add some acidity, I dropped some frozen raspberries into the cream. I'm a changed vegan. I do like tres leches cake and I'm going to eat it all. ^_^ Vegan Tres Leches CakeIngredients Cake recipe adapted from Latina Magazine Yields: 6-8 servings Gluten-free, Dairy-Free, Egg-free, Oil-free Cake:
Chickpea Egg Whites:
Soaking Liquid:
* If you have dietary restrictions/allergies regarding these types of milk, feel free to use your preferred non-dairy milk! It also does not have to be two types. If you have only one, the cake will still come out fine. =) Coconut Whipped Cream
Instructions For the cake: Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl together with a wooden spoon/whisk. Place chickpea brine in a large food processor/mixing bowl fitted with a whip. Whip chickpea brine and slowly add in the sugar. Add cream of tartar and Ener-G powder slowly as well. Continue to whip brine mixture until it turns into a meringue-type consistency, about 12 minutes. Check periodically for firmness. Different machines will take longer or shorter. In my food processor it took approximately 12-14 minutes. After the meringue is ready, add half of it to the bowl of dry ingredients and fold in gently. Fold in the second half of the meringue gently, making sure not to over-work the batter. Pour the batter into a greased 8x8 square cake pan. Bake on 360 F for about 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Chill the cake in the fridge until completely cooled, about 1 hour. For the soaking liquid: Combine both non-dairy milks (or just 1 if using) with cinnamon in a blender. Once the cinnamon is dissolved, set the milk aside and grab the cake from the fridge. Poke some holes in the cake that should be completely cooled by now. Pour the milk mixture over the cake, making sure to soak the entire cake. Place the cake back in the fridge to soak while you make the coconut whipped cream. For the coconut whipped cream: Open the can of coconut cream that has been chilling in the fridge. Scrape the cream from the top of the can with a spoon and place in a blender/mixer bowl, being careful not to get much liquid in the process. Set the liquid aside for another use. Add some sweetener to the coconut cream and extract, if using. Blend the coconut cream until it is thick and spreadable, about 2 minutes. If using a mixer, beat the coconut cream (preferably with a whip) mixture until desired whipped consistency is achieved. When you are ready to serve the cake, remove it from the fridge and top it with the coconut cream. Cut the cake into individual squares for serving and top with some fresh/frozen fruit for a deliciously refreshing dessert! Enjoy! First of all, Happy World Vegan Day!!!! =D What better way to celebrate being vegan than with cruelty-free, delicious doughnuts!!!! <3 It's hard to believe that I (an avid baker) haven't tried to make actual doughnuts before. I've made doughnut recipes in muffin tins before, yes, but that doesn't really count... This fall, after seeing many an apple cider doughnut picture on Instagram, I decided it was time to make my own homemade doughnuts. I've always loved the allure of a warm doughnut in the chilly fall months. There's something wonderful about it. There also must be a hot mug of something to go with said doughnut. The two cannot be separate. It's impossible. About a year ago, I got my hands on this wonderful book: Babycakes NYC is a famous bakery in (you guessed it) New York City. There are two other locations in California and Orlando, Florida. I, unfortunately, have never had the privilege to visit any of the bakeries (...yet!). However, I've admired their baking and cake decorating from afar for years now. I've had my eye on their recipes, too. Being able to transform every day baked goods (like, doughnuts, snickerdoodles, chocolate chip cookies, madelienes, etc.) into vegan and gluten-free treats is something miraculous when done correctly. I give Erin McKenna major props for creating all that she has. Her recipes yield accurate and effective results, which is important. I never feel good about trying a new recipe only for it to fail and become garbage. =( What I also love about Erin's recipes are the fact that they are all made using real ingredients. For fats, she mostly uses coconut oil or some other neutral oil. She shies away from using any processed vegan substitutes. These products have their places in baking, sure...However, to use them all the time is kind of cheating in my book! I love to be able to taste food in the most pure form I can. There is nothing to hide in these desserts. Each baked good you will make from this book will taste pure (and sweet! I'll get to that in a minute...). The only alterations I've made to Erin's basic cake doughnut recipe (my favorite!) are the key flavor ingredients (pumpkin, apple, banana...) and the type of sugar. She uses vegan sugar, which is fine, of course. I have this thing with sugar...I don't particularly like it in large quantities. It's extremely sweet, and I'll admit, I like to use it for certain things that must be just that (frosting, dusting sugar, etc.). But, again, using sugar in large quantities I find overpowers other ingredients in a recipe. I always try to strive for balance in everything I cook, even desserts. Desserts don't have to feel like their socking you over the head with sweetness...they can be complex and satisfying at the same time! (I promise...) ;) For the batter itself, I used coconut sugar. For anyone who has read my other recipes, you probably know by now that coconut sugar is my go-to sweetener. Well, that and maple syrup! But, for the sake of these autumnal flavored doughnuts, I wanted the deep caramel-like complexity of coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is also wonderful because it's less sweet and also low-GI for anyone who is sugar conscious. However, to kick these doughnuts up a notch, top them with glaze and real sugar. Since the cake itself is only mildly sweet and a little spicy (thanks to cinnamon and friends), the sweetness on top balances and pulls the whole thing together! I try to think about these things. ;) So, without further introduction, here are Babycakes NYC doughnuts three ways. Enjoy and have fun with other flavors!
Instructions Oven 325 F
Maple Glazed Pumpkin DoughnutsSource: see above Yield: 12 doughnuts (same) Ingredients
Instructions Oven 325 F. Same as above. Dip each doughnut in the glaze once completely cooled. Maple Glaze
Whisk together all ingredients until desired consistency is achieved. Thin out with more maple syrup if needed. Banana Doughnuts with Peanut Butter GlazeSource: see above Yield: 12 doughnuts Ingredients
Instructions
Oven 325 F. Same as above. Dip each doughnut in peanut butter glaze after they have cooled completely. Peanut Butter Glaze
Whisk together until thick but still liquid. Add more coconut oil if needed to thin out. Enjoy and make a little extra for the ones you love. Show them that vegans can (and do) eat more than kale and grass and stuff. =P It's been a while! October proved to be much busier than I anticipated. With the changing seasons brought a bit of a change of internal temperature for me. I always try to ward off viruses any way I can. Usually, I'm successful. For whatever reason, my immune system felt a little overwhelmed this year. Needless to say, I was in bed for a good 48 hours shivering and sniffling. Over those few days when I was recovering, I downed soup and tea like mad! Soup is a food group that I overlook during the warmer months, with the exception of the occasional gazpacho. I really love soups during the fall and winter. There's something magical about eating and drinking something all at once. I love to drink all my leftover broth. It warms my heart! ^_^ One of my favorite soups is French onion. I used to eat this in my pre-veg days, like most people, I suppose. It's a pretty common menu item. I really wanted it the one day when I wasn't feeling well. There's something really comforting about sweet caramelized onions in a rich salty broth. However, I was faced with a bit of a dilemma: I only had half an onion... Yeah, you can't really do much with half an onion!! That's basically one serving! Luckily, I had some other vegetables in my fridge that needed to be used. This version of baked onion soup is a hodge podge of ingredients that I had on hand. However, I think after making "onion" soup this way, I'll never settle for just onions again! It was definitely delicious and also a hit with my "non-veg" family. ;) I prepared the soup in the "French" fashion (or wherever it came from!) with a crunchy crouton in the bottom of a crock and melted "cheese" on top. I used some gluten free bread that I had on hand, but you can use any toasted bread that you prefer (or, omit if you choose). The "cheese" is also optional, but it's so fun! I also like the presentation because it reminds me that vegan dishes can imitate conventional ones pretty well when they feel like it!
Adapted from Baked Onion Soup in Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons by Nava Atlas
Yield: 6 servings Ingredients
Instructions Oven 375 F.
Dorayaki are delicious snacks that can be enjoyed for any meal of the day. They are usually treated as a dessert in Japan because they are quite sweet. Dorayaki are simply pancake and red bean sandwiches. I have also had some filled with a custard-like cream which are also delicious. I've always gotten them made fresh from a food stand with my grandma and grandpa as a treat when I was younger. I've finally found a great homemade recipe for gluten=free and vegan dorayaki that are more wholesome! I would totally eat these for breakfast and feel no shame! The pancakes I made are just made like a traditional pancake: on a skillet. There are special cake moulds you can purchase to shape dorayaki into various things...like fish. These fish-shaped cakes are referred to as taiyaki. They're pretty cute. The filling I made is a sweet jam of sorts made out of azuki beans. These beans are the same ones that I used in my onigiri recipe. They are so versatile! I've found, while working with beans in sweet recipes, that adding a bright flavor can help bring everything together. I love adding orange to red beans. I think the bright and sweet fragrance helps to liven up the beans and add some depth to them. Traditionally, red bean paste (tsubu-an) is made with a ton of white sugar. I'm not a fan of one-note desserts. Anything that is too sweet is inedible in my book, so I try to dial back sweeteners and add in other flavors for interest. I usually dial back the sugar that's called for in any dessert recipe by up to half and I can't say I notice any decrease in quality of taste. Sometimes, I can't do this, if I'm making icing for example. However, there are always other types of sweeteners that are great substitutes for sugar...but that's for another post! ^_^ I loved the earthy taste of these dorayaki. I added orange zest and juice to both the cakes and the filling to compliment and balance the red beans. I loved the fragrance of the batter as it cooked! Never underestimate the power of aromatherapy! If you aren't too keen on azuki beans, try using any other jam of your choice. You can also put nut butter in between the cakes...how could that be bad? If you don't care for orange, or want to mix it up, try adding in lemon zest, apple juice, cinnamon, pumpkin, or any other feel-good flavor you can think of. Hmm...pumpkin spice dorayaki...that just might be my next post! =D So, like I said, try these little guys out for your next after school/after gym/after sleeping snack and then maybe for dessert later in the day... ;) Multi-purpose foods rock. Homemade DorayakiYield: about 5 assembled cakes (2 pancakes each) Cake recipe adapted from Kansha by Elizabeth Andoh Ingredients Cake
* Alternately, you may use 1/4 cup more gluten-free all purpose flour in place of the millet and tapioca, though this may change the consistency a bit. It may be more dense. Instructions
Tsubu-An (Red Bean Jam) Yield: a little more than 1 cup Ingredients
Instructions
MoFo is almost over...I think I have 1 more surprise for you all. Thank you for reading and check back often! Sometimes, you just want a specific cake. Ever since I've had delicious Japanese-style strawberry shortcake, I've been on a mission to recreate it in my own kitchen. Although it's been a while since I've had a traditional cake made with eggs, I can still remember the springy and light texture that I enjoyed so much. I loved how the cake was not too heavy. This type of cake is a variety called castella cake, which is of a Portuguese origin. Sponge cakes are difficult to recreate into a vegan and gluten-free variety because they usually call for a lot of eggs or egg whites for volume. But, somehow, some way, I've formulated a recipe that yields a light and springy (but more delicate) sponge cake that is free of egg, dairy and gluten! This recipe was a bit of a work in progress so I made it a few times. I'll share the cupcake version as well as the full-on cake version! I decided to share this recipe as a matcha (green tea) flavor since I wanted to drive home the Japanese theme. The cake can be made into a vanilla flavor by omitting the matcha powder and adding in some vanilla extract. Easy, right? =) The strawberry shortcake that I loved so much was made with heavy whipped cream. I used to love and hate whipped cream before I became vegan. I loved the way it tasted and I loved how it was less sweet than buttercream, but I hated how I felt after I ate it. I felt borderline sick after consuming whipped cream. I also felt this way after eating eggs sometimes...you can see why I've chosen to eat the way I do! If coconuts didn't exist, I don't know what I would do. Coconuts have allowed me to enjoy whipped cream again without the sick feeling (or the guilty feeling for that matter!). I'm sure it is now almost common knowledge that coconut cream can be a wonderful substitute for whipped cream in any situation (unless it's super hot out). If you aren't familiar with how to make coconut whipped cream, please head on over to this page and read all about it! It's the easiest thing in the world...and it tastes way better than traditional heavy cream, at least I think so. ;) I recommend using ripe organic strawberries for this recipe. It's the end of the summer season, so the strawberries are still beautiful by me! If you want to make this cake in the winter and eat seasonally, maybe use some fruit preserves or serve with a custard filling instead. This is a great cake base for all types of flavors and ingredients, so play around! (I just realized that these cakes look really Christmas-y because of the green, red, and white...whoops!) ^_^' Green Tea Strawberry ShortcakeYield:
Ingredients
* coconut sugar will change the flavor of the cake a little to something more reminiscent of caramel; I wanted a neutral sweetness so I used Florida Crystals Instructions Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
**Sifting the flours will ensure your batter will be smoother. If you skip this step, you will have to work extra hard to get the lumps out when you stir everything! Here is a picture of how I made the cake look for it's 6" size. I used a strawberry buttercream on this one instead of whipped cream. Although, if you make your whipped cream stiff enough, you can certainly use it for icing. I would add some confectioner's sugar and/or Ener-G egg powder to it for stability. Happy baking, fellow MoFo'ers! =P
This post will be somewhat personal...I don't think that having a blog would be complete without some personal and slightly emotional content (related to food, of course!). There are many, many reasons why I am vegan today. My dear friend Emily introduced me to the lifestyle in highschool. She was a vegetarian when I met her. She introduced me to wonderful staple foods like hummus and falafel that were quite foreign to me at the time. These are now part of my normal diet and I absolutely could not thank her enough for leading me to them! As I was becoming vegetarian, Em was trying to become vegan. I thought I was having a tough time! I remember she would stash hummus in her purse to smear on bagels. She also switched some clothing and accessories for cruelty-free materials. The hardest part about the transition for her was giving up ice cream. It probably didn't help at all that we both worked at an ice cream shop.... Needless to say, she phased in and out of veganism for a while before quitting. I believe she may have picked it back up after highschool, though. I know it's been a long, long journey for me. I didn't even entertain the idea of veganism until I graduated college and began to read inspirational literature like The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life and Food, Inc.. Over all, I look to this lifestyle as a way of minimizing suffering and maximizing positive vibes (the health benefits and feelings of closeness to the earth are added bonuses!). Emily was still my first exposure to veganism, though. I was always inspired by her interests in activism, animal rights, and conscious living. Another big reason for my adherence to this diet and lifestyle is the preservation of her memory. For reasons still unclear, Emily's life was taken while she was away at college in Gettysburg, PA. This came as a shock to everyone who knew her and to her school community. This tragedy shook us all to the core. We have all tried desperately to keep Em's spirit and memory alive in any way we can. Her family created a memorial fund in her honor; memorial trees, plaques and peace poles were erected in places her life greatly affected. Em's ashes were also scattered around the globe in amazing places that she would have loved to travel to. As one of my dearest friends and greatest role models, Emily will always have a place in the forefront of my mind and heart. I try to do right by her every day in all the ways that I can. As you can see, this effort has manifested into the creation of vegan food. The recipe I'm sharing with you today is based on flavors that Em loved (she had great taste) and her favorite flower. I made these to celebrate her birthday which was yesterday. Every year, I try to either make and/or eat a delicious vegan cupcake for the occasion. I don't think she'd have it any other way. :) So, without further a-do, I present (Emily's) Loaded Sunbutter Cupcakes! These babies are basically a twist on a Take 5 candy bar, which Em was rather fond of. Instead of peanut butter, I used sunflower seed butter to pay homage to one of the most beautiful and dramatic flowers on Earth. Each cupcake is: sunflower seed butter cupcake filled with a dark chocolate mousse and topped with a sunflower seed buttercream frosting. I sprinkled sunflower seeds and gluten-free pretzel crumbs on most of them for garnish. For one, I piped a sunflower and finished the center with chocolate chips. This can be done with plain buttercream and colored yellow, but I wanted the flavor of the sunbutter on mine. Get creative with yours! These are supposed to be fun! :D Emily's Loaded Sunbutter CupcakesYield: 15 cupcakes (I used 2 mini ice-cream scoops for each) Adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (She's the vegan cupcake GENIUS! If it weren't for this book, I may not be a vegan...maybe....) ;) Ingredients For the cake
Instructions Preheat oven to 350 F.
For the mousse filling Ingredients
Instructions
For the Sunbuttercream **To make this frosting completely natural/clean, sub the processed fats for refined coconut oil/palm fruit oil; Just make sure the frosting stays cool...otherwise, it may be a bit runny.** Ingredients
Instructions
Assembly
Sunflower TutorialInstructions
I hope you enjoy making these cupcakes as much as I did! They're also fun to eat, too...
For more information on my girl Emily, you can visit her memorial fund website. She was truly an amazing soul. I hope I've inspired you like she's inspired me time and time again. Peace, Love, Cupcakes <3
My dad and I are very alike in the fact that we love to snack. I could (and usually do) forgo meals altogether and just pick at different things all day long. I love variety in my diet. If I eat the same things at the same time during the day, I get so bored that I'd rather not eat at all. There's no fun! These cookies are absolutely perfect. They can be eaten at any time of day (yes, even breakfast!). They're approximately 1,000 times more nutritious than their predecessors. I updated a recipe that I've had my eye on for quite some time. The original is full of butter, sugar, refined flour, and shame. I made these rangers full of fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and feel-good vibes. B) Any ranger would do well in the line of duty with these cookies in his/her lunch box/stomach! Make a batch and share some with your dad or someone who you appreciate for supporting you. Nothing says "thank you, I love you and your mustache" like chewy delicious cookies! Chocolate Cherry Ranger Cookies
Yield: approx 48 cookies Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Ingredients
Instructions
Oh-and P.S.-Tomorrow is also special because it's the Game of Thrones season finale! Get pumped!! Cornbread is something that I never ate too much of while growing up. We almost never had home made or even home baked Jiffy cornbread! When we got some, it was usually store bought. I can't even imagine what ingredients made up that stuff. It's a shame; homemade cornbread is so easy to make! Once I began to bake, I decided that cornbread was going to be something that I wanted to master. I love to put things in it, like berries, seeds, jam, vegan cheese...you name it! I have yet to try a spicy cornbread recipe, but that is next on my list... A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to come across blue cornmeal! I had read about this rarity in Vegetarian Times a couple years ago and was instantly intrigued. I haven't been able to find it since. Luckily, Arrowhead Mills sells an organic variety of blue cornmeal that I happened upon. I knew this was a sign. I had to make blue cornbread. But, not just any blue cornbread...DOUBLE blue cornbread! I took inspiration from double chocolate muffins. If it can be done with chocolate chips any cocoa powder, why not with blue corn and blueberries? I love blueberries in cornbread. I first tried this combination a few summers back at my local Whole Foods. The bakery there makes vegan blueberry cornbread from scratch and it's mighty delicious. I've always liked the taste of cornbread because it's savory and sweet at the same time. The best thing you can do for homemade cornbread is mix in something slightly sweet into the batter to give it some depth of flavor, like fresh sweet corn off the cob...that's a dream right there! I hope this recipe inspires you to fantasize about cornbread as much as I do! Double Blueberry Cornbread Yield: 1 8x8 square pan/1 loaf/1 muffin tin's worth Ingredients
Instructions Oven 350 F.
With all the running around of the holiday season, comes stress, lack of sleep, and in my case, heart palpitations. (I'm actually not joking about that one!) It's difficult to find a way to relax sometimes. I usually have a cup of something hot to relax in the winter, either tea or soup or...hot chocolate! I also like to indulge in delicious baked goods around the holidays. It's sort of a family tradition. I'm a baker at heart and the only exposure to scratch baking I had when I was little was Christmas baking. That was the one time of year my mom would let my sister and I mess up the kitchen to make cookies. I loved it. I loved it so much that I made a living out of it! (I bake at work AND at home. It's a little insane.) Since I spend all my time baking and cake decorating, I find that I have lost a taste for sugary baked goods. As I get older, the weaker my sweet tooth becomes. My mom experienced this too. When she was my age, she also decorated cakes at a mom and pop owned bakery. She liked it. A lot. She said she taste tested a little too much. =P After that, it seems that her sweet tooth has decayed away. She doesn't like anything to taste sweet, minus things like fruit. I fear that the same thing is happening to me. Although my childhood sugar addiction is waning, I still love to eat baked goods. I think it's a texture thing. I love the dense, crumby softness of muffins and quickbreads. I also am in love with spices!!! I'm automatically drawn to anything spiced be it curry, gingerbread, chai, or carrot cake! Carrot cake is my all time favorite thing to have in December. My birthday is right after Christmas and every year (for the most part) I have a carrot cake. These past few years since turning vegan, I've made my own cake. I think the first year I got one from Whole Foods. It was delicious, but again, a little too sweet for me. Since I have been so busy lately and unable to ground myself, I decided to jump the gun and make something carrot cake-esque for noshing during the busy weeks before Christmas. I had some bags of pre-shredded carrots on hand and I thought, I can make carrot bread...WITHOUT SHREDDING! If anyone has ever had to finely shred root vegetables by hand, they know how exciting this notion is. Shredding is like the most repetitive one-armed workout in the world. And it takes FOREVER. Luckily, my carrots decided to work with me this time. It's like I was meant to have carrot bread! Since I am on a gluten free baking quest, this recipe is modified to be free of wheat flour as well as lower in fat and cane sugar free. Like I said, I have really lost my taste for sugar. I do, however, love coconut sugar. It's much more mild of a sweetener and has more flavor. It's very aromatic and makes my whole kitchen smell like earthy caramel. Mmmmm! This is a bread that I do not feel guilty about eating whatsoever. Of course, that doesn't mean you can eat the whole loaf. Though I have been tempted... ^_^ If you need some more sweetness, you can add a 1/4 c vegan sugar to the batter and sprinkle the top with more sugar. It will form a lovely crust on top that looks like ice crystals! So festive! <3 For optimum enjoyment, serve with your favorite hot beverage! I've included a quick little recipe for Chia Protein Hot Cocoa. If you pair this cocoa with the carrot breat for breakfast, you are going to have the best day ever. Merry Carrotmas! Ginger Carrot Bread with Walnuts Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Yield: 1 9x5 Loaf (Can also make muffins) Serves: 16 Ingredients
Instructions
Here's a great morning drink when it's too cold to down a smoothie for breakfast. I love hot breakfasts and this can act as a meal on its own. This hot cocoa is packed with protein and is quite filling. The taste will depend on what protein powder you use and if it is sweetened or not. Mine has some stevia in it but it is not overly sweet. I upped the cocoa flavor by adding in some cocao powder. I also added a pinch more stevia to make this taste more indulgent. You can also add maple syrup, agave, or sugar to taste. If you really want to take this to the next level, melt some chocolate chips into the non-dairy milk on the stove and prepare for an amazing chocolate experience! This is very easy to prepare if you have a high speed blender like a Vitamix. If you don't have one, and you know your chia seeds will not blend into the liquid completely, you can always leave them out so you preserve this drink's creamy texture. If you can blend them all the way though, it makes this recipe unbelievably thick and rich! Chia Protein Hot Cocoa Yield: 1 serving Ingredients
Instructions
Notes This comes out almost like a chocolate banana milkshake in texture, minus the banana flavor. If you want banana in your hot chocolate, that would be a great substitution for the chia! I would probably add 1 small or 1/2 a medium banana to the blender. If all goes well, I will update this weekend as my baking frenzy begins! I will also throw in some non-Christmas recipes to force myself away from eating cookies for dinner! Until next time! ^_^ |
I'm Jess!This is my very first food blog! I post revised conventional recipes of foods that I hold near and dear to my heart. My cooking here is all gluten-free and cruelty-free, but full of flavor and comfort. Archives
December 2017
Categories
All
|