This was a BIG win for me! I have never even had a sugar cookie that was gluten-free or vegan that I really liked, but after quite a few fails and near-misses, I think I finally nailed this one. They were a huge hit at the office with vegan and non-vegan eaters alike. Hope you enjoy!
Gluten-Free, Vegan Sugar Cookies
1/2 c Earth Balance Margarine
1/4 c Vegan Cream Cheese
1/2 c agave nectar
1/2 c organic sugar
2 T flax meal (soaked for 10 min in 6T water)
2 t vanilla
1 c coconut flour
2 c Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
Blend all wet ingredients in mixer. Add dry and blend well. Roll into cylinder shape, wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate at least one hour or even over-night. Preheat oven to 400. Slice dough into 1/4 inch slices and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for ten minutes. Cool on wire racks. Ice!
Icing
1/2c Earth Balance Margarine
2T Karo light syrup
1 t vanilla
1 t butter flavoring
1/4 c vanilla almond (rice, coconut or soy) milk
1 lb powdered sugar (1 box)
Place wet ingredients into blender and pulse until creamy. Add powdered sugar by thirds. Spread on cooled cookies.
Another win with the new baking style. After a lifetime of butter, sugar, flour and eggs, gluten-free and vegan baking are a whole new experiment in baking chemistry. There have been a LOT of fails, but more wins have been occurring lately. Looks like I'm getting my new baking wings!
Gluten-Free, Vegan Carrot Muffins
1 1/2 c spelt flour
1/2 c coconut flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/2 c honey
1/2 c brown sugar
2 T flax meal soaked in 6 T water for 10 min
1/2 cup melted Earth Balance Spread
1 c vanilla almond, coconut, or soy milk
1 c finely grated carrots
1/2 c raisins
1/4 c chia seeds (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix flax meal with water in small cup and set aside to soak. Line 12 muffin tins with paper muffin cups. Place dry ingredients in medium-sized mixing bowl and stir together. Add wet ingredients and stir until combined. Finally, gently fold in carrots and raisins. Full muffin cups about 2/3 full with batter and bake for about 22-24 minutes. Cool for 5 min in tins before removing to cool on wire racks.
So much has happened since I began this blog. I have gone back to work, moved across the country, had a child diagnosed with autism, and changed my diet dramatically.
With such a hectic schedule of work, school, therapy, and motherhood, I hardly have a minute for myself, but I have found so much relief and benefit from reading posts from other moms like me that I felt compelled to throw in my two-cents here and there. Hopefully my recipes and anecdotes will make a difference to others out there.
I have been smart enough to at least write down MOST of my successful recipes. Moving from trying to eat healthy to a full plant-based diet hasn't been easy, but I often attribute my healthy diet as the difference in what keeps me going. I will be continually trying to post updates as I learn y way through this new food world and try to sneak some of these great nutrients into my picky son's diet as well.
Stay tuned......
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 T lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 large eggs plus three large egg yolks
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 small can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 18 oz jar raspberry preserves or jam
Fluffy Boiled Icing (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper or foil cups (makes 24).
Combine butter and sugar in mixing bowl and blend until fluffy. Add lemon zest, juice, and eggs and mix well. Add dry ingredients slowly, blending well. Slowly pour in buttermilk until completely combined. Spoon into muffin tins, filling each about 2/3 of the way.
Place in oven and bake 20-25 minutes until light golden. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.
When cool, shake can of thawed frozen lemonade mix and pour half into small bowl. Using a pastry bruch, glaze each cupcake with the mixture, going over twice to absorb. Let sit about an hour.
Using a wooden spoon with a thick, round handle, poke holes into the center of each cupcake. Stir raspberry preserves to loosen and scoop into pastry bag fitted with coupler only. Place tip of bag into each hole and squeeze slightly until cupcake very slightly expands. Wipe off any excess filling.
Fluffy Boiled Icing
This recipe is also on the Wilton website. It is a perfect touch for cakes that just need that extra sweet something to really set them off without tampering with the flavor too much. Also, it has no shortening or butters, keeping the fat content a little lower than with traditional icings.
3 Tablespoons meringue powder
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water
Combine meringue powder and cold water in a mixing bowl and whip until stiff peaks form, about four minutes. In a saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and water under medium high heat. Cook and stir until it comes to a boil and set aside to cool for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour into meringue mixture while beating. Continue to whip until glossy and stiff, about four minutes. Tint using mixer if desired.
Easiest to place in pastry bag with no tip and pipe onto cupcakes. Very light and fluffy!
Of all the cakes I make, this is by far the lost labor intensive and DELICIOUS. I found this recipe on line but changed a few things to suit my flavor preferences...who likes following directions anyway!
Tiramisu Cake
For the cake layers:
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
For the espresso extract:
2 tablespoons instant coffee
2 tablespoons boiling water
For the espresso syrup:
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 T Kahlua
For the filling and frosting:
1 8-ounce container mascarpone
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1 T Kahlua
1 cup cold heavy cream
Chocolate-covered espresso beans, for decoration (optional)
Cocoa powder, for dusting
Getting ready:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 inch pans.
To make the cake:
Beat together butter and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs and beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix until blended. Slowly add in buttermilk and mix until blended. Pour evenly into the two baking pans.
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
To make the extract:
Stir the espresso powder and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside.
To make the syrup:
Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy; set aside.
To make the filling and frosting:
Put the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk just until blended and smooth.
Working with the stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch.
To assemble the cake:
If the tops of the cake layers have crowned, use a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. Place one layer right-side up on a cardboard round or a cake plate protected with strips of wax or parchment paper. Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, soak the layer with about one third of the espresso syrup. Smooth some of the mascarpone cream over the layer – user about 1 1/4 cups – and gently press the chopped chocolate into the filling. Put the second cake layer on the counter and soak the top of it with half the remaining espresso syrup, then turn the layer over and position it, soaked side down, over the filling. Soak the top of the cake with the remaining syrup.
For the frosting, whisk 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining espresso extract into the remaining mascarpone filling. Taste the frosting as you go to decide how much extract you want to add. If the frosting looks as if it might be a little too soft to spread over the cake, press a piece of plastic wrap against its surface and refrigerate it for 15 minutes or so. Refrigerate the cake too.
With a long metal icing spatula, smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top. If you want to decorate the cake with chocolate-covered espresso beans, press them into the filling, making concentric circles of beans or just putting some beans in the center of the cake.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours (or for up to 1 day) before serving – the elements need time to meld.
Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with cocoa. I cut a star shape out of waxed paper and placed it lightly over the cake, and shaved a layer of chocolate over it with a microplane, before carefully removing the star to leave a stenciled shape.
1 1/2 lb fresh shrimp, peeled
2 T vegetable oil
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 med onion, chopped
1 med green bell pepper, chopped
2 large celery stalks, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T cajun seasoning blend
1 t chili powder
Salt and pepper
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 T hot sauce (Louisiana is best), Optional
Cooked rice and garlic bread
Peel and rinse shrimp. Set aside. Chop all veggies and get rice cooking.
Heat vegetable oil in large skillet or wide sauce pan. Add onion, celery, pepper and garlic and cook about 7 minutes until softened. Add tomatoes and spices. Stir well and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add shrimp and cook just until they turn pink.
Serve over rice and with garlic bread. Enjoy!
