GF Ginger Snaps (GF, Vegan)

I really like ginger snaps, but I don't like the hard ones from the store, I like more of the soft ones with the outside that is crisp. So, these are nice and soft and actually stay soft and not stale after a few days either.

 Gluten Free Ginger Snaps

Makes about 22 cookies 

2 tbs turbinado sugar (ie sugar in the raw)

1 c gf flour  (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/8 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt 

1 1/4 tbs ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 c coconut oil
1/8 c molasses
1/8 c almond milk
1/2 c sugar (I used half coconut sugar & half turbinado sugar)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine liquid ingredients with half cup of sugar until well combined. 

In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and mix. Then add to wet mixture until well combined.

Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls and place on cookie sheet. Then flatten the balls, keep in mind that the flatter you make them the crisper the cookies will be. I don't like my cookies very crisp, so I don't flatten them too much. Sprinkle the additional 2 tablespoons of sugar over the flattened cookies.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Sweet Potato Pie With Spiced Oat Pecan Crust (GF, Vegan)

This is a great Gluten Free, Vegan Sweet Potato Pie. I wanted to make one from scratch, so I cooked the potatoes myself rather than using the canned stuff. But I put the instructions for using the canned stuff in as well.

the crust

before the oven, I thought it would be cute if I made a heart in it with my fork

tastes great!!!

Makes 1 pie

Crust
1 cup oats, ground (or oat flour)
3 TBS brown sugar, packed (or coconut sugar)
1/4 cup pecans, ground
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 TBS coconut oil mixed with 1 TBS water

Filling
1 1/2 cup cooked sweet potato
2 TBS flaxseed, ground
1/3 cup brown sugar, (or coconut sugar)
3 TBS pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of cloves
3/4 cup coconut milk (from the can)

Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate and heat oven to 425° F.
Grind oats & pecans then combine with, brown sugar and cinnamon. Work oil mixture in until well blended, I just used my hands to blend it. Pat into the prepared pie plate. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until browned around the edges. Then remove.

I cooked my sweet potatoes before hand (like a baked potato) then peeled off the skins and measured out 1 1/2 cups worth. You can also just get the sweet potato puree from the store. I ground my flaxseed in my high power blender alone, then added in the rest of the ingredients & blended until smooth. You can also use flax meal instead of grinding them yourself.

Pour in the filling to the prebaked crust, then bake your pie. Bake on the lower rack at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until filling has set.

Amaretto Cookies (GF, Vegan)

Makes 16 cookies

1 1/4 cups raw almonds
3/4 cup tapioca starch/powder
1/2 cup + 2 TBS turbinado sugar (or dry sweetener/sugar of choice)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp almond extract
*2 TBS Amaretto Liquor
2 tsp water

Preheat oven to 350.
In a food processor or high power blender (Blentec/Vitamix) grind up the almonds. Then add in the tapioca, sugar, baking powder & salt, blend again. Now add the liquid ingredients and mix.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or if you don't have any, a greased cookie sheet will do) roll the dough into balls 1-2 TBS and place on the sheet, don't flatten them, they will flatten in the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes. Take out of oven & slide parchment paper off the sheet & onto a cool surface.

*Adding Amaretto Liquor just gives it more of an almond kick to the cookie, the alcohol goes away in the baking process. But if you don't have any Amaretto, you can use water in it's place and it will be just fine.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF, Vegan)

Ok, I was bad and didn't take a picture of these, but, they turned out really great, so I'm going to post the recipe anyway. Avocado is a new love of mine to sub for oil. Fat for a fat, just one comes in it's 100% natural state instead of having any sort of processing (which you know I love!)

1 cup sweet potato puree (can use pumpkin)

1 cup coconut sugar

1 avocado, peeled and pitted

1 flax egg (1 TBS ground flax in 3 TBS warm/hot water) 

1 TBS agave

2 cups preferred flour (I used a gluten-free blend by Pure Pantry)

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cups chocolate chips

Crispy Quinoa Cookies (GF, Vegan)

I made these cookies on a whim, just playing around with a few different things. Later I discovered they are AWESOME for ice cream sandwiches. I used dairy-free maple pecan ice cream in the middle and they went together sooo well! Scroll to the end of the link's page for the  above recipe, it's great, no ice cream maker needed & it's soft no matter how long it's frozen!
If you don't have quinoa flakes or buckwheat flour, there are other options, see options section at the bottom of this post.

ice cream sandwich

Makes about 30 cookies

1/2 c brown rice syrup (can sub agave, honey or maple syrup if you do, exclude the stevia below)
1/3 c sucanat (or dry sweetener of choice)
1 med to large banana
1/2 c almond butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp stevia powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 c buckwheat flour
3/4 c quinoa flakes
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Heat the oven to 350 F. Mix together brown rice syrup, sucanat, banana, almond butter and vanilla until creamy. Add in dry ingredients and beat until well blended. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 15 min or until light golden brown. Cool for 1 minute and then remove from the cookie sheet.When they cool off, they will be crisp.


OPTIONS: If you don't want to use quinoa flakes, you can switch them for oats. Rather than buckwheat flour, you can use brown rice flour.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread/Muffins (Vegan)

This bread doesn't taste like zucchini bread, in fact, it's hard to tell that there is even zucchini in it. It tastes like a cross between a chocolate chocolate chip muffin, and a brownie. That's just fine by me!! It's nice and moist too, another major positive. We've got zucchini coming out our ears here, so it's nice to make something with zucchini that doesn't TASTE like zucchini.

Makes 12 muffins or 1 large loaf 

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

2 Tbs flaxseed, ground

6 Tbs warm/hot water

8-10 drops vanilla stevia

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup turbinado sugar

1 1/2 cups spelt flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)

3/4 cups shredded red apple (about 1 medium apple)

1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts

1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (more or less to taste)

Grind flax seed, and combine in a small bowl with warm/hot water and drops of stevia. Stir and allow to sit for 5-10 min at least. 

In a medium-large bowl grate the zucchini and apple. I just used a peeler and peeled it straight into the bowl, trying to make sure they were somewhat thin, and rotating around evenly. But you can easily use a cheese grater.

Combine dry ingredients (except sugar) in a bowl and mix well, then add to zucchini/apple mixture. Mix the 2 around so that all of the zucchini and apple shreds are coated in the flour. 

Now take the same bowl you had your dry ingredients in, and combine sugar, oil, and vanilla. Then add the flax mixture until fully incorporated. 

Combine wet with the flour coated shreds, then add in chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. If you are allergic to walnuts, you can certainly leave them out, or swap them out for pepitas, they would go well in this too.

Can be made into 12 muffins, or a large bread loaf.

Cook at 350 F for 22-25 min if making muffins (or until a tooth pick comes out clean). Cook for 50 min if making the loaf of bread.

Stone Fruit Crisp (GF, Vegan)

What in the world is "stone fruit"?! Fruit that has a pit, is basically the answer to that one. I like the mix of them all in this cobbler like crisp. It's not really a cobbler, and isn't really a crisp. So maybe it's a crisler? Or a cobbisp? At any rate, it's good, it's low glycemic (using agave and coconut sugar and gluten free WHOLE grain flours  and the peels still on the fruit, except the mango, make it so.) gluten free, vegan, and all those other great things! Did you know that gluten and especially wheat is a MAJOR contributor to blood sugar spikes and hypoglycemia? It is, so the more wheat-free, gluten-free things you can have, the better.

I made it again, and here is a better pic than the below cell phone pic

We chowed down on it before I remembered to take a pic, so it's a cell phone pic sorry!

Stone Fruit Crisp
Fruit Bottom:
2 pounds any combo of; nectarines, peaches, pluots, apricots, plums and mangos
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tbs + 1 tsp tapioca starch (or arrowroot)


Crisp:
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup gluten-free flour mix  <--- click on the link if you don't already know of a good one or have some ready
1/2 cup coconut sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
big pinch of salt
1 ½ tbs coconut oil
1 banana, mashed

Cook in a 7x11 baking dish or equivalent

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.

Cut the fruit into bite-sized, 1-inch pieces. Place the chopped fruit into the baking dish, drizzle agave nectar over fruit then sprinkle tapioca starch over and toss well, making sure all the starch is dissolved.

To make the topping combine the oats, flour, coconut sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Stir in the oil, and then the banana and mix until everything comes together in a dough-like texture. Spread the crumble evenly over the fruit mixture.

Place the baking dish in the oven, middle rack, and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the topping has browned slightly and the tops are hardened.

Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting (Vegan)

One of my dad's favorite cakes is carrot cake. So for Father's Day I made one for him that would be a healthier vegan version (so I could eat it too, because I love carrot cake!) The cake and frosting recipes I got from different sites and edited them. I like things like this to be low glycemic, so I don't get a major sugar high from it.

Cake
3 cups spelt flour
2 cups coconut sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
3/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup banana, mashed
4 Tbsp flaxseed, ground
12 Tbsp warm water
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
12 drops vanilla stevia
1 1/2 cups shelled walnuts, chopped (plus more for topping)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut
2 cups of finely grated carrots
1 cup of drained crushed pineapple

Coconut Cream Frosting
1 cup coconut milk (canned)
1 cup agave nectar
pinch real salt
5 teaspoons arrowroot powder
1 tablespoon water (or coconut water)
1 1/4 cup coconut oil

Cake Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9 inch cake pans. Mix ground flax with warm water and allow to sit for 5 min. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. If coconut oil is solid, submerge jar into hot water for 5-10 min to melt it. Add melted oil, flax mixture, vanilla and stevia. Beat well. Mix in chopped walnuts, coconut, carrots and pineapple. Pour batter into pans equally. Bake for 40-45 minutes (shift positions of cakes front-to-back if necessary about halfway through), or a little longer, until edges have pulled away from sides and a toothpick or fork inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on rack. Once cakes have cooled, and the frosting has set up, frost. Sprinkle top with chopped walnuts or arrange walnut halves in a crown around the top.


Frosting Instructions
In a medium saucepan, heat coconut milk, agave and salt, simmer for 10 minutes
In a little bowl, combine arrowroot and water to form a smooth paste. Pour arrowroot mixture into saucepan. Mix them really well together with a fork or whisk, then bring to a boil, for a min or 2 until shiny. Remove pot from heat and very slowly blend in coconut oil with a hand blender, it splatters easily.
Allow pot to cool for 10 minutes
Put the pot in the fridge for 45-120 minutes, until frosting gets solid and turns white throughout.
Remove from fridge and blend again with a hand mixer, until fluffy.

Yum Truffles (Raw, GF, Vegan)

Such a simple recipe, but really really good! The soaking of the almonds makes it so that the rolls are softer. I make these 2 different ways, one rolled in coconut flakes & the other rolled in carob powder. I never really consumed dates much until noticed that just about every fruit & nut bar at the grocery store used dates in them. I started making these, and now adore using dates.

1 C raw almonds, soaked 24-48 hours
*1/2 C packed, dates, pitted
1 tsp vanilla
2-4 Tbs carob powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
unsweetened coconut flakes OR additional carob powder

Put soaked almonds into a food processor for about 1 minute. Then add dates in about 3 different groupings mixing well between. Now add in vanilla and carob (or cocoa) powder.
If an enjoyable change, add another extract to the mix, just 1 tsp. Ex: Orange extract (orange and chocolate go great together), coconut extract (esp if you roll the balls in coconut), cherry, lemon, mint or almond extract.
Roll into 1-2 in balls and roll in coconut flakes or carob powder.
I keep mine in the fridge, but that's because I like it when they are cold and semi-firm. You can do whatever you'd like.


*I suggest buying dates with the pits in, because they stay soft MUCH longer that way. I know it's a bit of a pain pulling out the pits, but it's turns out to be a better product when you do.

Puffed Kamut Treats (Vegan)

 I always love a simple recipe with only a few ingredients that tastes great, and one is!

My mom used to make something called puffed rice balls, when I was growing up. I loved those things! It was puffed rice coated with carmel and rolled into balls.  This recipe is like a cross between those and rice krispie treats, but a much healthier vegan version of them both.

I don't really do rice now, and I didn't want to have a rice cereal that has pointless sugar added to it (even the stuff at the health food store), so I used some puffed Kamut that I had. You can use puffed whatever though; corn, millet, rice, wheat. They don't turn out as sticky as traditional rice krispie treats do, or as sticky as my mom's puffed rice balls were.

I gobbled these things down! They are yummy, and not too sweet... well, to me they aren't.

Modified from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan Nicer Krispie Squares recipe.

3 1/2 c puffed kamut (you can use puffed rice or puffed millet instead)
1/2 c almond butter
1/3 c agave nectar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
**1/4 tsp agar flakes
1/2 tsp RealSalt (or sea salt)

Over medium-low heat, put agave and agar flakes in a pot, stirring for about 2 min. Add almond butter, vanilla and real salt. Stir until smooth, add in puffed grain in 1/2 cup increments, coating completely. Then press into a brownie pan with parchment paper on the bottom and cool in the fridge until set.

You could make them into balls if you wanted to by rolling them into balls and placing them on parchment paper or waxed paper.


**You can ditch the agar flakes, but they will lose some of the firmness.  What are agar flakes you might be wondering...
Agar Agar is a vegetarian gelatin substitute produced from a variety of seaweed vegetation. It is sold in health food stores in both flake and powder varieties, and can be used in a variety of dairy-free and vegan recipes as a stabilizing and thickening agent for custards,puddings, sauces and even vegetarian marshmallows.

Link to entire agar agar info page