Marshmallows

Marshmallows are becoming a strong contender for the biggest trend of 2009. They seem to pop everywhere and they are being made in many different flavors. There are many vegan marshmallows on the market, but they aren't always gluten free and thus out of range for us non wheat eaters. 

One might think that marshmallows are one of the few items that their allergies has prevented them from eating without too much sadness; but I think that might because you are thinking of those stylophone-y ones that you bought in a bag before a camping trip and were sickeningly sweet even to my tastes. Or, maybe not, and you genuinely don't like them. 

If that's the case, try out the recipe and throw it in a dish with some puffed rice cereal and make an incredible non-trendy, but possible better treat: Rice Crispy Squares

Note: You really need a mixer with a whisk attachment for this recipe.

MARSHMALLOW INGREDIENTS:

4 envelopes of vegan gelatin (not as hard to find as I thought, most health food places have it)

1 1/2 cup water (or, for flavored marshmallows, use smooth fruit puree or juice)

1 tbs vanilla

3 cups sugar

1 1/4 cup corn syrup

gluten free powdered sugar

MARSHMALLOW INSTRUCTIONS:

First, prepare your pan. Generously oil a 9x13 baking dish and set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer, put 3/4 cup water/juice, vanilla (if making vanilla flavored marshmallows) and sprinkle all of the gelatin over top. 

Meanwhile, in a pot bring the sugar, corn syrup and remaining 3/4 water to a boil. Using a candy thermometer allow the mixture to heat until the softball stage. 

Working quickly, pour the hot mixture into the gelatin mixture with the whisk attachment on a low speed. Be careful, as you don't want to splash yourself. Bring the mixer up to full speed and whip the mixture until it is nice and fluffy (ten minutes for me). Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and level out if you need to with a spatula that has been wiped with oil. 

Let the pan sit over night and then cut into squares, tossing each one in a light coating of icing sugar. Store in an airtight container!

Instead of vanilla, you could add peppermint oil to make a delicious minty treat (I'd also die them green, but that's just me!)

Vegan Bake Off

Saturday, Oct. 3rd was the Second Annual Vegan Bake Off put together by the Canadian Vegetarian Society. I had seen the posters around my neighborhood and was excited to try my luck. It was a busy weekend for me (I start my first post grad school job on Monday, Markus' birthday dinner party at my place on Friday, and then a small get together with friends on Saturday night) but I was determined to make it work! 

As a surprise, Markus had made me little Mini Canteen business cards and he even invented a neat way to wrap each cookie.

I made the dough during the week and kept it in the freezer. I needed to make 50 cookies for sampling and 3 special ones for the celebrity judges. On Saturday morning I woke up early and baked away. I was worried about having enough, but ended up with over 100! Markus helped me fold and prepare each little packet. He even made cute little recipe cards to place beside my display! 

We were the first people to sign in at the event (I guess I was pretty excited!) and after I had set up my samples we had quite a bit of time before the sampling began. There were two rounds, one for cookies, bars, and raw foods and one for cupcakes, cakes, and professional bakers. See some great photos here.

Even though there were only supposed to be fifty samples, I was glad I had prepared extra because there ended up being closer to three hundred samplers lining up for the treats! I didn't get to try everything, but some of the treats were delicious! Especially the Nanaimo bars (which one a few prizes) and the Mini Cinnabons. A few hours later everyone sat on the floor of the gymnasium to hear the judge's picks for the various prizes. After I didn't win best cookie or runner up in my category, I was a bit bummed but was still having a good time cheering for the winners.

And then I won a prize! Out of all the contestants (forty in total) the judges picked my treat as most memorable! 

My prize pack included a subscription to Veg News, some chocolate from Boardwalk Chocolates, a cook book, a beautiful home made ribbon, and bragging rights! Then Markus won some cookies for answering a sports question correctly! 

It was so great to see everyone else's great treats and meet other bakers in my city. I wish I had more pictures of other people's offerings, but there is a facebook page if anyone is interested in seeing some of the other entries!

Kransekake

Kransekake is a genuinely wheat and dairy free cake. In the original recipe there is no flour, no dairy, and no ingredients that 'may contain traces of wheat and dairy.' It does however, contain egg whites and almonds. I replaced the egg whites with 3 egg replacer mixed with water, but I don't think you could get away with replacing the nuts if you're trying to avoid those. 

This cake is traditionally for celebrations, like weddings and New Years. My backyard party while hardly as significant as the joining of two people for life or the dawn of a new year was reason enough for me to undertake the project. 

If you are Scandinavian you might already have Kransekake pans, but I'm not and I didn't, so my cake was decidedly more free form than one baked in the proper pans. To make my ad-hoc version, start with the smallest ring and bake it alone. See how much the dough expands and then make the rest of the rings based on that assumption. Full Disclosure: the above picture is not my cake–it was eaten before I could take a picture. If you make the cake without the rings, each layer will be a little flatter, but the effect will be the same.

KRANSEKAKE INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds ground almonds

1 1/2 pounds icing sugar

3/4 tbs baking powder

3 egg replacements mixed with water

KRANSEKAKE DIRECTIONS:

I followed exactly what this man did on A Baker's Odyssey except without the pans. 

GLAZE INGREDIENTS:

hot water

icing sugar

GLAZE DIRECTIONS:

Mix ingredients together until you have a thick glaze that holds its shape. Place in a pastry bag fitted with a round hole and pipe onto kransekake. 

Blogger's Delight Granola

I absolutely never thought I'd be the type of person who makes my own cereal. Not only is it relatively inexpensive and widely available, it's just about the only thing I can safely buy at any number of country fairs I attend over the summer. If you get into this blogging business; however, you may find yourself (as I have) at the receiving end of free samples and thoughtful gifts sent to you by well meaning friends. While I am always eager to try something new, I regret to say that sometimes I end of serving myself something that truly deserves the name and bad connotations of 'health food.' Fortunately, I've found that if you combine many of these offending grains and cereals, coat them in oil and sugar and bake them until they are quite brown they (not surprisingly) taste amazing!

I like my granola in big clusters, perfect for snacking on, so I've invented a twice coated method that solicits large hunks rather than separated bits. 

Makes about 5 cups. 

GRANOLA INGREDIENTS:

5 cups of your choice dry ingredients. I suggest at least 2 cups being composed of oats. If you want to add chocolate chips or dried fruit, do so at the end after the baking. 

3/4 cup maple syrup

4 tablespoons vegan margarine (or, if your cereals are salty, use canola or coconut oil)

2 tbs honey/agave nectar

3/4 brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbs wheat free flour

GRANOLA INSTRUCTIONS:

In a saucepan, combine maple syrup, honey, sugar, and margarine. Heat over low heat until boiling. Remove from heat and add vanilla, stirring to combine. Pour two thirds of the sugar mixture over the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, stir to coat. Spread this mixture on a lined baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for twenty minutes. The cereal should be nice and brown. Remove from heat and set aside. Gently reheat remaining liquid. Remove from heat and add flour. If you are adding dried fruit or chocolate, sprinkle ontop of the granola. Pour over granola. Allow to set for 1/2 hour before breaking apart and storing in an airtight container for upto a week. 

Almost There Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been struggling with making the perfect chocolate chip cookie and these are pretty darn close. My only quibble is that they are a tad puffy rather than flat and Mrs. Fields like. Hopefully, with a bit more tinkering I can make them match the cookies of my pre-allergy memory. The taste, I have to say is, just about perfect. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know! I've been thinking of trying to use brown sugar and substitute some of the coconut oil with vegan margarine. 

Makes about 24 cookies.

COOKIE INGREDIENTS:

1 cup coconut oil, melted

2 tablespoons vanilla

1 tablespoon molasses

pinch of salt (optional)

3/4 agave nectar

2 cups wheat free flour

1/2 cup ground up gluten free oats

1 1/2 tsp xantham gum

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup vegan chocolate chips

COOKIE DIRECTIONS:

In a bowl, combine the oil, vanilla, molasses, and agave nectar. Then, using a sieve, add the flour, xantham gum, salt, soda, cinnamon and oat flour. Sift this in and stir. Fold the chocolate chips in and mix until the dough is not shiny. Drop on a lined cookie sheet and spread the dough out a bit with an inverted spatula. Bake at 325 degrees for about nine minutes.

Store in an airtight container for upto 3 days. Refrigerate for longer life. 

The Great Fake Pound Cake

I made this cake to celebrate the completion of my Masters degree. I'm very excited if a bit jobless, so hopefully that will mean more time concocting recipes and less time writing papers. To celebrate, I baked a cake! After a week of no baking it was so satisfying to sift flour over creamed sugar; to pour batter into a tin; and bake a delicious, simple, wholesome treat. 

I wanted to make a pound cake. It has the depth and heftiness that a Masters degree seemed to require. Obvious restrictions were overcome and the result was a deeply vanilla-y cake with a dense crumb. 

POUND CAKE INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise

1 cup white sugar

1 vanilla seed, scraped and deseeded

1 1/2 cup wheat free flour

1 tsp xantham gum

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup rice milk or soy milk mixed with 1 tsp cider or white vinegar

1 egg replacement

POUND CAKE DIRECTIONS:

In the bowl of a mixer, combine the apple sauce, mayonnaise, sugar, and vanilla seeds together until creamy and the vanilla seeds are evenly dispersed. In another bowl combine the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and powder. Add, alternating with the rice milk until combined. Finally, add the egg replacement prepared as per the instructions. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, rotating half way through. Allow to cool mostly in the pan and then turn out onto a cooling rack. 

MILK CHOCOLATE ICING INGREDIENTS:

2 tbs vegan margarine

1 tsp cocoa powder

2 tsp bird's custard powder

vanilla soy milk/rice milk

icing sugar

ICING DIRECTIONS:

Beat the margarine, cocoa powder, and custard powder combined. Alternatively add icing sugar and soy milk until enough icing to cover the top of the cake is made. Spread on cooled cake. 

Gluten Free Tea for Two

When you are in the mood to decorate these little goodies are a great alternative to sugar cookies. There is no doubt, that in a crunch, a drop cookie is the way to go. But there is something that just can't be beat about rolling out a bunch of dough, pressing it into shapes, and later when it has cooled, slathering them in icing. 

These cookies are incredibly soft and chewy and don't need to be iced at all if you prefer a less rich cookie. Both ways, these are great for afternoon tea. 

TEA COOKIES INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup apple sauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 egg substitutes

3 cups wheat free flour

1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup cocoa powder

COOKIE DIRECTIONS:

In a mixer, beat the oils, apple sauce, and vanilla together. Add the sugar. Using a sieve, sift in the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Mix together. Add the prepared egg replacer. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to harden up in the fridge for a bit. 

Roll the dough into a 1/4 inch thickness onto a floured surface. Cut into shapes and baked on a greased sheet for about 8 minutes. Cool before icing. 

Everything Free Ice Cream

This ice cream recently came to my attention via. several other blogs, to whom I owe incredible thanks. After taking dairy out of my diet, I sullenly moved to sorbet, which while I appreciated the health benefits, I've truly never enjoyed as much real ice cream. In addition, sorbet does not take to toppings and sauces the way a bowl of vanilla can. 

This little treat, on the other hand, is made with banana, which baked and on its own takes to just about every flavor you'd want to add to ice cream; chocolate, caramel, peanut butter, vanilla, strawberry, I even swirled in some cookie dough. 

There really is no recipe for the base, just keep in mind that one banana will give you about 1/4 cup ice cream. 

For chocolate, I added 1 tbs. cocoa and 1 tbs. sugar for every banana. This made a not too sweet, but very chocolatey ice cream. 

To make the basic ice cream: Cut very ripe bananas into large pieces. Freeze completely. Put into a blender and whir about until creamy and custardy. Store in an airtight container in the freezer. 

Decorating Cakes

Decorating cakes without buttercream or royal icing can be a challenge and is one of the reasons wheat and dairy free bakers often make do with cupcakes instead. There are some occasions that require a sheet cake covered in mildly distressing colors of icings. 

The following recipe is how I decorate my cakes when such an occasion arises. 

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup vegan margarine, unsalted

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs - 1/4 cup vanilla soy or rice milk

3 - 5 cups vegan icing sugar

DIRECTIONS:

In an electric mixer, combine the vanilla and margarine, whirring together until creamy and smooth. Add a few tablespoons of milk. Then add your icing sugar. Alternate the icing sugar and milk until you've reached a consistency that is thick enough to pipe and spread. If you can, use gel food paste as it doesn't change the consistency of the icing as much as the little bottles do. 

The Ultimate Snack Mix

Before I started caring about the newspaper, my breakfast reading material was the side of cereal boxes. When I was quite young, this mostly consisted of games and other child friendly fare, but when my parents did an abrupt turnaround and enforced healthy eating, the sides of cereal boxes became seriously dull; filled with facts about nutrition and vitamins. Sometimes, there would be a recipe, that even as a child I found totally unappealing. Despite this, cooking with cereal has become one of my favorite ways to whip something up in a hurry. And, unlike many prepackaged foods, I find the breakfast category of the allergy aisle respite with options. 

The japanese rice cereal is a replacement for pretzels, which are hard to find without yeast (my other allergy).

This recipe is the amalgamation of several; but do read the packages carefully to make sure the brand you are purchasing is devoid of what ails you. 

This recipe yields a substantial amount that you might not personally require. I prefer to make a large batch however, in order to have on hand when snack cravings hit. 

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups Japanese rice chips

4 cups popped popcorn (or about one microwave bag)

5 cups gluten free, vegan corn cereal

1 cup toasted soy beans

vegan chocolate chips

dried cranberries

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegan margarine or canola oil

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Grease a large roasting pan with canola oil. Add the cereal, soybeans, popcorn, and rice chips and stir together gently. 

In a small sauce pot, combine the brown sugar, margarine, and corn syrup. Stirring, bring to a boil and then leave without stirring for two minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda. Pour over the cereal mixture and coat with a wooden spoon. 

Bake this at 250 degrees for 1/2 hour, stirring every ten minutes. Allow to cool completely before adding the chocolate chips and cranberries. 

 

Vegan Nutella

In my previous life, I was known to eat spoonfuls of Nutella for dinner. Its absence is sorely missed, but with a bit of tweaking, I've put together a replacement. It isn't quite as good (no preservatives, I suppose) but the chocolate to hazelnut ratio is there and the skim milk powder that I could never quite taste in the original is just as subtle when replaced with soy. 

NUTELLA INGREDIENTS:

4 cups hazelnut, pre skinned

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

NUTELLA DIRECTIONS:

First, make a caramel out of the sugar and water by combining them in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Heat over medium heat until a light amber in color. Now, just like brittle, pour the caramel onto a line cookie sheet in a super thin layer. Allow this to cool. Break the cooled brittle to pieces and pop into a food processor. Blend like crazy until all the caramel has formed into  lovely, caramelly sand. 

Meanwhile, you can roast the hazelnuts. Don't make them too dark, watch them carefully! When theses are room temperature, put into the food processor and pulverize until you have hazelnut butter. Add the caramel bits, cocoa, and vanilla and whir together. 

I prefer my nutella at room temperature, though I know the sides of jars always recommend refrigerating them. So officially, this will last for a few months in the fridge, while as for me, I keep it just as long on the counter.

Wheat Free and Vegan Peach Cake

I'm not really one for fruit desserts, but the bounty of summer requires stamina and creativity. Peaches, which are really just starting their season now take particularly well to being baked. Their juiciness creates an almost custard like layer of batter around them and the cake stays nice and moist. The recipe below is for one layer of crumb and one layer of peach. If I am swimming in peaches, I often make two layers and one and half batches of the crumb. 

CAKE INGREDIENTS:

Topping:

1/2 cup vegan margarine or coconut oil

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup wheat free flour

Cake:

1/2 cup coconut oil

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 egg replacer

1 cup wheat free flour

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp xanthan gum

4 peaches, peeled and thinly sliced

CAKE DIRECTIONS: 

First make the crumble: combine all the ingredients in the food processor until a coarse meal forms. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar and coconut oil until well combined. Add the vanilla and beat in. Add the egg replacement. Using a sifter, add the flour, baking powder, and xantham gum. Beat until just combined. Pour the batter into a lined high-sided 9 inch pan. Layer the peach slices on top and then pat down the crumble. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. 

Wheat Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies

This recipe is similar to a whoopie pie or some might say a muffin top. You could forgo the icing and serve them as is, but I like to serve them in a stacked pyramid after a nice, outdoor supper, along with fresh fruit. These are wonderful for the summer because unlike a traditional cake, they only take about fifteen minutes in the oven so you won't heat up the house for too long, but you get the wonderful taste of a full carrot cake.

I like to make mine quite small, but make them as large as like you like. 

CAKE INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup apple sauce

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbs molasses

1/4 white sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/8 cup wheat free flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 egg replacement

1 cup finely grated carrots 

CAKE DIRECTIONS:

In a mixer, combine the sugars, molasses, canola oil, and apple sauce. Add the grated carrots and vanilla and whir together. Sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and baking soda into the carrot mixture. Add the egg replacement. 

Using a spoon, make uniform-ish drops of dough on a pan lined with parchment. Don't crowd them or they won't puff up. Bake at 375 degrees for about fifteen minutes. Allow to cool completely before icing. 

These will last three days uniced, so ice only right before serving.  

ICING INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup vegan cream cheese

1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups vegan icing sugar

ICING DIRECTIONS:

In the mixer, combine the cream cheese and coconut oil with the lemon juice and vanilla. Add the icing sugar by the 1/4 cup and adjust to your preference. If you would like to use a little less sugar, honey adds a wonderful dimension. Place the icing in a container and pop into the fridge for 1/2 an hour. 

Wheat Free Vegan Date Squares

I know these seem a bit old fashioned and aren't a terribly trendy dessert, but the fact that they appear in almost every coffee shop leads me to believe there must be someone else who likes them besides me. 

I like my date squares to have a solid top, rather than the crumbly one popular in many recipes. No doubt, less crust is better for you, but the stodginess of dates seems to almost call out for the equally stoic oat crust. If you'd prefer a lighter topping, just make a little less and sprinkle it willy-nilly across the top. 

Makes one 8 x 8 pan, or about 9 squares

BAR INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups chopped, pitted dates (I usually buy them pre-pitted and chop them with kitchen shears)

1/4 tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 cups water or apple juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 cups gluten free oats

1 1/2 cups wheat free flour

3/4 tsp xantham gum

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 room temperature coconut oil

1/4 cup vegan margarine

BAR INSTRUCTIONS:

Bring the water and lemon juice to a boil and and reduce to a simmer. Add the chopped dates and allow water to absorb, about ten minutes. Remove from heat. The dates should be a smooth paste. Add more juice/water and return to heat if needed. Add vanilla. 

In a bowl, add all of the ingredients finishing with the oil and margarine, and, using your fingers, turn into a crumble. Pat half of the crumble into a greased 8 x 8 pan. Spread the date mixture and then pat down the remaining crumb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour until crust is golden brown. Cool on a rack and cut into squares. 

Store for up to a week in an airtight container. 

Granola Cookies

These cookies were born out of the cupboards of the cottage. One rainy day, when I was in the mood to bake something, I decided to make cookies, only to realize we had no flour. I did find the ground up bits at the bottom of a bag of granola and substituted those instead. Those cookies were quite crunchy and not quite right, but inspired these little gems when I was back in the city. The recipe below is quite similar to a kitchen sink cookie, but a little crunchier because of the ground oats and granola. I like to eat them for breakfast, but they also make a nice afternoon snack. 

The amount of sugar you add is totally dependent on how sweet your granola is. So, if you aren't an incurable dough nibbler this will be the time to break with restraint and try it out. If you would prefer, try maple syrup instead of the brown sugar to up the granola-taste. 

Makes aprox. 30 cookies

COOKIE INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup prune puree or apple sauce

1/2 cup vegan margarine

3/4 cup gluten free granola, ground in a food processor

1 cup wheat-free flour

1/2 tsp xantham gum

1/2 cup gluten free oats, ground in food processor

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbs molasses

1/2 cup brown sugar (or to taste)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 egg equivalencies

1 cup gluten free rolled oats

1 cup gluten free granola

1 cup  flaked dried coconut

1 cup dried cranberries

COOKIE DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, mix together with a wooden spoon mix together the canola oil, prune puree, and margarine. Add the vanilla and molasses and then the ground up granola. Add the sugar, deciding how much you need. Add the ground oats and combine. Sift in the wheat-free flour, xantham gum, baking soda and powder and a pinch of salt if you'd like. Add the egg replacer as directed on the package, stirring gently. Lastly add the dried cranberries, oats, granola, and coconut. Drop by tablespoon onto a pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for about fifteen minute, rotating the pan half way through. 

Allow to cool on the pan for a moment and then cool completely on a cooling rack. 

Store in an airtight container for up to a week. 

Wheat Free Vegan Chocolate Coconut Bars or MAGIC BARS

When I was younger these bars were called Magic Bars. You made them in the pan you baked them in and took all of about ten minutes, due mainly to the fact that ninety percent of the ingredients were store bought, cupboard standards. While this is now impossible for me, I didn't want to sacrifice these goodies to the long list of "Things I Can't Eat" so I experimented and made a few changes and came up with a compromise between what I remember and what I can eat. While they are no longer magically simple, they are delicious and you can always just take photos on awkward angles, as I've done here, to make these feel a little more kooky. 

Recipe within a Recipe:

You'll need this to replace the sweetened condescended milk used in the original. 

In a bowl, combine 2/3 cup icing sugar, 1 cup powdered rice milk (or soy), 3 tbs. of vegan margarine, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Add 1/2 cup boiling water and stir until all blended. Pop this in the fridge and leave it at least overnight. It will keep for about two weeks in the fridge, but this recipe uses all of it

Makes about 12 squares. 

BAR INGREDIENTS:

Base:

3/4 cup shredded coconut

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 cup wheat free flour

1/3 cup vegan margarine, melted

generous pinch of salt (optional)

splash of vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

Topping:

Vegan Condensed Milk recipe (above)

1 1/3 cups chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups coconut

BAR INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine the baking soda, salt, flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips. Add the melted margarine and vanilla, coating the dry mixture with a spoon or your hands to make a soft crumb. Press this mixture into a lined 9x9 pan that has been lined and well greased with oil. Bake this base layer in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until just done. Remove from oven and lower heat to 325 degrees. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the base and then pour your home-made sweetened condensed milk on top and spread it to the edges of the base layer. Sprinkle the shredded coconut and more chocolate chip (if you desire) over top of the pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes, rotating half way through, so that the coconut is evenly toasted. 

Allow to cool before cutting into squares. These are great the first couple of days you make them but store in the fridge after day three. 

Vegan and Wheat Free Chocolate Cookies

These are the chocolate version of a chocolate chip cookie. They are great to make with kids and take very little time or special ingredients. While I'm still working out a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe, these have become my standby. 

Any type of chocolate chip will do; and I tend to up the quality if I'm making these for guests. If you aren't allergic to nuts, they taste great with hazelnuts. Failing that, sandwiching two cookies around a tablespoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread is a decadent treat perfect for a Tuesday afternoon. 

The espresso powder, if you choose to use it, has very little flavor on its own. Coffee is a wonderful accompaniment to chocolate and enhances its flavor. Used sparingly in baking it adds charming zip. 

Makes about 20 cookies

COOKIE INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups wheat free flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp xantham gum

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tbs instant espresso powder mixed with 1 tbs water or 3 tbs brewed coffee (optional)

1 tbs vanilla 

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbs molasses

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup apple sauce or prune puree

1/2 cup oil

1 egg replacement

chocolate chips 

COOKIE DIRECTIONS:

In your stand mixer, beat the sugars, molasses, oil, and apple sauce together. When this is combined, add coffee (if using) and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, xantham gum, and baking soda. Using a sieve, sift this mixture into the oil mixture and, on low speed, combine. Add the egg replacement and quickly beat in. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by generous tablespoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet, flattening the dough out a bit with a spoon and bake at 325 degrees for about 12 minutes. 

Store in an airtight container for up to a week. 

Wheat Free Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Though I didn't grow up on a farm per se, my aunt and uncle and grandfather live in a big old house with a mini farm garden in the back. When my family would visit, we would be enlisted to help. Mostly, this meant my sister and I sat crossed legged in between rows of strawberry plants and ate about twice as many as we consumed. Which always proved to be short sighted, because breakfast, lunch, and dinner always included strawberries as well. Fortunately, my aunt is quite handy with a freezer and a canner and would make pots and pots of jam for us to take home. One crop that I never had to harvest was zucchini. Like strawberries, zucchinis yield an enormous amount and my aunt's freezer was always full of grated, pre-measured bags to make zucchini cake. When I first became interested in baking, she would send me bags of the vegetable along with her recipe and I would make it for my room mates in college. 

I've since made several adjustments to the recipe, not only for my diet, but also because some ingredients are harder to find or less popular to use for other health reasons. I've also incorporated some ideas from Nigella Lawson's recipe for Quadruple Chocolate Loaf. 

Makes 1 9 x 9 cake.

CAKE INGREDIENTS:

2 1/4 cups wheat free flour

1 1/2 tsp xantham gum

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt (optional)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 apple sauce

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp brewed coffee (optional)

2 egg replacement, mixed with water right before adding

1 cup chocolate chips mixed with 1 tsp cocoa powder

2 cups pureed zucchini

1/2 cup soy or rice milk mixed with 1 tbs rice vinegar

CAKE DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, soda, salt if using, and cocoa powder. Set aside. In the bowl of a mixer, combine the oil, sugar, and apple sauce until well mixed. Add the coffee and vanilla extract and mix together. Place a sieve over the bowl and sift in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Blend. Add half of the milk mixture and combine. Repeat, alternating with the flour and milk, ending with the flour. Make the egg replacement and add to batter. After this is combined, add in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Pour the batter into a 9 x 9 pan lined with tin foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, rotating half way through. 

After removing the cake, allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes and then, using the overlapping tin foil as a handle, allow to cool on a rack. If you would like to enjoy this as a snacking cake, you are done with maybe a smattering of chocolate chips half-meltingly strewn about. If, you'd prefer a more intensely chocolate experience, prick the cake all over and pour this glaze over:

1/2 cup coffee or water

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbs cocoa powder

Boil the three ingredients together for five minute and then pour over the cake. If you'd like, garnish with shaved chocolate. 

Store this yummy treat for up to 5 days wrapped in foil or plastic wrap. 

Wheat Free Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

Before I began my "everything free" allergic life, I wasn't really one for nuts. Passed around the table at a party or mixed in with other foods, I  would take a sample, but I've always been more of a sweet than a salty girl. 

Now that I have taken so many other things out of my life, I have reacquainted myself with nuts. They make the base of so many vegan recipes, at first it was more about necessity than choice. Now, while I still won't say I'm a complete convert, I keep several types of nut butters in my fridge. 

These cookies were developed after I tried to make the recipe on the back of the Kraft PB jar. Not having my own copy of the recipe, I relied on a friend who forgot to mention one of the three ingredients - eggs, and my first try was a failure. Fortunately, I only baked one batch and was able to salvage the remaining dough. These cookies are soft and not too crumbly. 

I often make these with chocolate chips as well; just add in a cup or so at the end. 

Makes about 24 cookies

COOKIE INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and a little bit cool

3/4 cup natural peanut butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 tbs corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg replacement

2 cups wheat free flour blend

1 tsp xantham gum

1 tsp baking soda

4 tbs soy or rice milk

COOKIE DIRECTIONS:

In a mixer, blend coconut oil, peanut butter, sugar, corn syrup and vanilla until smooth. Sift in the flour, xantham gum, baking soda, and a pinch of salt if you would like. Mix this in on a low speed. Add your egg replacement and soy milk to combine. Place the dough in the bowl in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove dough from freezer and shape 1 heaping tbs into a ball. Place on your greased cookie sheet and flatten the ball with a spatula. Then make the characteristic fork marks, so as to avoid confusion. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes and allow to cool on a rack. 

Keep in an airtight container for up to a week. 

Wheat Free Vegan Caramelized Banana Muffins

The idea for this recipe came from when I served a brunch that included waffles with caramelized bananas. The original recipe calls for all sorts of things I can't eat, but it smelled so delicious, I decided to try to make it wheat and dairy free. In the spirit of innovation I decided to use the bananas instead of regular smushed brown ones in a muffin recipe recently and the result are these little goodies. 

I like them as is, but you could add a frosting to make these cupcakes quite easily. Chocolate chips or nuts would also be yummy, as would dried banana chips. 

Don't be nervous about making the caramel. This recipe is very cavalier and if you mess is it up terribly, all that's been waisted is a bit of sugar. Proper caramel making is quite a science, but these are so casual it hardly matters, just be careful not to burn yourself. 

Makes about 15 muffins (an awkward amount, I know)

MUFFIN INGREDIENTS:

5 bananas, sliced

1 sugar

4 tbs vegan margarine

1 tsp vanilla + 1 tsp vanilla

1/2 canola oil

1 tbs prune puree

1/4 cup brown sugar (optional)

replacement for 1 egg or 1 egg

2 cups wheat free flour (or mixture of 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 cup gluten free oats)

1 1/2 tsp xantham gum

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup soy milk with generous squish of lemon juice

MUFFIN INSTRUCTIONS:

Place white sugar in a sauce pan set over medium high heat. When edges of sugar begin to brown, swoosh the pan about until all the sugar is brown and dissolved. You may need the assistance of a wooden spoon. When the sugar is amber colored, about six minutes, add vegan margarine and stir until combined over low heat. Add 1 tsp of vanilla and the sliced bananas. Remove from heat and allow to sit at room temperature. 

In another bowl, mix the canola oil, remaining vanilla, brown sugar (if using) and prune puree. Add 2/3 cooled banana mixture. Smooth the very soft bananas against the side of the bowl until it resembles a chunky puree. Place a sifter over the wet ingredients and sift in the flour, xantham gum, baking soda, powder and a pinch of salt if you like. Stir this together until barely combined. Add the egg, vanilla, and soy milk and stir gently. Add the remaining caramelized bananas and swirl in, leaving the bananas slices whole this time. In a lined muffin tray, fill the tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes. It is a bit tricky to tell if these are done, because they are so moist, but I doubt anyone will complain if they are a bit underdone, so I'd pull them out early rather than allow them to firm up with too much time in the oven. If you are suspicious that the speck of banana on your toothpick might actually represent a glob of uncooked batter, pat your finger on the top and if it springs back, you should be good to go.