Blueberry Peach Oat Muffins (vegan)

Two weeks from today I will be in Ireland.

 

In other words, my family has only two weeks left to enjoy being spoiled by a private chef.

I get to cook all day, they experience the good life, you get all the recipes.

It's a Win-Win-Win.

But they are seriously burned out from oatmeal, with still over a month of winter left.

And waking up while it's still dark to make them breakfast isn't likely to happen.

 

Luckily these Blueberry Peach Oat Muffins can be whipped together the night before

and ready when the sun comes up.

Or, in this case, before.

Peach and ginger add a burst of warmth to these hearty blueberry oat muffins.
Enjoy while counting down the days until spring!


Yields 1 dozen muffins

Add some sunshine to these gray winter mornings.

3/4 cup soymilk plus 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons flaxmeal mixed with 6 tablespoons warm water

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of ground ginger

1/2 cup baking oil (I use sunflower)
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup diced peaches

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare muffin baking tin with paper liners.

In one cup, whisk together the soymilk and the apple cider vinegar, and in another cup, the flaxmeal and warm water. Let both set for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir the oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, salt, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the soymilk/vinegear mix with the flaxmeal slurry and stir in the baking oil, blueberries, and peaches. Add to dry ingredient mix, stir until no large flour lumps remain. Distribute batter equally among the lined muffin pan and bake until lightly browned and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 15-17 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy warm or cooled.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (vegan)

an homage to the favorited ice cream flavor

There's something incredible about the combination fresh mint leaves, creamy coconut milk, and crunchy chocolate chips that make mint chocolate chip ice cream so dreamy.

And unlike chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, this flavor is pretty much only found in the freezer. Yes, there may be mint chocolate lattes and girl scout cookies, but without the contrast of bright green  freckled with chips, the integrity is missing. Mint chocolate ≠ mint chocolate chip.

If I didn't box away my ice cream maker for the winter, I would have frozen over by now. Never fear, these chewy, gooey bars will hold you over until summer. These Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are very fudgy. So don't be fooled by the beans and oats - you will feel indulged!

Mint chocolate chip for all seasons

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Yields a full 13x9x2 pan

1 bunch mint leaves, blanched and shocked
1/4 cup coconut milk

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons ground demerara sugar (or any vegan sugar)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup light olive oil (or any baking oil)
1 tablespoon mint extract
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup white wheat flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt


3/4 cup nondairy chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a brownie sheet tray and dust with flour.

To blanch and shock the mint, plunge the leaves into a small pot of rapidly boiling, salted water. Remove five seconds later and shock them in an ice water bath until cold. In a high speed blender, combine mint leaves with the coconut milk until smooth.

In a food processor, puree the beans with the agave nectar. Transfer to a large bowl and add in your coconut milk/mint leave mixture, sugar, applesauce, oil, mint extract, and vanilla extract. Stir well.

In a medium bowl whisk flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. (If you want the chocolate chips to be on the inside of the bars, like I did, add chips to dry ingredients.) Add the dry mix to the wet ingredients and combine well. (If you want the chocolate chips to stud the outside of the bars, add chips at this stage.)

Spread dough evenly on prepared baking sheet and bake until golden and an inserted toothpick removes clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in tray before cutting up into bars.

Fruit Sweetened Blueberry Spiced Granola

Homemade granola not only is miles healthier than store-bought cereal, but it's also incredibly more delicious. Making your own granola is the best way to kick the cardboard box habit. Even if it boasts having fiber and whole grains, it's still full of sugar, processed soy, and preservatives. And the high sugar, high oil granola sitting next to it on the shelf is even worse!

This Blueberry Spiced Granola has anywhere from 25% to 50% of the amount of added fat of most recipes. Plus it is sweetened naturally, with applesauce, prunes, and blueberries. No sugar, no expensive agave or maple syrup. Best part, no yummy crunchy clusters were sacrificed.


Luckily it is easy to make your own. If your mornings are busy, then mix everything together, toss it on a sheet, and bake it the night before. Nothing like having a relaxing night that is filled with the aroma of baking granola. This batch can last you at least 3 mornings. And you'll save money too! As always, I encourage you to experiment with different fruits, nuts, and seeds. Granola should never be boring!


Blueberry Spiced Granola

3 cups rolled oats (I used 1 1/ 2 cups old fashioned and 1 1/2 cups steel cut)
3 tablespoons rice bran
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
6 prunes, pureed in food processor
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used light olive)
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon flaxseed
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup walnut pieces


Heat oven to 350F. Light a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together oats, rice bran, and spices. In a small bowl, whisk applesauce, pureed prunes, oil, almond butter, flaxseed, and salt. Mix wet ingredients into dry, and fold in blueberries. Spread an even layer on baking sheet and bake until golden, about 15-20 minutes.

When cool enough to handle, transfer to bowl and fold in pumpkin seeds and walnut pieces. Enjoy as is or pour almond milk over. Store tightly sealed in  the fridge.

Vegan Rice Flour Pancakes - Gluten Free

Finally, a gluten free recipe that has only one flour! I'd consider making all of my baking gluten-free if the recipes didn't always ask for a blend expensive flours. It's quite taxing on the wallet to replace the wheat flour, the economical choice, in every recipe with a mix of three of the following: tapioca, rice, garbanzo, potato, soy, corn, almond, sorghum, millet, and quinoa flours. Not to mention their respective meals and starches. Only in my fantasy kitchen are all these ingredients sitting, patiently waiting to be used and with experimented.

These reliable pancakes only ask for white rice flour, and I'd bet that the recipe is flexible enough to use brown rice flour instead if desired.

Along with the perfect ratio of alternative flours, gluten free baked products are commonly held together with a touch of xanthan gum to go the gluten's job of binding and providing elasticity. Unfortunately, at $12/8oz bag, xanthan gum is something I have not had the luxury of baking with. And I don't want the absence of this one ingredient to discourage you from breaking the all-purpose habit even now and then. So these cuties are bound with tofu and banana, with none of the taste.

The secret to these pretty pancakes is to let the batter chill overnight. I'm sure a few hours would suffice to, but not many people are awake and functional a few hours before they want to eat pancakes. So the night before, mix everything together to form the batter. And the next morning, all you have to go is heat up the griddle and get flippin'!

That is amazing thing about these pancakes: they look and taste like normal, all-purpose flour, gluten-full pancakes. I would have never guessed that they had banana, tofu, coconut milk, even oats. The cake cooked up very uniformly and evenly. While semisweet on their own, they beg to be pampered with maple syrup, fruit, and whipped nondairy cream. And I wouldn't be one to stop you from tossing in the batter a half a cup of vegan chocolate chips either.

Always remember the rules of perfect pancake making:
1. If there is wheat flour in the batter, be careful not to overmix. Mix wet and dry ingredients together and stop when they are just mixed. Overmixing will result in rubbery cakes. Fortunately, with a gluten free recipe this problem is completely avoided, because there is no gluten that can get overdeveloped.
2. Add enough liquid to get the batter to the just pourable consistency. Insert a spoon and remove it; the batter should nicely coat the back of the spoon. If it is too thick or looks solid, slowly add more water.
3. Let the batter chill overnight. This lets the flour get well-hydrated.
4. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to quickly drop and spread cakes into perfect circles.
5. Flip pancakes only once. When bottom is done, flip to cook other side, there is no going back.
6. Do not press cakes with the back of your spatula. I have no idea why this is feels so instinctive to us humans. The air created from the baking soda and vinegar needs to stay in there to create a fluffy pancake, so no pushing it out.
Now you're ready to go!

Gluten Free Pancakes
Yields a generous dozen 5" cakes

1/2 block of silken tofu
1 very ripe banana
1 cup water, plus more as needed
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 cups white rice flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

1/2 cup walnut pieces, optional

In a high-spend blender, mix tofu, banana, water, coconut milk, agave, vanilla, and vinegar until smooth. In a large bowl mix the flour, oats, and baking soda. Pour blender mix into dry ingredients and incorporate well to get an even batter. If too thick, add more water. Fold in walnut pieces.Let chill overnight. Batter will thicken up again, so the next morning add more water to get it that just-pourable consistency.

Using a 1/4 measuring cup, pour batter into even circle on a hot griddle (400F). When edges begin to dry, flip and cook until bottom is golden. As much as you may be tempted to, do not press down on the pancakes, and only cook each side once. Serve immediately with maple syrup.

Gluten Free Vegan Banana Oat Muffins

The best part about banana bread is that you don't have to think "Hmm ... Should I bake some today?" because those freckled bananas about to rot on your counter make it so you have no choice. Let's not be wasteful here, grab two for these Banana Oat Muffins and toss the rest in the freezer for another day's smoothies.

The muffins are wheat free! Baking without wheat, and therefore without gluten, can be challenging but I was feeling rather adventurous today, so I did some research and came up with this flour blend. The result was a browned outside, soft inside, subty sweet, addicting muffin that does not make you feel like you are eating an unfrosted cupcake for breakfast.

I know you are tempted to bake this in a loaf tin, but for gluten free baking it is recommended to bake in small shapes that do not need to be cut. Without gluten to bind, you won't always get that nice clean slice. Use a muffin or mini-muffin tin to avoid any dilemmas.

Note: These minis are technically not 100% gluten free because oats get contaminated with gluten when grown and packaged. However, to those with mild gluten sensitives, oats are usually not a problem. So for someone with Celiac's disease, these muffins are not "gluten free enough". For those who just need a break from digesting a lot of gluten, these are perfect.

Yields 1 dozen muffins or 2 dozen minis

1 cup rolled oats (Buy Certified GF Rolled Oats if necessary)
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
2 tablespoons garbanzo bean flour
1 tablespoon oat flour (grind oats in a food processor to get a coarse meal)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almond milk
2 overripe bananas, mashed with a fork
2 tablespoons ground flax, mixed with 6 tablespoons hot water, let set until gooey
1/3 cup applesauce
3 tablespoons molasses
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnut pieces

Heat oven to 350F. Lightly grease muffin or mini muffin baking sheets. (Do not use paper liners, muffins will stay stuck.)

In a large bowl, whisk oats, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, garbanzo bean flour, oat flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir almond milk, mashed bananas, flax mix, applesauce, molasses, and vanilla until smooth. Pour into dry ingredients, stir until no flour clumps remain. If batter is too thick, add more almond milk. Fold in walnuts. Scoop generous amounts into muffin tins, bake until golden and inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Mini muffins will bake quicker, about 12 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from baking sheet.

As with all gluten free muffins, do not let sit overnight. If you need to store them, let them freeze and then reheat when needed.

Strawberry Blueberry Granola Crumble

Happy Fourth of July! Another holiday, another excuse to bake something exciting. Don't even think that using red, white, and blue sprinkles will cut it for America's birthday. You want to impress her, bake with the fruit grown from her land.

I'd salute it.

You cannot get any more summery-American than this Strawberry Blueberry Granola Crumble. Ripe strawberries, plump blueberries, hearty oats ... the sweet, simple, guiltless desserts are always devoured the quickest. My advice: Make two, bring one to the  BBQ tomorrow and keep the other safe at home.


1 1/2 cups oats, ground in the food processor

3/4 cup oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds
dash of salt
dash of cinnamon
3 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 quart blueberries
1 quart strawberries, diced
2 tablespoons arrowroot
squeeze of lemon juice

Heat oven to 350F and lightly grease a clear casserole dish.

Mix together ground oats, whole oats, almonds, salt and cinnamon. Add oil and syrup, mix using finger tips until a coarse crumble is achieved. Set aside.

In a large bowl toss blueberries, strawberries, arrowroot, and lemon juice until fruit is all-coated. Pour into casserole dish. Using a large spoon, drop granola crumble on top. Bake until topping is golden and fruit is steaming, about 20 minutes. Let cool a bit before eating. If feeling adventurous, serve with coconut ice cream.

Carrot Sunflower Oat Cookies

It's hard enough to say no to a cookie. When I bake, I do everything possible to make it so you have no reason to pass. I'm sorry, but that whole "eat to taste" thing just doesn't cut it for me. I don't eat sweets as a rebellion, or to test my willpower. I'm here to help destroy their bad rep. These are packed with fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, and taste. Not to mention the warming power of ginger! I swear my widget read 1 degree F this morning! I need all the warmth I can get.

This is adapted from these Carrot Oatmeal Cookies. I used sunflower seeds instead of walnuts to give them a more sunny glow, swapped the coconut oil for applesauce to give a crunchy outside, gooey inside. One more thing, I didn't grate the ginger too thin, I like the powerful burst in the unsuspecting bite.

I secretly call these Yes U Can Have Cookies.

Carrot Sunflower Oatmeal Cookies

Yields about 2 dozen

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c rolled oats
1 t baking powder
scant 1/2 t sea salt
1 c shredded carrot (I processed 1 and 1/2 large carrots)
2/3 c raw sunflower seeds
1/2 c maple syrup
1/3 c unsweetened applesauce
1 t freshly chopped ginger

Heat oven to 375F, line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, oats, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in carrot and seeds. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour into large bowl with dry ingredients, mixing well. Use a tablespoon to measure out each cookie, placing them 2 inches apart on the sheet. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until tops and bottoms are golden brown.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars

Never too early in the year for pumpkin and cranberry.

Oh how quickly "holiday desserts" are replaced by the word "detox" in our lives. Packed with flax, brown rice, oat bran, and pumpkin, these vegan, gluten-free bars allow us to add a bit of fun to our cleansing and a little cleansing to our fun.

As part of the fresh start to '11, I reorganized all of the flours in the pantry and found I had a lot of various flours from Bob's Red Mill. I tend to avoid gluten-free baking because I haven't invested in some xantham gum (yet). Thankfully, I found this recipe for Bob's Red Mill Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars. It's a very mild flavor, so next time I may add more spices. If strong pumpkin isn't your thing, these bars just might be. I replaced the raisins with cranberries, it seemed like the right thing to do.

PS. Check out my hot new recipe notebook! The bars were the first entry so I had to honor that by including the book in the photos. It was a Christmas gift from the wonderful I Laugh A Little Too Loud chick. You can see more info here. I got her a sunny, frilly apron that's not in stock anymore. Leave it to us to get each other domestic gifts from Anthropologie.

1 1/4 cups brown rice flour
3/4 cup oat bran
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup safflower oil, or other vegetable oil
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups oats
1 cup raisins


Heat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a deep baking sheet.

In a medium bowl mix brown rice flour, oat bran, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. In a large bowl blend sugar, brown sugar, molasses, flax, oil, pumpkin, and vanilla. Add flour mix into sugar mix, stir in oats and raisins.

Drop and spread dough evenly into the baking sheet, baking until golden, about 20 minutes. Cut bars in pan before cooling, letting them cool in the pan.

Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Happy Belated Thanksgiving! Truthfully, I was not a fan of this holiday until I went vegan. Now, with the feast of yummy veggie food, I feel like it's my birthday. It really helps that I had 2 other wonderful vegans to celebrate with. The big hit for us was Chef Chloe's Harvest-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms and The BEST Vegan Mac N' Cheese that my sister made. I've tried other vegan mac-no-cheeses before, but this one could seriously fool an omni. I have never felt that way about other recipes. Not to say that the others do not taste amazing, but I'm the first to admit that my cashew and pasta recipe really should not be referred to as "macaroni and cheese."

Another favorite part of Thanksgiving is that I celebrate it all week. First you gotta test the recipes a few days in advance. Then, after their main event, there's the leftovers. And it's all judgement-free: this is THE time for seconds and thirds. These cookies were among the pre-party. That's not to say they didn't pass the first round and get that golden ticket to Thursday; we just had so many other things we wanted to try. Try. I tried to make those Cake Truffles/Balls that seem to be the new "it" dessert. You bake a cake, let it cool, then crumble it, mix in frosting, and cover in chocolate. Going for the Reese's truffle, I used a peanut butter cake, which was much too oily to yield a pretty truffle. The result was a rich, sugary PB-chocolate mush that filled you up before the second bite. Once I perfect the cake truffle, I promise you will be the first to know ;).

These cookies were based off one of Isa's peanut butter oatmeal cookies. They are that level of photogenic that I like to refer to as "editorial". Meaning, this cookie would be on the cover. This is why you bought the magazine.

It's whole wheat, almond, and oats. Dessert ... or sweet breakfast?

Yields 1 dozen monster cookies

2 c whole wheat flour
2 c rolled oats
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
3/4 c safflower oil, or any vegetable oil
3/4 c almond butter
1 3/4 c sugar
1 T maple syrup
1/2 c vanilla almond milk
2 t vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly grease.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a separate, larger bowl. Add dry to wet and mix until just combined. Use a 1/3 dry measuring cup to measure each cookie. Pop dough out, form into a ball, and press onto baking sheet until 1/2 inch thick.

Bake until lightly browned, about 12-15 minutes. The cookies will not firm up until they are cooled, so don't be alarmed if you do the toothpick test and it's like popping an air bubble. Be patient and let them cool completely, wait 10 minutes to remove from tray.