Tag: gluten free vegan

Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing

Even my husband, who doesn’t really care for avocados, was helping me lick the bowl after this one.  We served it over a southwest salad.

 

Ingredients:

2 small avocados

2 T. mayonnaise (I used Vegenaise so it would be egg free)

1 c. cilantro, washed

2 green onions, sliced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

juice of 1 lime (about 1 T.)

3 T. milk (I used unsweetened cashew milk)

4 T. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp white vinegar

 

Directions:

Scoop out the avocados and save the pits for storing in the dressing. Blend all ingredients in the blender until smooth.  Store in the fridge in an airtight container with the avocado pits in the dressing to help keep it fresh.  Could also be used as a dip.

 

Inspired by:

http://www.food.com/recipe/creamy-cilantro-avocado-dressing-449407

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Blueberry Banana Smoothie

I bought a lot of bananas for a campout.  They didn’t travel very well and were desperately in need of being eaten when I arrived home.  I have been brainstorming ways to use them up and this is one of them.  Blueberries and bananas.  What could be better?! (Don’t answer that 🙂

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 very ripe bananas

1/4 c. frozen blueberries (I think a 1/2 cup might be better)

1/2 c. coconut milk from a carton

1/4 c. crushed ice

 

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Drink immediately.

 

Notes:

This was very good, but a little heavy on the banana.  I think the additional blueberries will balance out the banana taste.  We are going to experiment some more and let you know.

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Simple Peanut Butter Banana Frozen No-Bakes

The name is longer than the ingredient list.

One of my friends told me about these.  It is her husband’s dessert that he makes.  She didn’t, however, give me the exact recipe, so this is my experiment.  It is very simple and oh so good!  I think I am going to try it as popsicles sometime and I’ll let you know if they turn out.  This is a good, cheap, and healthy snack for kids too.

 

Ingredients:

1 large, very ripe banana, mashed

2 T. peanut butter

 

Directions:

Mash banana.  Add peanut butter and stir well.  Place onto wax paper and freeze for at least an hour.  I froze mine overnight.

 

Notes:

I tried adding additional ingredients, but it actually made them less tasty.  The only down side is that your fingers get kind of messy as the heat from them melts the “cookie” which is why I want to try them as popsicles.

 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I made this for my sister’s birthday last year.  We were all pleasantly surprised as to how nicely it turned out.  I used the toothpicks to keep the saran wrap off of the glaze in order to transport it and just didn’t think to take a picture before I had put them in.  Enjoy this adaptation of an adaptation of an adaptation!

 

Ingredients:

Pineapple topping:

1 T. coconut oil, melted

3 T. light brown sugar

1 can of pineapple slices (save the juice-use the kind that is in its own juices, not in heavy syrup)

Cake:

Dry ingredients:

1 2/3 c. flour (approximately 3/4 c. brown rice flour, 1/8 c. millet flour, 1/8 c. amaranth, 1/3 c. tapioca starch, 1/3 c. potato starch, 1/2 tsp xanthan gum)

1/2 c. light brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:

3/4 c. pineapple juice (from the pineapple slice can)

1/2 c. coconut milk (canned)

1/4 c. coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla

 

Directions:

Brush a 9 inch round cake pan (I used spring form) with the 1 T. coconut oil.  Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with the brown sugar and then arrange the pineapple slices on the pan.  I think I just ate the extra(s) so it would look nice. 🙂

Combine the flour mixture with the other dry ingredients.  In a different bowl, combine the wet ingredients.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just enough to make sure it is all combined (you could give it a quick 15 second whirl with the mixer after you have hand mixed it just to make sure).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and make the top level.  Since I was using a spring form pan, I put the pan on a cookie sheet to catch the drips.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Once the cake is cooked, allow it to cool for 10 minutes and then remove the edges of the springform pan and flip it onto a plate.  To prevent the cake from breaking, I put the plate on top of the cake and then flipped them over at the same time while pressing them together.

Adapted from: http://www.connoisseurusveg.com/2015/05/vegan-pineapple-upside-down-cake.html

Which was adapted from: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/03/03/pineapple-upside-cake/

Bubble Bread

This is an old family favorite and one of the first recipes I started working on to make gluten free.  It is similar to monkey bread but requires no yeast, so it is much quicker.  I’ve made a few of the original steps easier than the original recipe.  Also, I have tried this with a variety of flour blends and they have all worked.  This time I happened to use a pre-made blend, but normally I blend my own flours.  See notes below for suggestions.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter (Smart Balance non-dairy)

2- 8×8 pans or something of similar sizes

Dry:

4 cups flour (I used Arrowhead Mills’ Heritage Blend this time, but I have also made it with a mixture of other flours.  See note below for other options.*)

1/2 tsp xanthan gum (if your flour blend doesn’t already contain some)

2 T. baking powder

2 tsp salt

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Wet:

1/2 c. canola oil (or vegetable oil)

1 1/2 c. coconut milk (from a carton)

 

 

Topping:

additional 1/2 c. sugar

additional 1/2 tsp cinnamon

 

Directions:

Melt 1/2 c. butter and use a little bit to grease both 8×8 pans.  Stir together dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add the oil and coconut milk and stir well.  I usually whisk it briefly with a mixer just until combined.

In a separate bowl, mix together the additional sugar and cinnamon.

Pinch dough into about 1 T size balls and put in pans until all the dough is used.  Most of them will be touching and that is fine.  Spoon the butter over the balls in the pans and make sure to get a little butter on each ball.  Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture evenly over all the balls and make sure to get the edges too.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until tops start to brown just slightly and dough springs back to the touch.

*  This recipe is very flexible.  The most important thing with any blend is to make sure you have a touch of xanthan gum in there- at least 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.  That will replace the stickiness of gluten and help hold it together.

*I usually just mix and match whatever flours I have around to make this.  Next time I make this I will try to write down exactly what I do.  Here is an approximation of what I have done in the past: 1 1/2 c. brown rice flour, 1/2 c. oat flour, 1/2 c. amaranth, 1/2 c. potato starch, 1/2 c. tapioca starch, 1/2 c. teff, 1/2 tsp xanthan gum.  Adding in some teff flour gives it a whole wheat flair which I really love.  If you don’t have amaranth, you can just replace it with brown rice flour.  The potato starch and tapioca starches help add some lightness to the flour so it is not as dense.

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