The Asian pear scones were so delicious – moist and flavorful – that I decided to try another scone. These pumpkin scones are also very moist, with warm spices. Perfect served warm for breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea. And easy to make.
In the bowl of a food processor (or a medium size bowl) combine:
1/4 cup Spectrum shortening (or full fat solid coconut oil or congealed olive oil*)
Pulse until crumbly (or use a pastry cutter or fork to combine until crumbly). Place mixture in a medium bowl. Add:
1/2 cup oat milk
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
Mix until just combined. Spray a small baking sheet (9×15) or line with parchment paper. Turn the mixture out onto the baking sheet and form into a flattened circle approximately 8″ diameter. Using a wet knife, cut into quarters and then cut each quarter in half to form 8 triangles. Arrange pieces approximately 1″ apart on the baking sheet and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes (20-30 depending on your oven), or until the top is slightly firm when pressed and the scones are slightly darker in color. Cool.
OPTIONAL:
Glaze with a mixture of monk fruit confectioners sugar (approximately 2 tablespoons) and 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup. Add 1-2 teaspoons water as needed to form a thin glaze, or more maple syrup. Drizzle over scones.
*Put the olive oil in the freezer about an hour before you need it and it will solidify.
Quick breads are so easy to make and so delicious to eat. Flavorful with warm spices, they take minutes to mix together and, when gluten-free, can take almost an hour to bake. But definitely worth it. Here’s a pumpkin quick bread recipe that will delight your whole family. I used allspice and ground cloves but feel free to use cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or ginger (pumpkin pie spices) instead. Various flours can also be used including all-purpose (I use the 1 to 1) but whatever one you choose will work. For a lighter bread, eliminate the protein powder and use an additional half cup of one of the other flours.
First make some flax gel by combining in a small dish:
2 tablespoons ground flax meal
1/4 cup warm water
Whisk to combine and set aside to gel. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bread pan (9×5″) with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Into your mixer’s bowl or a medium bowl (if using a hand mixer), add:
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup maple syrup (date or agave syrup, honey)
1/4 cup avocado oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Mix until combined before adding:
1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup pumpkin protein powder (or another 1/2 cup of any of the flours)
2 teaspoons allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 to 1/2 cup date sugar (depending on your taste)
the flax gel
1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional, you could use chocolate or carob chips instead)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (optional to sprinkle on top in the pan)
Mix until all ingredients are well combined. This is a thick dough. Spoon into the prepared bread pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds if desired. Bake for 50-60 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean cook for another 5 minutes. Cool on a rack. Great warm or toasted the next day. Will keep for several days in an airtight container.
I love coleslaw, probably even more than potato or pasta salad. It’s often my go to vegetable if I have everything on-hand. But when my stomach started have a bad reaction to leafy green vegetables, I found it more difficult. At the store the other day, they had some small red cabbages. Red ones I can eat so I bought one, about 3-4 inches in diameter, just enough for a couple of servings of coleslaw. It’s also Asian pear season so I’ve been buying them as well and wondering what to do with them since I always seem to buy more than I can eat just as fruit, especially since the ones I find at the market are extra-large in size. So, of course, this recipe seemed ideal. Feel free to use any cabbage you like be it green, Chinese or red or any combination thereof. I’m rather lazy when it comes to chopping these days with my two rotator cuff tears so I chopped everything in the food processor. Feel free to do the chopping whatever way you like.
In the bowl of a food processor, add:
1 small cabbage, cut into chunks after removing the tough core
4-5 trimmed scallions
1 small or 1/2 of 1 large Asian pear (or slice into thin slices for more crunch)
2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
Pulse until chopped to your liking. Remove the chopped vegetables to a medium bowl. Set aside.In a blender combine:
1 tablespoon mustard (whatever type your family likes)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper (a dash or pinch)
2 teaspoons maple or date syrup
Blend until most of the seeds are ground and the olive oil is emulsified, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes depending on your blender. Pour dressing over the cabbage mixture and combine. Makes 4 servings. To serve garnish with:
I’ve never been a fan of flavored coffee. When I drink a cup of coffee, I want to taste coffee. But the other day I saw spiced pumpkin latte on a menu and was fascinated. I looked up a recipe and found a version of this one on-line. It’s converted my thinking. I’m thinking I’ll try some other flavored coffees now. This one is so delicious, rich and creamy. But the best part is that now I can have 19 more mugs of spiced pumpkin latte without making flavoring. This recipe actually makes about 4 cups of syrup. If, like me, you use 1/4 cup of the syrup in each 2-cup mug, you’ll get 20 cups of rich and creamy latte. And like most of my recipes, feel free to adapt it to your taste by adding more or less instant coffee (or espresso) as well as adjusting the sweetener to your liking.
In a 2-quart saucepan combine:
1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree
2 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup date syrup*
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (adjust this to your taste as well)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons instant coffee (or espresso)
Whisk to combine all ingredients and cook over medium high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium to medium low and cook until the syrup mixture coats the back of a spoon. I cooked it over medium low (I was afraid of burning it) so it took about 40 minutes to reduce. Makes 4 cups of syrup (more or less).
*Feel free to use your favored sweetener. If I make this for my son, I’ll probably use stevia.
Using the syrup to make a spiced pumpkin latte:
In a small saucepan (or if you want it faster, in a microwaveable large mug) heat:
2 cups non-dairy milk (oatmilk froths very well)
When hot combine with:
1/4 cup spiced pumpkin latte syrup (more if you want it stronger)
Heat until desired temperature. If you want the milk frothy, use a milk froth device or I used my immersion blender (don’t do this in the mug! you’ll have a mess of oatmilk all over your counter!). If desired top with a whipped non-dairy cream.
Using this syrup to make spiced pumpkin latte pudding (or creme brulee):
In a 2-quart saucepan combine:
1 cup spiced pumpkin latte syrup
2 1/2 cups non-dairy milk (DO NOT USE SOYMILK)
1/2 to 2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso
In a small bowl combine:
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
3 tablespoons arrowroot
Whisk to combine and make a slurry before adding to the saucepan. Heat over medium high heat, whisking every few minutes (I usually whisk it almost constantly) until the mixture comes to a boil at which point it should also be thickening. Remove from the heat and pour into serving dishes. If creme brulee is desired, after the pudding cools, top with 1 teaspoon sugar in each dish and brulee. Makes approximately 6, 6-ounce servings.
I’m updating this recipe. Just spoke with my son and daughter-in-law who said it was good but it wasn’t sweet enough! I admit, I don’t like my desserts as sweet as most people so I’ll adjust the recipe so that those of you who want a sweeter cake can still use this recipe.
I love carrot cake but I love my carrot cake to be more like a spice cake with some carrots in it. So unlike most carrot cakes, I add more spices. If you don’t, feel free to stop with the cinnamon. I was easily able to divide this cake into two bowls and mix some ground walnuts into one bowl (for my son and his family) and some chopped dates and pumpkin seeds into the other for me. This cake only takes one bowl and is fairly easy to mix even for me with 2 rotator cuff tears.
First, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2, 8″ baking pans (I used one square and one round so that I knew which was which!). In a medium-large bowl, combine:
3 tablespoons ground flax
7 tablespoons warm water (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon)
Whisk to combine and then let sit for 5 minutes or so to form flax gel. When ready add to it:
1/3 cup avocado oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
Whisk or stir to combine and then add:
1 scant cup unsweetened fruit sauce (apple, pear, peach, oh pineapple would be good) [I actually only had 7/8 of a cup and it worked fine]
1/2 to 1 cup date sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Stir or whisk to combine. Add:
3/4 cup non-dairy milk
Stir or whisk to combine (by now the whisk will be having a difficult time so use a hand mixer if necessary). Add:
1 cup grated carrots
1 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
1 cup oat flour
Stir to combine adding another 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk if necessary. Stir in:
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, feel free to mix it up using chopped pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and/or dates, chopped raisins, cranberries, or dried pineapple also work (Optional)
Spoon the batter equally between the two pans and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (I would actually bake it about 5 minutes more after the toothpick comes out clean). Don’t worry if it’s slightly overbaked since gluten-free baked goods take longer to cook than regular ones, it still comes out fine.
Remove from oven and let cool, on a cooling rack, for 15-20 minutes before removing from pan. Let cool completely before frosting or serving. For faster cooling, place in the refrigerator for about a half hour. Serves 8-12.
Vegan “Cream Cheese” Frosting
One just has to have cream cheese frosting on carrot cake! I’ve tried several nut-free, tofu-free recipes for vegan cream cheese and none of them worked very well until I found this one, delicious! Of course, if you don’t care for sweet potatoes, it may not be your cup of tea. It uses white flesh sweet potatoes which are starchier and not as sweet as the ones we’re used to here in the U.S. They can be called Japanese, Hannah, or Batata.
Wash, peel and dice:
1 large or 2 medium-sized white flesh sweet potatoes
Since we don’t want to add any liquid to the sweet potatoes, it’s very important that they are steamed rather than boiled. Steam until fork tender. Place in a small to medium bowl. Using a potato masher, mash and then measure out 2 cups.
Transfer the 2 cups to another medium bowl (or the same one if it used all the mashed potatoes). Add:
1/3 cup avocado oil
Juice from one lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
There’s the basic recipe for vegan “cream cheese”. To make it into frosting, whip in using a hand mixer:
1/4 to 1/2 cup maple syrup, agave nectar, honey, etc.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Will frost two layers of a naked cake (no frosting on the sides).
One just has to have cream cheese frosting on carrot cake! I’ve tried several nut-free, tofu-free recipes for vegan cream cheese and none of them worked very well until I found this one, delicious! Of course, if you don’t care for sweet potatoes, it may not be your cup of tea. It uses white flesh sweet potatoes which are starchier and not as sweet as the ones we’re used to here in the U.S. They can be called Japanese, Hannah, or Batata.
Wash, peel and dice:
2 medium-sized white flesh sweet potatoes
Since we don’t want to add any liquid to the sweet potatoes, it’s very important that they are steamed rather than boiled. Steam until fork tender. Place in a small to medium bowl. Using a potato masher, mash and then measure out 2 cups.
Transfer the 2 cups to another medium bowl (or the same one if it used all the mashed potatoes). Add:
1/3 cup avocado oil (coconut would also work)
Juice from one lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
There’s the basic recipe for vegan “cream cheese”. To make it into frosting, whip in using a hand mixer:
1/4 to 1/2 cup maple syrup, agave nectar, honey, etc. (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Will frost two layers of a naked cake (no frosting on the sides).
If you’re looking for a delicious, easy to make snack, this just might work for you. It’s very easy to put together and has a wide variety of possible flavors. I made carob bites but mocha, coffee, vanilla, pumpkin, etc., etc., etc., would work. It’s very easy to do.
First, line a small baking sheet with waxed paper. In a medium bowl combine:
1 cup cooked quinoa (I packed my 1 cup measure like one would brown sugar)*
1/4 cup carob powder (or other powder of choice, see variations below)
1/4 cup date syrup (agave, coconut, maple or honey all would work depending on the flavor desired)
1/4 cup seed or nut butter (again can vary depending on flavor)
1 tablespoon whole chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Mix all the above together until well combined. Using a small cookie scoop (mine was 1 tablespoon), scoop out the mixture and drop on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 1-3 hours depending on size. My 1 tablespoon scoop produced 24 bites and they froze within 1 hour.
*Quinoa is very quick and easy to cook. For this recipe combine 1/2 cup quinoa, a pinch of salt, and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for approximately 15 minutes or until water is gone and quinoa is translucent.
VARIATIONS:
COFFEE: Use 1/4 cup instant coffee and delete the vanilla extract, add coffee extract or a little water if mixture is too tight
MOCHA: Use 2 tablespoons instant coffee and 2 tablespoons carob powder (or cocoa if possible)
PUMPKIN: Use 1/4 cup pumpkin flavored protein powder (not pumpkin seed protein powder which has no taste)
VANILLA: Use 1/4 cup plain or vanilla protein powder; I would suggest using white quinoa and white chia seeds for vanilla as well as agave nectar
ALMOND: Use 1/4 cup almond butter, a 1/4 teaspoon almond extract and plain protein powder
MAPLE: Would probably work best with 1/4 cup maple syrup, maple extract instead of vanilla and the mildest of butters, perhaps tahini or cashew with plain or maple flavored protein powder
Use your imagination! As many combinations as we can think of would be possible for these bites.
I made some pear donuts this morning, fried a couple of fritters from the dough as well. While I found them sweet enough without a glaze, I know my daughter-in-law and grandson will prefer them with one. Took me several tries to find the glaze I wanted on my blog so I thought putting the several I’ve used in my blogs in one place might be a good idea. So here they are – ones used cold after baking and the Honey Bee Glaze that’s baked on the dough.
Maple Glaze
In a small bowl whisk together:
1/4 cup vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance soy free)
1/2 cup powdered monkfruit sweetener (Lakanto makes one that Whole Foods or Amazon carries)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon non-dairy milk
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
2-3 shakes of salt (or a dash!)
When the donuts are still warm, dip one side into the glaze.
Standard Confectioner’s Sugar Glaze
Whisk togetherfor a thin glaze:
1/3 cup sugar free confectioners’ sugar (Lakanto has a monkfruit based powdered sugar)
2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
OR for a thicker glaze:
6 tablespoons vegan margarine
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar-free confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
If you don’t care for the taste of monkfruit sweetener, mix together 1/2 cup agave or coconut nectar with 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk and 1 tablespoon of ground chia seed (white). Pour over or dip donuts in glaze.
Honey Bee Glaze
In a small bowl whisk:
1/2 cup agave nectar (or date syrup or coconut nectar)
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1/4 cup avocado oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup crushed nuts, sesame seeds, or hemp hulls (Optional)
Pour over unbaked dough and bake per recipe directions.
This is a quick bread – uses baking powder and baking soda as rising agents instead of yeast. Yet it comes out quite light and fluffy, almost a savory cake consistency. For a finer grain use quinoa flour rather than attempting to grind your own. Using my food processor, I pulsed the raw quinoa for almost five minutes without successfully grinding even half the two cups.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Liberally spray or grease an 8×5″ loaf pan (I used a glass one for more even cooking). In a medium to large mixing bowl combine:
2 cups ground raw quinoa (or flour)
1 cup oat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Whisk to combine and aerate. In a smaller (4 cup) bowl combine:
2 cups oat milk (or any non-dairy milk)
3 tablespoons avocado oil (or any oil will work)*
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Whisk and add to the dry ingredients. Using a spoon or hand mixer on low, mix until combined. Batter will be thinner than cookie dough. Pour into the prepared pan. Place in middle rack of oven with a piece of parchment paper loosely covering it so that it doesn’t over-brown. Remove the paper after 30 minutes. Bake for a total of 60-70 minutes until a toothpick comes out of the middle clean. Cool completely before removing from pan.
*TIP: Add your oil before any type of syrup and the sweetener will run right out of the measure.
I ate only one little slice of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving and its one of my favorites so I thought about the pie squares that were so popular in the 70s and 80s, especially those lemon and pumpkin ones and decided to see if I could make an allergy free alternative. Low and behold, no pumpkin in the cupboard but sweet potato puree in excess. And they turned out sooooooo good! Creamy and delicious. I topped the pan with roasted pumpkin seeds which added a nice contrast of textures to the dessert. If desired, of course, pumpkin could be substituted but probably you’d want to add more sweetener and I’d recommend using coconut or date sugar rather than additional liquid.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse until combined into a crumbly texture:
1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup date sugar
1/2 cup vegan margarine or cold olive or avocado oil (it will get thick and turn white when frozen or chilled for a day or two)
When crumbly, press into the bottom of a 9×13″ baking pan. Mix in a medium bowl:
1 can sweet potato puree or 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup non-dairy milk (any except soy)
1 tablespoon avocado oil
2 tablespoons corn starch or arrowroot
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup pumpkin seed protein or any protein powder you have on hand
1/4 to 1/3 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
Whisk together until combined and smooth. Pour into the prepared pan, sprinkle with the seeds if desired, and bake for 25-30 minutes until set. Chill thoroughly before cutting. Top with a non-dairy whip if desired.
cookingwithoutallergens 