Apple Blueberry Muffins (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, soy-free, vegan)

Blueberry muffins are a summer family tradition in my family that I’ve had to forgo for many years now. I can remember in my youth, the whole family going to the Meader farm to pick blueberries after supper and then we’d go to the lake for a swim to cool off. The next day, along with freezing most of the berries, my mother would make blueberry muffins to go with a cold salad (like the salmon salad on this blog) for supper that night. It would probably also be accompanied by some sliced tomatoes. This is a simple, quick recipe that makes light and moist muffins. The tapioca flour gives the outside a nice crunch.

Preheat oven to 375 degree and grease 6 large or 12 small muffin tins.

In a large bowl combine:

1 3/4 cups brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon stevia
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup non-dairy milk of choice, unflavored
1 cup of chunky applesauce, unsweetened (or pear sauce to make pear & blueberry muffins)
1 cup fresh blueberries dredged in 2 tablespoons brown rice flour
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Mix until all the ingredients are well combined; gluten-free baked goods often need a little more mixing than their gluten counterparts. The mixture should bubble up while you’re mixing it when the vinegar hits the baking soda. If its too thick (should be the consistency of mashed potatoes), add a little more milk by tablespoons.

Spoon into the greased muffin tins making sure all the muffins have equal amounts of batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Best enjoyed warm.

Sweet Potato and Tahini Soup (dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan)

I made this with sweet potato but pumpkin or pureed butternut squash would work just as well. The original recipe also called for 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro but since I really don’t like that herb, I used diced scallions and pomegranate arils instead. The spice in the recipe is also to taste; I love garum masala but if you don’t, try some ground ginger or grated fresh ginger instead. The tahini gives this soup a very creamy texture. Makes 4 servings.

Heat a 2-quart saucepan and add:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 diced small scallion
1 diced garlic clove

Cook for only a minute over medium heat and then add:

2 cups cooked sweet potato
2 cups vegetable stock (you can also use chicken stock if you prefer)
1/4 teaspoon stevia OR 1 tablespoon agave or coconut nectar
1 teaspoon garum masala OR 1 teaspoon grated or ground ginger
Crushed red pepper to taste (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon)

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally and reduce heat to low. Stir in:

1/4 cup tahini (you could also use a nut butter)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Puree in blender or with immersion blender. Garnish with diced scallion and pomegranate arils.

Bok Choy with onions and garlic

Easy, quick, and a household favorite. Cook the bok choy to whatever doneness you like, either crunchy or well done. Goes very well with any meat.

For 2 people:

2-3 bunches baby bok choy
1/2 medium onion, diced, I use red but you can use any kind you like
1 clove garlic diced
1 tablespoon olive oil in the bottom of a large fry pan

Heat your fry pan over medium heat, add the oil and the vegetables. I also like to salt and pepper to taste along with some of my dried hear mixture. Stir and let simmer over medium heat for several minutes. If you like it crunchy, its done. If you want it cooked a little more, cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve with any meat.

Decadent Carob Cake (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, sugar-free, vegan)

This cake is so moist and fudgy that it doesn’t need any frosting. That doesn’t mean that you can’t put some strawberry cream cheese frosting on it if you want, or even serve it with some non-dairy whipped cream or “ice cream”. I simply serve mine with some of my strawberry jam or some fresh raspberries. So satisfying for those with a sweet tooth.

Grease and flour a tube or bundt pan. In a medium size bowl mix:

2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
3/4 cup carob powder (if you want, you can use cocoa)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

In a second bowl mix:

1 cup pureed stewed prunes
1/2 cup apple or pear sauce
1 tablespoon stevia, 1/2 cup agave or coconut nectar, or 1/2 cup maple syrup (if you add the liquids, be sure to reduce the club soda by an equivalent amount)
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups club soda

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Be sure to mix thoroughly and then keep mixing for several more minutes (gluten-free flour needs more mixing than regular wheat flour). Pour into the prepared pan and bake in a 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes depending on the size of your pan and your oven. Its done when a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack and then onto a serving plate.

You could also add some chopped dates, hemp hulls, coconut, or if you can eat them, even some chopped walnuts.

Chocolate Figgy Hemp Cream (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, sugar-free, vegan)

This is a very easy recipe to make if you have a blender or Vitamix. And it turns out not only delicious but silky smooth and creamy. Also, its adaptable to several other types of desserts — chocolate cream pie, fudgesicles (if you have a mold or even ice cube tray with wooden sticks), or pudding.

Put in your blender:

1 ripe avocado (or 1/4 cup avocado oil – the oil has less avocado flavor so doesn’t add any taste to the dessert)
1 cup of mashed figs*
1/2 cup chopped dates (or 4 whole medjool dates)**
1/4 cup cocoa powder or carob powder
2 large scoops of protein powder
2 cups hemp milk***
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Blend until smooth. At this point, you can divide the mixture into pudding cups, fill ice cube trays, or place it in an ice cream freezer. If you make ice cream with it, I suggest that when its ready, put the ice cream into small containers since if you freeze it in a larger container, like I did, you’ll have a very solid block of hemp cream that needs to be thawed before you can use it. If you’re making a chocolate cream pie, pre-bake a ready made gluten-free crust and cool it before you add the pudding to the pie crust.

*You could also use 4 ripe figs, or 1 cup of stewed prunes.

**Whole Foods carries chopped dates with oat flour.

*** Coconut milk or soy milk will also work in this recipe.

Spoodles (sweet potato noodles) with vegetables (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, soy-free, vegan)

Here’s another recipe to help us use up all those fresh vegetables we have during these summer months. And again, its one you can adapt to your vegetable overload. The only thing you may want to get from the store are the spoodles or coodles (carrot noodles). Either work great in this recipe. I like it plain but you could easily add a curry sauce or if you can use soy, a hoisin-based sauce. Makes 4 serving.

Dice:

1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic, medium sized
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1/2 cup pea pods or 1 cup green peas, or 1 cup green beans

Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet and when the oil is hot, add the diced vegetables. If you are planning to add a sauce, use less oil. Saute over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add the pea pods, peas or green beans and 1 pound of spoodles or coodles. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, about 15 minutes for sweet potato and 20 minutes for carrot noodles.

Simple curry-sauce:

In a small sauce pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil then add 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of curry, depending on your taste and cook for approximately 30 seconds until you can smell the curry. Add 2 tablespoons of all purpose gluten-free flour. Whisk and cook for several minutes. Whisk in 1/2 to 1 cup (the amount of milk depends on how thick you want your sauce) of your favorite milk (coconut milk works great here but rice, hemp, almond also work fine).

Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Patties

I love sweet potatoes any way I can get them. For a long time, I was content with just baking them and serving them with margarine and cinnamon or dicing and steaming them and then whipping them with margarine and spices. This recipe goes a step further producing a silky, smooth interior with a crunchy fried exterior. So yummy and so easy to do. The hardest part is probably putting enough oil in the pan so that the patties don’t touch the bottom of the pan and burn. Sweet potato will burn very quickly so be sure to add at least a half inch of olive oil to your pan and get it good and hot before you add the patties. Fry over medium heat once the oil gets hot.

Mix:

1 cup mashed cauliflower (I love the purple variety but any will do; 1 small cauliflower will make right around 1 cup of mash)
3/4 cup of baked sweet potato (one medium sweet potato will yield just about 3/4 cup)
4 tablespoons of sweet potato flour (or all purpose gluten free flour)
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed (or you could use a mixture of flax, chia and hemp seeds ground)
1/4 teaspoon of spice (I used cinnamon but allspice, ground cloves, ground ginger or nutmeg will work as well depending on your taste)
Salt and ground pepper to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper)

With a hand mixer on low speed, mix the cauliflower and sweet potato until well blended and the cauliflower is broken down. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Heat the oil (I used my 12 inch fry pan and cooked all 4 patties at once) and oil your hands. Make four patties using your hands (each should be about 1/2 cup of mixture and you may need to put a little more oil on your hands after the second patty).

Fry on each side for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to remove any excess oil and then transfer to plates. These are very soft, not firm like meat patties so treat them with care.

TIP: These would also be great with a little maple syrup over the top.

Fried Green Tomatoes (gluten-free, egg-free, vegan)

I’ve been focused on fresh fruits and vegetables the last few weeks and here’s yet another one! Although our favorite tomato is a nice juicy red or yellow (or orange) ripe tomato, our second favorite is fried green tomatoes. They are just so high in fat and calories that we only let ourselves indulge in them once during the summer (well maybe two or three times depending on how many green tomatoes we have). I’ve found, over the years, that you really don’t need to deep fry them, pan frying them works just fine and reduces the amount of oil. Using gluten-free flour also works fine.

In a large fry pan, heat olive oil (it really is the best one for us all to eat, helps reduce our cholesterol and triglycerides). You want the oil to be at least 1/2 inch deep in the pan. Heat over medium heat so that it doesn’t burn.

Put in a large plastic freezer bag,

1/2 cup gluten-free flour mix, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Shake vigorously to mix. The amounts and types of seasonings for the flour can vary depending on your tastes.

Wash and slice

3-4 medium size green tomatoes (or 2 large)

You should end up with about 5 slices per tomato or a total of 15-18 slices which, at least in this family, feeds 2 people.

Add half the tomato slices to the flour mix, close the bag, and shake to cover the tomato slices. Drop a bit of flour in the oil and if it sizzles, the oil is ready. Add the slices and brown on each side approximately 5 minutes or until browned. Remove to a platter covered with paper towels and salt. Repeat until all the slices are fried. Try not to stack the slices on the platter since they will then steam and get soggy. You can place them in the over on a low heat (200 degree) to stay warm if needed if you are using a small fry pan. I use my large 14 inch pan and can fry them all in 2 batches. They will stay very hot on the inside for 10-15 minutes without the oven.

I haven’t tried using my air fryer for these; maybe next year!

Smoothies

I am a creature of habit and one habit I’ve had for a number of years now is my breakfast smoothie. Rarely do I eat anything other than my smoothie for breakfast. I like to make them thick and creamy — almost like a soft-serve ice cream. I never imagined that this would be a satisfying breakfast but it sure fills me up and gets my day going. Here are some of my favorites.

TIP: To really mix it up, double the recipe and put it in an ice cream freezer. Eats more like “ice cream”, very satisfying. I make 4 cups at a time, freeze in 1 cup containers and eat these as a dessert after lunch or supper.

TIP: When making the fruit purees, they don’t have to be perfectly smooth because you’ll be adding them into a blender to make your smoothie and that will complete the puree process. Also, if making the purees with the skin included, be sure you use only organic fruit since you won’t be peeling them and the pesticides are usually found in the skin.

Another TIP: Be sure to mark your containers so you don’t get one out expecting a certain fruit and then find you’ve made an entirely different flavor! Been there done that.

TIP: Change up the flavor of your smoothies by alternating cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, etc., depending on your taste. Use one or several spices. You can also alternate the flavor of your protein powders for entirely different tasting smoothies. I usually use the vanilla flavors but chocolate goes very well with the strawberry and wonderful with prune.

TIP: I usually find these are sweet enough for my taste but add a little stevia, agave or coconut nectar, date syrup or honey if you want them sweeter.

TIP: I also add a scoop of marine collagen for my skin and nails. It doesn’t change the taste however it does affect the texture making it slightly smoother or creamier.

Put in a blender:

1 cup non-dairy milk of choice
1-2 scoops of protein powder
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground flax seed (the golden work best since you don’t get the discoloration)
1/2 to 1 cup of frozen fruit (see suggestions below)

Strawberry

Add 6 ounces of frozen strawberries

Start blending on the lowest setting and as the smoothie starts to come together, increase speed. If you find you’ve added too many strawberries (often happens to me!), add milk until you get the correct consistency.

I sometimes like to add some frozen acai, 1/2 a frozen banana or 3-5 pieces of frozen mango. Be sure to adjust the strawberries to account for the other fruit so that you still have 6 ounces of fruit.

2. Fig or Prune

This is one of the creamiest smoothies I’ve found and is also my favorite. It involves some planning since you have to prepare the figs ahead of time but its well worth the trouble.

First, in a saucepan:

10-12 fresh ripe figs (1 pound), washed and stems removed
2 tablespoons of water

24 ounces of dried figs or prunes
1/2 cup of water

Cover the saucepan and cook over a low heat until the figs or prunes are soft. Be sure to stir if you’re using the dried figs to be sure all of them become rehydrated. Cool and then using a potato masher, mash the figs (or you can put them in your food processor and pulse for a few seconds). Place in 1 cup containers (don’t fill completely but leave a little room for expansion), freeze and use as above. Will make 2-3 cups of puree depending on the size of your figs.

3. Pear and Blackberry

Depending on how much you hate seeds, you can either use whole frozen blackberries or cook 2 cups of blackberries in a saucepan with a little water and then put the mixture through a sieve to get rid of the seeds (TIP: I freeze this, when cooled, in an ice cube tray and after it freezes, I put the cubes into a freezer bag).

The pears are much easier. Just quarter and core your pears (my favorites are the Asian or Korean pears but any pear will work), and then pulse in your food processor. Place in 1 cup containers and freeze. Usually, I’ve found that 1 pear will make roughly 1 cup of puree, depending on the size of the pear. Also, I don’t worry about peeling them since the processing will take care of the peel.

This is case, I like to add the 1 cup of pureed pear and then 4-6 whole blackberries or 2-4 of the frozen blackberry ice cubes.

4. Plum, Peach or Apricot

One of the easiest to prepare, just wash and make sure you remove any stems from the fruit, half to remove the pit and pulse in your food processor. Put into 1 cup containers and freeze. Depending on the size, 2 plums will make roughly 1 cup of plum puree, same for apricots, but 1 1/2 peach will make you roughly 1 cup of peach puree. I like to add some raspberry coulis to the peach smoothie.

If you prefer, you can cook the diced plums, peaches or apricots in a little water; this will make the skins more palatable while keeping the fiber contained in the skins. It only takes 5-10 minutes to cook them and you can spice them up at the same time.

5. Pumpkin or Sweet Potato

1 cup of canned or prepared pumpkin or sweet potato
6-8 ice cubes
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon of stevia, 1 tablespoon of agave or coconut nectar, or honey

6. Carob and Cherry

Use a 1/2-3/4 cup of frozen pitted cherries. I add 1 tablespoon of carob powder (you could use cocoa) along with 1 tablespoon of date syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Yummy!

Tomato Vegetable “Stoup” (vegan, dairy- free, gluten-free)

This time of year with all the fresh vegetables, this is one of my go to dishes. My husband and I love this soup/stew. Its one that is easy to customize to your taste since its basically whatever vegetables you have on hand. Instead of using canned diced tomatoes, I peeled and chopped some of my husband’s fresh off-the-vine tomatoes sitting on my counter top. Best of all, its delicious whether you serve it hot or cold. Add some croutons for crunch (made with gluten-free bread of course!). In the winter, this soup is a great vehicle for cooked chicken. Feel free to play with it and make it your own by adding the vegetables your family likes the best. But keep the carrots since they add that sweetness that takes care of the acidity in the tomatoes (the parsnips help with that as well). Makes 8-12 servings.

Peel as needed and dice into like size pieces:

1 medium onion (I used a red onion)
6-8 stocks of celery
1 medium purple top turnip (or a regular one if you like them but the purple top have a milder flavor)
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium zucchini squash
2 small parsnips
2 baby bok choy (you could use regular chopped cabbage instead of the bok choy and then add some kale or spinach for the greens of the bok choy)
1/2 pound mushrooms (I like to mix them up so I used half baby bella and half porcini)
1 cup chopped or grated carrots
1 cup green peas
1 cup green beans

Add 4 cups (1 quart) of vegetable stock to a large stock pot (if you want, you could add 4 cups of chicken stock). Be sure to use stock and not broth for that “cooked all day” flavor. Add the onion, celery, turnip, squashes, bok choy and mushrooms and cook covered over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Add:

1 cup diced tomatoes
1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes (I find the Muir Glen organic canned tomatoes taste less metallic than regular canned tomatoes)
1 12 ounce can of your favorite beans (I love the cannellini beans or great northern)

Cook over low heat for another 10-15 minutes until tomatoes and beans are heated through.