Vegan Blueberry Muffins

If you follow me on Facebook, you've probably noticed I've been baking a lot of gluten-free muffins lately :). So ... I thought I'd post all my favourites in one spot so they'd been easier to find.

Here's pumpkin topped with a little Trader Joe's Creamed Honey ... 

and amazing banana ...

... but I have to introduce you to my new ABSOLUTE favourite of all - BLUEBERRY!

We are pretty lucky to live in a part of Ontario that's known for fresh produce.  This time of year we have the privilege of picking our own berries from a berry farm here on the banks of Lake Erie.  We go every year and stock up!  Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries ... all picked then packaged neatly for the freezer!

If you have food allergies, muffins/cakes can be a little tricky.  They usually end up pretty dense, but this one is surprisingly different .. and it covers three major food allergy bases - no gluten, dairy or eggs!  I was skeptical.  How could a muffin be a muffin without ... eggs ... or milk?  But ... I promise, you will quickly fall in love with the light texture.

Another bonus :: any sweet berry will work!  SO good ... they disappear faster than I can make them!

I found the recipe here, then tweaked it just a bit according to my preference.

INGREDIENTS
Makes 12 muffins

• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 3/4 cups King Arthur's Gluten-free Flour blend (I keep a big batch of this in my fridge at all times - it's the best flour substitute I've found for gluten-free baking by far!)
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (I used Trader Joe's Vanilla Flavored Coconut Milk)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup organic sugar or evaporated cane juice
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. 

Stir together flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 

In large mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine coconut milk, water and apple cider vinegar. Allow to sit for a 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar, coconut oil, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract. 

While mixing, slowly add the flour mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the frozen blueberries. 

Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 19-24 minutes or until golden brown.  

Remove from pan and allow to cool (if you can keep from eating them).  They don't need anything ... but, if you want an extra little touch of sweetness, Trader Joe's Creamed Honey will blow your mind!

Store in air-tight container in the refrigerator.  They also freeze great!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

One of the most convenient cans in the kitchen is "cream of" soup.  It adds so much flavour to so many dishes and casseroles.  You don't really realize how much you use it until you can't ... because it has wheat (and MSG ... but we won't even go there - I could go on forever about the chemical carcinogen "cream of" cans they try to sell us as soup, but I'll save that conversation for another day :) ).  Have you ever tasted the canned "cream of" condensed soups?  Salty ... with the consistency of snot.  Sorry ... that was gross, but ... true.

I did happen upon a gluten-free substitute that was pretty good made by Progresso, but it wasn't condensed and didn't give the same thick and creamy consistency.  So ... out of a yearning for Mr. Dell's Potato Casserole (sub Kettle potato chips for the corn flakes) and the Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti made with rice pasta,  I was determined to come up with an easy gluten-free recipe ... and my friends, I have it!

I can't believe how good this soup really is!  We were fighting over who got to lick the spoon!  It was PERFECT, not to mention, it stores really well in the fridge or freezer (bonus!) ... and came together in around 20 minutes (double bonus!).

It could be made with celery too (for cream of celery) ... same ingredients, just sub celery for mushrooms.  You might have to add a little extra broth before you add the flour ... but it should be an easy substitute.

I'll be posting my cream of chicken in a few days.  I hope that, again, you are encouraged by what you see.  Just because you've been diagnosed with a food allergy/intolerance or have decided to eliminate gluten for better health, doesn't mean you have to be deprived of the things you love. You just have to think a little outside the box ... or the can. :)

1 recipe = 4 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup butter
around 6 cups chopped mushrooms - any kind
3/4 cup brown rice flour (you can use wheat flour if you don't have gluten issues)
2 cups warm water
2 cups half and half
1 organic vegetable bouillon cube (I use GoBio)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Roughly chop mushrooms.

On medium heat, melt butter in a large wok or dutch oven.

Add mushrooms and cook down until they start to release all their moisture - around 5 minutes.  It's crazy how much they shrink!

Sprinkle flour all over the top and stir.  It will get REALLY thick.  Cook for a couple minutes, stirring constantly so the flour gets a little browned and doesn't taste raw.

Mix bouillon cube into the water and slowly stir into the mushroom "paste".  Stir in cream.

Bring just to a boil, stirring regularly.  Remove from heat.

Cool to room temperature and pack in jars to store in the fridge (if you're using in the next couple days) or package in ziploc freezer bags for the freezer.  See how thick it gets!!  Now give it a little taste ... wow!  SO GOOD and SO MUCH better for you! :) YAY!

Recipe Roll #1

This week has been a particularly busy week in our house (it's graphic design crunch time), which hasn't left much time for creativity around the house.  I thrive on innovation in the kitchen, but I also need a balance of simplicity now and then.  In those moments I turn to Pinterest!  I quickly snap screenshots of a few chosen recipes on my Pinterest app and zip to the store.

I used to have a Pinterest folder dedicated to recipes I've tried and loved ... but it got too big ... and a little lost with my other folders.  So ... I thought I'd start a sort of "Recipe Roll" here so I can share, what I consider, the yummy stuff I make when time is tight.

Monday we tried Veggie Laksa (Coconut Curry Soup) from Considering the Campbells.

It was really good!  A bit zippy, but we like it a little spicy.
Things I will do differently next time I make this so it's easier to eat:

1. chop the veggies instead of slice
2. break up my rice noodles into pieces
3. double the recipe 

Tuesday we tried Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers from Peace + Love + Low Carb.

They were amazing.  I don't eat beef very often (really never), especially lunch meat ... but when I do, I use Castle Wood Reserve from Sam's Club (gluten-free).

I served these stuffed peppers with Trader Joe's Basmati Rice Medley made quickly in the rice cooker.  Next time I think I'll add this cooked rice into the pepper with the meat mixture for a full meal-in-one.
 
Wednesday we had chopped salad topped with with hard boiled egg, rotisserie chicken, chopped veggies and gluten-free, nitrate-free bacon (again, I don't eat the bacon, but my family sure loves it!).

 
I served with two dressing choices: Brianna's Ranch dressing and Vidalia Onion Vinegarette dressing.  To my surprise, Morgan asked if we could have chopped salad for dinner all the time!  Um ... YES!

Thursday (today) we're having Crockpot Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup from Karen Peterson with Today's Mama.

If the inviting smell wafting through my house is any indication on how this will taste ... I know its going to be delish and can't wait!!  I modified it a bit and used gluten-free rice flour to make the rue.  I'm serving it with a simple side salad of greens and veg.

Friday I'm going to make Restaurant Style Baked Potatoes from I Wash You Dry.

I've made these before and they are awesome.  I serve with a little butter, Daisy sour cream, sharp white cheddar and green onion ... along side a simple salad.  Fast, easy ... and full of fibre!

So there you have it ... my busy week-at-a-glance menu, aka "Recipe Roll" - each meal taking 15 min or less to prepare.  Just remember, even when things are crazy busy, deadlines looming, kids are sick, friends are in crisis and your calendar is full ... you can still come out ahead and avoid eating the empty calorie, fast-food junk that marketing gurus disguise as quick dinner with just a flip through your Pinterest and a few minutes a day.  Not only will you feel better, but you'll actually have the energy to keep up with everything ... mealtime sanity simplified - nothing better. :)

Green Smoothie, Anyone?

Happy Labour Day!  And what a beautiful day it is in Southwestern Ontario!  Oh the memories this weekend brings to me ... of school, and new beginnings, of the lake and family.  But one Labour Day weekend ten years ago was a little different - I was in recovery from having my gallbladder removed (aka - "digestive suicide"). THAT was no fun, especially when trying to care for my 6 week old baby girl.  Rewind 6 years - when I was 17, I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) with Constipation.  TMI.  BUT, I wanted to share because I know there are others out there that struggle with these same digestive issues.

With IBS and no gallbladder, it's a very painful combination.  I don't have a whole lot of options in a medical sense except for taking prescriptions and fibre supplements (that don't work) the rest of my life.  That's not good enough for me though ... and 3 years ago, after so much struggle, I discovered the Vitamix.

It has been the one and only thing that's brought true, lasting relief.  Green Smoothies!!  I started by reading these two books ... and began researching:

I learned so much about how food really does control our health.  As long as I have a smoothie or two a day, my body functions so well!! I know it's scary because ... it's green.  But I promise you if you like tropical drinks, you'll love it!  Even Morgan and Matt love it!

The health side of things is very interesting.  You need a high powered blender, like the Vitamix or the Blendtec ... or the consistency will be chunky.  They pulverize the fruit and veggies (stems and seeds and all) and break down the cell walls releasing optimum nutrients.  It's raw, fresh and delicious.  It's a huge boost of energy from the first sip.

The most important thing when starting smoothies is knowing which fruit and veggie combinations taste good together.  In my experience most green food tastes good mixed together; purples, blues and reds taste good mixed together; orange food taste good mixed together ... but inner-mixing - yuck.  Pineapple and bananas are neutral and go with any smoothie colour. 

All that being said, today I thought I'd share my favourite go-to Green Smoothie recipe.  It's super yummy and fresh!  When you drink it, you taste the tartness of the kiwi and the apple ... and the sweetness of the banana and the pineapple.  Everything else is hidden nutrition! :)

Wendy's Green Smoothie

A few slices of fresh Pineapple
Handful of Green Grapes
Banana
Handful of Baby Spinach or Kale
Green Apple, cut in half and quartered
Avocado, skinned and pit removed or a handful of raw Almonds
2 Kiwi, skinned
Handful of Ice and a cup or so of Filtered Water

Blend on high power 60 seconds or so until smooth.

Store in an airtight mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.  Shake well before drinking, as natural separation between liquid and pulp does occur.

You can throw in some flax seed or chia seed as well, if you have it on hand.

You can even turn this into smoothie popsicles!  MMMM!!