Angela's Vegan (Tofu-free) Chocolate Pudding

Happy Weekend ya'll. I hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday.

I mentioned this recipe a little while ago in the 10 Things post and was dying to give it a try.

My problem is the I never know when avocados are ready. I always wait too long and they end up being full of yucky brown spots. I don't even know if you can eat them like this, or even if they taste good because I always end up chucking them into the compost without tasting them. This happened the first time I went to make this pudding. Good thing I read the recipe wrong and it was only two avo's instead of 4... when I went to make it the second time, I think the avocados were perfect. One seemed a little hard, but the pudding turned out lovely and creamy.

I ended up with WAY more than 1.5c of pudding so I guess my avocados were on the large side. That was my fault though since I didn't measure the flesh like I should have. But, no matter, having more pudding than you planned on having isn't necessarily a bad problem to have! All four of my kiddos loved it- even my girl who says she doesn't like chocolate! And they even ate it after I told them it was avocado!

I never would have thought you could make a pudding so creamy and luscious without dairy or soy, but it's possible - and delicious! Angela is a genius! Here is a link to her original recipe - I didn't change much other than giving some instructions about chilling. Give it a go - even if you're leery of avocados!

Angela's Vegan (Tofu-free) Chocolate Pudding

2 c avocado flesh (about 4 medium)
2/3 c maple syrup
1/3 c non-dairy milk (I used Coconut Milk Beverage)
1/4 c cocoa powder*, sifted
1 tbsp arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 c dairy free chocolate chips (optional)

In you food processor combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips. Process until combined and completely smooth.
Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or double boiler.
With the processor running, pour in the melted chocolate and process until evenly combined.
Transfer to an air tight container and chill in the fridge for at least an hour before eating - you don't want to eat it right away otherwise you'll really taste the avocado and it won't be nearly as good as it is after chilling. Trust me on this one.

*I used Cacao Berry Extra Brute. It was a good choice.

Here's Simon. Just to make you smile:

Chocolate Chunk Banana Millet Muffins

Oh. Good morning...

That's quite the shadow you've got there.

Oh my. That's a bit scandalous... we just met...

Is that a little chocolate chunk I spy there?

I thought so... Mmmmmm. You've got some really good texture going on there. Fluffy but moist... a little chewy with a bit of crunch. And that chocolate...

Don't ever leave me.

I promise you've replaced my other banana muffin. Forever.

Oh. Oops.

I'm sorry, my love.

Well, at least I've got 11 more...


Chocolate Chunk Banana Millet Muffins
Adapted from Mama Pea's recipe

2/3 c millet, ground in your blender until powdery
1 1/2 c Namaste Perfect Blend (or white whole wheat flour, if you can tolerate it)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 bananas, mashed (or blended until smooth if you don't like chunks)
1/2 c coconut palm sugar
2 tbsp oil (I used canola, but will try coconut oil next!)
1/2 c rice milk or other non-dairy milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c Enjoy Life chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat your oven to 375F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Combine wet ingredients - you can toss them all in the blender if you've used it for the bananas.
Add wet to dry and mix until just incorporated - don't over mix!
Fold in the chocolate.
Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 18 minutes.
Allow to cool in the pan for 10 mins before removing to a wire rack.
Enjoy!

Allergy Free Brownies (Gluten Free and Vegan)

For the love of all things delicious.... make these brownies!!!

I had begun to think that I would never taste another brownie again - unless I wanted to double over in pain afterward. I stumbled across this recipe on the interwebs and had to modify it a bit to make fudgey fantastic brownies. They came together in a snap and the hardest part was waiting for them to cool!

Allergy Free Brownies

1/3 c brown rice flour
1/3 c white rice flour
1/3 c sorghum flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 c dark cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 c oil
1/4 c brown rice syrup (or date syrup, if you have it)
1/4 c agave nectar
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 c water

Preheat your oven to 350.
Line an 8x8 pan with parchment or foil.
Whisk dry ingredients together in one bowl.
In another bowl whisk together wet ingredients - it will be sticky but then smooth out.
Add wet to dry and combine with a spatula.
Pour into prepared pan and smooth out.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Let cool completely before cutting.

Notes:
You can use 1 c all purpose flour instead of the other flours and xanthan gum.
After I poured in the canola oil I realized that I should have tried it with coconut oil - let me know if you test it out with coconut oil before I get a chance to!

Now please excuse me while I go eat the rest of the pan, if there's any left... I wonder if I have an coconut milk ice cream in the freezer?

More Cookies!

We love cookies in our house! I can't remember where I got this recipe from but I've been making it for a few years now - handy that its something the B2 and I can both eat. They are soft, cakey cookies and are yummy with chocolate chips, if you're able to have them. I've even made them with added cocoa powder before and they were delish! If you're avoiding gluten make sure you use GF oats. The recipe can easily be doubled and the extras frozen for a quick lunch box treat.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 18 small cookies

1 1/2 c gluten free oat flour (you can make your own by whirling oats in a food processor)
3/4 c gluten free oats
1/2 tsp each baking powder, baking soda, sea salt
1/2 c coconut sugar or sucanat (or you could use brown sugar, but its refined!)
1/3 mini chocolate chips (allergy free, optional)
1 medium banana, mashed (about 1/2 c)
1/3 c rice milk or milk of your choice
1 tsp oil (I use olive)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
In a medium mixing bowl combine oat flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt and coconut sugar. In in chocolate chips is using. Stir well to combine.
Measure out milk in a large measuring cup. Add in oil and vanilla. Stir in banana.
Add wet to dry and mix to combine.
Allow mixture to sit for a few minutes.
Scoop out using a small (1 1/4 inch) scoop and drop onto baking sheet.  Leave enough space to flatten but you don't need space for them to spread - because they don't! Flatten with a spoon or fork.
Bake for 12 minutes until lightly browned and set.
Allow to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a cooling rack.

Here's Simon. Because who doesn't love Simon?! 

Well... my husband... but THAT'S IT! 

Oh to be a kitty all curled up in a basket!

Sorry to wake you...

SunButter Greenies

Hi everyone,
So my kiddies are finally better and off to school today. Thank goodness. I think one more day cooped up at home would have drove us all crazy - especially with the rain today!
I baked up these fun cookies last night made with SunButter and maple syrup. If you've never tried SunButter I highly recommend it! It tastes like peanut butter but there isn't a peanut in sight! They have sweetened and unsweetened. Its awesome for kids with allergies and great to sending to school! There is some chemical reaction that happens with the sunflower seeds and baking soda as the cookies cool and the centers turn dark green! The kids thought it was pretty cool and wanted to eat them for breakfast. And I let them!

I followed the recipe and used about 2 tbsp of batter per cookie which resulted in huge cookies. Next time I will use a smaller scoop, bake for a shorter amount of time and that way I'll be able to fit them in their lunchboxes. This recipe uses pretty much a whole jar of SunButter and a lot of maple syrup... If you're leery and just want to try the recipe out, you could easily halve it. Also you could substitute some agave for the syrup.

SunButter Greenies
Adapted from The Allergen-Free Bakers Handbook by Cybele Pascal (I love this book!!!)
Makes 24 3-inch cookies

2 c plus 4 tbsp Namaste Perfect Flour Blend (or Basic Flour Mix plus 1/2 tsp xanthan gum)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 c SunButter (organic, unsweetened)
1 1/2 c maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c dairy-free, soy-free chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line to baking sheets with parchment or Silpat mats.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour mix, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Measure the SunButter in a glass, liquid measuring cup. Heat for about 1 minute in the microwave to soften.
Add the softened SunButter, maple syrup and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Once combined add the chocolate chips, if using.

For Large Cookies: drop 2 tbps of batter onto the baking sheet, then flatten slightly with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden.
Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies must cool all the way to turn green.

For Smaller Cookies: drop 1 tbsp of batter onto the sheet, flatten slightly with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden.
Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies must cool all the way to turn green.

My First Post!

Hi guys,
For those of my Facebook friends who told me I should do this - this is for you! :)

After getting the test results last week and going cold turkey off of all of the sweets (aka chocolate) I love, I was kinda dying without anything for *gasp* 5 days... LOL I'm so lame. Anyway, I took a look through one of the allergy-free books that I had for Boy2 and found a recipe for chocolate cupcakes sans wheat, dairy, eggs or cane sugar! SCORE! I was a little skeptical because the last muffin recipe I tried turned out horribly and I ended up throwing them in the garbage after Boy2 tried to mutilate one with not much success. But these! These are lovely and totally surpassed my expectations!!! I even did a little happy dance after my first bite! One key thing is the quality of the cocoa powder you use. I have some fancy schmancy Cacao Berry Extra Brute cocoa powder that is perfect. I got it at Golda's Kitchen.
The recipe in the book calls for a rice milk chocolate ganache for top the cupcakes, but they were wonderful plain and we ate them that way.
I would assume you can make this same recipe with regular flour and have good results.
Anyway, here is the recipe!

Chocolate Maple Cupcakes
Adapted from The Allergy-Free Baker's Handbook by Cybele Pascal

2/3 c rice milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 c basic gluten-free flour mix (recipe follows) I used Namaste Foods Perfect Flour Blend
1/2 c Cacao Berry Extra Brute cocoa powder
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp xanthan gum (omit if using Namaste flour blend)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 c dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening
2/3 maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350F and spray muffin tin (I used a super cute flower tin) with olive oil spray.
Combine rice milk and vinegar. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle (or scraper paddle) attachment, cream the shortening on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat for another 3 minutes or until combined.
Sift in the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the rice milk mixture and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping the sides as needed.
Divide among muffin cups.
Bake in the center of the over for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool 5 minutes before turning the cakes out to cool completely.


Perfect Flour Blend

4 c superfine brown rice flour (Authentic Foods, Ener-G or Bob's Red Mill are the best, smoothest brands)
1 1/3 c potato starch (not potato flour)
2/3 c tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)

Combine all ingredients in a large Ziplock bag. Shake to combine. Store in the fridge.