Tag Archives: recipes

Vegan Bran Muffin Recipe

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This recipe is vegan.  Makes 1 dozen muffins.

Vegan Bran Muffins (6)

I tried this recipe for the first time the other day and loved it!  These muffins are moist and delicious any time of day!

Here’s the website I got this recipe from: http://plantfueled.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/recipe-whole-wheat-low-fat-vegan-bran-muffins/

At first I was a bit skeptical.  I’ve tried vegan recipes before and have often been disappointed and left with that ‘it just doesn’t taste the same’ feeling.  This recipe surprised me so I thought I would share it here.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!  

Ingredients:

– 3 cups wheat bran

– 2 cups non-dairy milk (I used almond, but you could use rice, etc. – I wouldn’t recommend soy as it’s an estrogen mimicker and can throw your hormone balance off)

– 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (I made my own but store-bought is fine as well, just try to get one without all the additives)

– 1/2 cup molasses (I used a combination of molasses and honey when I made these, but then it’s not considered vegan, so do with it what you will 😉 )

– 3 teaspoons ground flax seeds

– 2 teaspoons baking soda

– 2 teaspoons baking powder

– 1 teaspoon salt

– 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

The original recipe also called for 1 1/2 cups of raisins; I left these out as I prefer my bran muffins raisin-less, but it’s up to you.

Here are the instructions straight from the original website:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.

2. Mix wheat bran and milk in a bowl. Let sit for 15-20 minutes. You want it to get reallymushy and gross.

3. Add in applesauce, molasses, and flax. Mix. Add in baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour. Mix until all flour is moistened. Fold in raisins. This will be very thick…more like cookie dough than muffin batter:

4. Pour into muffin pans. I use silicone, so I don’t have to grease them. If you are using metal, than either grease of use muffin liners.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. To see if they are done, insert toothpick. It should come out clean. If not, put them back in the oven for a minute or two.

Vegan Bran Muffins (13)

I found the batter wasn’t really any thicker than typical muffin batter…maybe it was just because I didn’t add the raisins…?  There’s enough batter to fill 12 muffin cups and they work out to be nice and large (but not hugely jumbo).  Happy baking! 

Gluten-Free Waffles

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Gluten-Free Waffles

I just made these waffles this morning and they were delicious!  The oat flour gave them a nice, chewy texture and they were very filling – the perfect complement to a lazy Saturday morning. 🙂

Generally I’m a big topping fanatic, but these were actually good without anything on them, and they were so easy to make.  If you want to make them dairy-free, you can use a milk substitute, such as rice, almond, etc.

I found this recipe at: http://www.girlmakesfood.com/ridiculously-awesome-oat-waffles/

They’re pretty healthy, too, considering that they’re mostly oat, they don’t have any sugar (maple syrup is used as a sweetener) and you can substitute non-dairy milk for regular milk.  They also use coconut oil instead of butter, which is a superfood that has countless beneficial properties.  You can check out this site for more info on why coconut oil is so good for you.

So, here’s the recipe…

 

Basically, you just mix together the following ingredients and spoon the batter into your pre-heated waffle iron…then, when ready, top with whipped cream, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, sprinkle them with cinnamon, and drizzle some maple syrup on top!  Yum!  (Or you could top them with YOUR favourite fruits and toppings…I guess it’s up to you 🙂 )

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 cups Oat Flour*

-1 Tbs Baking Powder

-Pinch of Salt

-2 Eggs

-1 cup Milk – dairy or nondairy (I used dairy, but according to the site I got the recipe from nondairy works well too)

-2 Tbs Maple Syrup (the maple syrup gives the waffles a divinely sweet hint to them)

-2 Tbs Coconut Oil

 

*I made my own oat flour (the original recipe suggests this as well) by grinding 2 cups of oats in a food processor.  I left mine a bit chunkier than regular oat flour because I wanted the added texture, but it would probably be a bit more like regular waffle batter consistency if you were to grind the oats finer.  Depends on how much chewing you want to do. 🙂

 

 

Raw Oatmeal

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Okay, so we’ve all been taught that oatmeal is healthy, right?  But is there a way to make it even healthier?  One suggestion is to eat it raw.  Instead of cooking all the nutrients out, you can simply soak the oatmeal overnight and have it ready for the next morning – perfectly quick, perfectly nutritious, perfectly raw.  Just add the same amount of water as oatmeal – a 1:1 ratio (1 cup of oatmeal = 1 cup of water).  Top it with your favorite fruit and spices and drizzle on a healthy sweetener like maple syrup – yum!

 

Raw Vegan Brownie Recipe

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This recipe is gluten-free, raw, and vegan

I attend a raw vegan potluck once a month, and when I came across this recipe on youtube I thought it would make the perfect contribution.  You can find the original video for the recipe here.  I topped these brownies with a vegan chocolate ganache (not pictured), found at rawmazing.com (scroll to the end of the strawberry pie recipe for the ganache directions).  The original recipe for the ganache is raw, but I swapped some of the ingredients to make do with what I had.  Anyway, here’s the recipe:

 

 

Prep Time: about 30 minutes

Fridge/Freezer Time: minimum 1/2 hr.

 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup walnuts

1 cup dates, pitted (I halved mine as I pitted them)

4 tbs melted coconut oil

2 tbs cacao powder (I used cocoa powder as I didn’t have cacao)

1 tbs chia seeds

1 tbs flax seeds

pinch good salt (such as sea or Himalayan – not table salt! :))

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

 

 

When melting the coconut oil, please do not use the microwave!!  It’s not good for you or the food, and we definitely don’t want our raw brownies to become cooked :).  Coconut oil is a solid at room temperature (except during warm, summer weather) and has a low melting point, so an easy way to melt it is by putting it in a dish and placing the dish in hot water (pictured left).  If its warm and sunny out and the coconut oil is still solid, try putting it in sunlight – near a window, etc.

 

 

To make the brownies…

Start by placing the rolled oats and walnuts in a food processor.

 Pulse them until they form a powder, as seen below.

Next, add all the rest of the ingredients…

…the dates, melted coconut oil, cacao powder, chia seeds, flax seeds, salt and vanilla.

Continue to pulse these ingredients until they have a gooey texture and appear fully combined.  You will still see white bits and whole flax seeds (if you didn’t pre-grind your flax).  You can refer to the picture of the batter in the pan if you want to see what the it should look like (shown 2 pics down).

Line a pan with foil – I used an 8 x 8 in. square one, but you can use whatever you have depending on the size and thickness you want your brownies to be.

Then spread your brownie batter evenly in the pan.

The batter should go in the fridge for at least 2 hours or the freezer for at least 1/2 an hour to firm it up.

And there you have it!  Cut them up and enjoy!

 

I also added a chocolate ganache topping (just before eating the brownies) from a recipe found at rawmazing.com.

The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup raw agave nectar, 2 tbs melted coconut oil, and 1/4 cup cacao.

I substituted the agave for maple syrup and, again, the cacao for cocoa powder.  The ganache will be quite runny at first; if you want it to get thicker, let it cool in the fridge for a while before serving.

Simply whisk the ingredients together and drizzle them over your brownies!  Yum!