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Vegan Gluten-Free Gingerbread Men

December 1, 2015 · Natalie 70 Comments

Sweet-spicy cookie men are ready to invade your kitchen! Are you ready for them?

Gingerbread. Just the word sounds like a synonym to Christmas in my head. I would happily eat gingerbread year round, but saving it for the cozy days of Christmas time makes the distinct flavor extra special.

And these flavorful little fellows have a lot of goodness going on inside…
– Two types of spice and three types of sweet.
– A pop of lemon to balance all that
– Oat flour to make them easily gluten-free
– An incredibly soft and moist cookie texture after baking despite their oil-free dough origins

When you make these Vegan Gluten-Free Gingerbread Men, be ready for a bold cookie!

A reader requested a roll-out gingerbread cookie months ago, and I’m so happy to finally share. This one took a bit of experimentation, but I think you will love it! The dough had to be firm enough to roll and cut, but still moist and light after their excursion into the oven. Because dryness is like the Grinch of holiday baking, stealing all the cookie joy.

So here are my gingerbread cut-out cookie secrets…

Dates! They bind. They sweeten. They add moisture. And it seems I can’t make a recipe without them.

Applesauce. Instead of using a liquid (like almond milk), applesauce adds moisture but doesn’t make for a runny batter. Sticky dough?..check!

Chilling. The cookie dough has to chill overnight (or at least 8 hours). This is probably the most important step, I apologize in advance to your patience.

(P.S. Cut out cookies inevitably lead to leftover ragged dough edges. These little morsels are delicious, don’t you dare throw them out. Another bonus of vegan baking!)

Coconut cream instead of buttercream to paint on their personalities. And pomegranate arils to accent because they remind me of red twinkly lights…

And a video…

I would venture as far as to say these are my favorite gingerbread cookies to date. But try them for yourself and let me know what you think!

Vegan Gluten-Free Gingerbread Men

★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews

Prep Time: 480 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: 493 minutes
Yield: 8 cookies 1x

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Ingredients

Scale

10–12 pitted Medjool dates
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 1/4 cup oat flour
2 tsps lemon juice
2 tsps fresh grated ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1–2 tbsps unsweetened applesauce* (see note)
TO DECORATE
Cream from one can of full fat coconut milk (whipped)
Pomegranate arils.

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Instructions

Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Process until it forms a sticky moist dough.
Shape into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight (or at least 6-8 hours).
The following day, preheat the oven to 350F.
Roll out the dough until about 1/4 inch thick. Flour your rolling surface very well to avoid sticking.
Cut out with a cookie cutter. If you have a lot of excess dough, you can re-roll it one more time to cut out more cookies.
Bake for 12-14 minutes at 350F.
Let them cool before removing from the pan and decorating.

Vegan Thanksgiving Power Bowl

November 24, 2015 · Natalie 27 Comments

I know I’m cutting it close with Thanksgiving only two days off, but at the last minute I decided to post some “real” food. So if pumpkin pie alone isn’t enough of a meal for you, then I have a nutritious savory power bowl that gives an little nod to the traditional Thanksgiving feast.

You can pull this entire bowl together in about an hour. Yes that is a lot longer than I usually spend on one meal, but it’s a lot faster than the usual Thanksgiving prep time. This bowl is perfect for a solo Thanksgiving or a vegan Thanksgiving amidst omnivores. But make sure to leave a little extra of everything, because most likely your family and friends are going to be at least somewhat intrigued by the plant-based goodness you’re having.

Tangy cranberry sauce that gets it’s sweet side from fruit juice and maple syrup.
Lentils simmered till soft and seasoned with the herbs typical of gravy.
Brown rice and veggie “stuffing“.
Sweet potato cubes baked till crispy.
A bed of baby greens.

Thanksgiving meals usually end up as a hodgepodge of helpings from different dishes all jumbled on one plate, so why not just start that way…

Thanksgiving Power Bowl

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review

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Ingredients

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CRANBERRY SAUCE
12 oz . fresh cranberries
Juice of one orange
Zest of one orange
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup maple syrup
LENTILS
1 cup lentils (pre-soaking optional)
1 cup veggie broth
2 cups water (only 1 1/2 cup if pre-soaked)
Seasonings/herbs: thyme (rosemary, garlic, black pepper)
BROWN RICE STUFFING
2 cups cooked brown rice
3/4 cup chopped carrot
3/4 cup chopped mushrooms
3/4 cup chopped celery
SWEET POTATOES
1 medium sweet potato
For serving: mixed baby greens

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Instructions

FOR THE CRANBERRY SAUCE: Combine everything in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes until thick. (I made mine the day before and refrigerated overnight)
FOR THE LENTILS: Combine everything in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes.
FOR THE BROWN RICE STUFFING: Combine the carrots, mushrooms, and celery in a saucepan. Add 1/4 cup water or veggie broth. Bring to high heat, then reduce to medium, cover, and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until all the veggies are fork tender.
Add the brown rice. Cook for another 2-3 minutes to warm up the rice. Turn off the heat and mash with a potato masher until stuffing textured.
FOR THE SWEET POTATOES: Preheat the oven to 450F. Chop the sweet potato into large chunks. Spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 450F for about ?25 minutes.

A very Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Fruit-Sweetened Pumpkin Pie

November 17, 2015 · Natalie 109 Comments

If Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t include pumpkin pie then can we really even call it a celebration?

I’m kidding. Kinda. But I’m also kinda serious. I could eat pumpkin pie as the appetizer, the main dish, and the dessert. And maybe even breakfast the morning of. And with this Fruit-Sweetened Pumpkin Pie I don’t really see a problem with that!

The whole reason I set out on the sugar-free pie-making mission was to create a pumpkin pie that I would have no qualms about polishing off in one sitting. I still love my Banana Pumpkin Pie from last year, but if (when) I ate the entire thing I was consuming more coconut sugar then I should be at one time. However, in this pie there are three different fruits, only seven ingredients total, and no worries about the all natural sugars.

And the taste and texture definitely meet my high pie standards. So if you try it for Thanksgiving (or tomorrow’s breakfast), let me know if you agree!

The crust is gluten-free, fruit-sweetened, and fruit-bound. Similar to my Caramel Apple Crumble Pie crust, but with bananas this time.

Crust rolling, flipping, and filling in action…

Fruit-Sweetened Pumpkin Pie

★★★★★ 4.9 from 16 reviews

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 75 minutes

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Ingredients

Scale

CRUST*
2 ripe bananas refrigerated overnight
1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cup gluten-free flour
FILLING
1 15 oz . can of pumpkin puree
12–14 pitted medjool dates
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tbsp cornstarch

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Instructions

FOR THE CRUST: In a large bowl, use your hands to “cut in” the cold banana into the flour. Keep kneading and mixing until you have a cohesive ball of dough. If it is still super sticky, you can add a little more flour.
Roll out the crust between two well-floured pieces of wax paper.Peel off one sheet of paper. Dust the surface of the dough with flour to prevent it from sticking to the pie pan.
Flip into a 9 inch pie pan. Set aside.
FOR THE FILLING: Blend all the ingredients on high until smooth.
Pour into the crust.
Bake at 425F for 15 mins.
Reduce the heat to 350F and bake for another 35-40 mins.
Let it cool, then chill for at least 8 hours before serving.

Notes

*Since posting this recipe over a year ago, I have come to dislike oat flour for pie crusts as it can make for a very chewy hard texture. I highly recommend using this almond flour crust recipe instead.

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Caramel Apple Crumble Pie

November 10, 2015 · Natalie 36 Comments

I had every intention of making an applesauce pie. But a reader requested a Dutch apple pie, and I try really hard to deliver on all of your requests. So I pushed my applesauce plans aside and tried to go a more traditional route…

Which completely failed because I really can’t be traditional. I try, but nope!

As I was researching Dutch apple pie, I found a lot of pies with a traditional bottom crust and a crumbly top. Then I came across what I think is the true Dutch apple pie, which is made in a springform pan with a cake-like deep-dish crust. Now I see what makes it special. But I haven’t figured out how to make that work without a lot of butter and gluten and eggs…yet.

But the idea of a crumbly-topped apple pie sounded scrumptious, so I made my own unconventional creation: Caramel Apple Crumble Pie!

Plantains in the crust. Dates in the filling. Oats in the crumble. It’s not Dutch, but it’s delicious.

Oh, and this pie is reminiscent of last week’s applesauce in one way…there’s apple juice in filling!

Plantain pie crust? My mind was a little blown when I came across this whole-wheat banana crust recipe from Happy Herbivore. Using a cold banana instead of cold butter, genius! Switching up the flours to make in gluten-free was easy. But instead of the underripe banana I used a ripe plantain, which is naturally firmer than a banana. It’s easy to roll out, sturdy to flip, and not chewy like an oat crust. Plus I’ve been wanting to work plantains into another dessert recipe ever since these brownies.

Caramel Apple Crumble Pie

★★★★★ 4.6 from 5 reviews

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 80 minutes
Yield: 8 servings 1x

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Ingredients

Scale

CRUST
1 ripe plantain (refrigerated overnight)
1 1/4 cup gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour)
1 tbsp tapioca starch
2 tbsps coconut sugar
FILLING
4 medium apples (thinly sliced)
1 tsp lemon juice
12 pitted medjool dates
3/4 cup apple juice
2 tsps cinnamon or apple pie spice
CRUMBLE
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup oat flour
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3–4 tbsps non-dairy milk

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Instructions

FOR THE CRUST: Stir together the flour and coconut sugar.
Using your hands, work in the chilled plantain. Keep mixing and kneading until it forms a cohesive dough.
Roll out the crust and transfer to a floured pie pan. Set aside.
FOR THE FILLING: Blend the lemon juice, dates, cinnamon, and apple juice on high.
Pour over the apple slices and toss to coat.
Transfer to the pie pan.
Bake for 20 mins at 350F.
FOR THE TOPPING: While the pie is baking, mix all the topping ingredients together with a fork until crumbly.
After 20 mins of baking, remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle on the topping to evenly cover the apples.
Bake for another 30 mins at 350F.
Remove from the pan and let it cool. Slice and eat.

Notes

Crust adapted from Happy Herbivore’s Whole Wheat Pie Crust

What I Eat in a Day (Smoothie Spree!)

November 6, 2015 · Natalie 13 Comments

I haven’t been feeling very motivated to make the usual recipe videos lately. It’s a lot of editing. It sometimes requires making the recipe multiple times, to get all the pictures and video. It means I can’t bake after dark (which comes so much earlier now!). And frankly I think you know how to make applesauce without a visual guide. I’d rather spend more time on the pictures and more time making new recipes.

But I still want to make videos, just simpler ones. That might mean more low key recipe style videos, but this week I filmed a little what i eat video and had some fun with the editing. It features a lot of snacking (because that’s just how I eat) and a lot of smoothies. I didn’t realize I loved smoothies till about a month ago, but since then I’ve been drinking A LOT of them! It’s getting a little out of hand. But they are so easy. And yummy. And digest super well (always a bonus!).

What I eat in a day…

I don’t usually post on a whim like this, writing the post just minutes before hitting publish. This feels a little weird to me. But good weird. Spontaneous weird. I need to be more spontaneous.

Do you ever get a little smoothie obsessed and want to drink them for all your meals?

Vegan Gluten-Free Gingerbread Men

Vegan Gluten-Free Gingerbread Men

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Vegan Thanksgiving Power Bowl

Thanksgiving Power Bowl

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Fruit-Sweetened Pumpkin Pie

Fruit-Sweetened Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Caramel Apple Crumble Pie

Caramel Apple Crumble Pie

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

What I Eat in a Day (Smoothie Spree!)

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